Nanaimo news

• Big Bar complex fires near Clinton still out of control

  24-08-2026 00:07 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Bonaparte First Nation (BFN) has downgraded an evacuation order for two of its reserves to an evacuation alert as of 3 p.m. on Sunday (Aug. 23).
  IR 1 and IR 2, on Highway 99 near Hat Creek Road, were placed on evacuation order on Aug. 11 in response to the Pear Lake wildfire, burning out of control near Clinton. The order has now been downgraded to an evacuation alert, meaning that the fire is still considered a potential risk. Residents should stay prepared in case conditions change, and monito
  
  Read more

• Weekend rain helping slow growth of South Cariboo’s Pear Lake fire

  26-08-2026 00:41 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Weekend rain and humidity have helped slow the growth of the Pear Lake fire burning in the South Cariboo.
  In an Aug. 25 update, the BC Wildfire Service stated that thunderstorms brought rain to the Big Bar Complex over the weekend. While most of the area received some precipitation, amounts ranged from 2 to 18 millimetres, with the heaviest rain falling to the south and west.
  “The rain dampened fine surface fuels and slowed spread but had minimal impact on the deeper, heavier fuels, which
  
  Read more

• Nanaimo RCMP played part in arrest of man in Ucluelet for alleged sex crimes against minor

  25-08-2026 23:46 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Officers from the Nanaimo RCMP detachment were involved in the arrest in Ucluelet last weekend of a man who has been indicted in Hawaii for the alleged sexual exploitation of a child.
  The B.C. RCMP said in a press release that the Ucluelet RCMP received notification from Federal Policing – Pacific Region, in cooperation with the FBI, to be on the lookout for a sailing vessel associated with Donald Steven Lang, 62, who was wanted by the FBI for three counts of lewd conduct with a minor, and
  
  Read more

• Sara Edmondson

  25-08-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  June 1981 to August 2026It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our daughter Sara Edmondson in Nanaimo. Sara was a beloved daughter, sister, aunt, niece and cousin whose life touched many people. She was deeply loved by her family and the people who knew her.
  Sara found purpose and community through her volunteer work at NANDU in Nanaimo. She passionately supported harm reduction and offered generously of her time, understanding and care to others. Her compassion and sensitivity
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Helmut Gittinger

  25-08-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Dec. 10, 1934 – Aug. 8, 2026
  It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dad Helmut Gittinger on Aug 8/2026 at the age of 91. Helmut was born in Stuttgart Germany on Dec 10 1934. He came to Canada in 1956 with his wife, Hilde and began working at the pulp mill in Port Alice as a pipe fitter where he also started his family. In 1964 the family moved to Nanaimo where he began working at the Harmac pulp mill. Helmut, Hilde, and their two kids lived in Nanaimo until 1976 when
  
  Read more

• Ernest James (Jim) Slotte

  25-08-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  July 17, 1944 – August 18, 2026We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Jim Slotte on August 18, 2026 while recovering from surgery in the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.
  Jim was born in Nanaimo to Ernest Slotte and Isabella (nee Baines). He was predeceased by his sister Elve Moore (nee Beck). Jim leaves behind Astrid (nee Einarsen), his wife and partner of more than 60 years, and their three sons, Vincent, Brent and Jason.
  Jim was committed to his friends and family and was w
  
  Read more

• Donald Lloyd Hearsey

  25-08-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  March 22, 1948 – August 12, 2026It is with heartfelt sympathy that we announce the passing of Donald “Don” Lloyd Hearsey, our beloved husband, father, and grandfather.
  Don leaves behind his beloved wife of 50 years, Geraldine (Snuggles); his two sons, Mark (Noelle) Hearsey and Paul (Susan) Hearsey; and his cherished grandchildren, Wyatt, Tyler, Aiden, and Alyssa.
  He is also survived by his siblings, Bob (Linda) Hearsey, and Judy (John) Lachman, along with many nieces, nephews,
  
  Read more

• David John Copley

  25-08-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  March 27th, 1943 – August 8th, 2026Nanaimo BC
  It is with sadness and regret that we inform our friends and family, the passing of David John Copley. Our hearts are broken but take relief in knowing that Dad/David passed suddenly and peacefully in his home. We are grateful he did not suffer nor have to endure Hospital or long term care.
  Dad/David is survived by his loving wife of 55 wonderful years, Helen, his son and biggest admirer Bryan, beautiful Daughter in-law Heidi and sister Jean An
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Majority of Gabriola Island animal rescue casualties caused by cat maulings

  25-08-2026 23:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  After another baby squirrel was left orphaned from a cat mauling, Gabriola Rescue of Wildlife Society (GROWLS) is pushing for cat owners to consider alternatives to letting their feline companions run wild.
  GROWLS, started in 1992 by two Gabriola Islanders, now consists of 40 rescue volunteers around the Island, who work together coordinating about 200 rescue cases a year from eagles, to songbirds, to squirrels, to fawns.“The summers are always so, so busy. In winter months you could go al
  
  Read more

• New chapter in recovery: $6.4M Bill’s Place expansion launches in Vernon

  25-08-2026 23:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A $6.4 million campaign has kicked off and is set to add 36 treatment beds at Bill’s Place Addiction Recovery in Vernon.Turning Points Collaborative Society announced Tuesday, Aug. 25, plans for a new 13,500-square-foot, three storey facility that will add 36 treatment beds and increase Bill’s Place capacity by 133 per cent.The Foord Family Foundation is helping pave the way for the expansion by providing Turning Points Collaborative Society (TPCS) with a $2.5 million gift to get sta
  
  Read more

• Uber incident earns response from Kelowna RCMP

  25-08-2026 23:21 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Kelowna RCMP is investigating an incident involving an Uber driver and two individuals downtown on the night of Saturday, Aug. 22.
  ​Uber driver Benton Calder posted a video on social media. The video shows him dropping off a passenger on Mill Street, backing up and turning around to leave the way he came.
  A woman captured in the video then starts chasing down the Tesla, punching it multiple times before falling. Something also appears to be thrown at her from the car.
  A man who appeare
  
  Read more

• Jean Smith

  25-08-2026 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  August 9, 2026It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Jean Smith on August 9, 2026. She passed away peacefully with family by her side. Jean was born and raised in Virden, Manitoba, and worked in Brandon before marrying Larry Smith and beginning their life together. They moved to Nanaimo, B.C., where they raised their family and created a lifetime of cherished memories. Family was always at the heart of Jean’s life. She devoted many years to raising her family as a stay-at-
  
  Read more

• Prince George-Valemount MLA quits B.C. Conservatives, third to go in two weeks

  25-08-2026 22:14 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Another MLA is leaving the B.C. Conservative caucus as the exodus from the party continues under new Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
  Prince-George Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird is the latest to go, saying she plans to sit as an Independent.
  “This decision was not made lightly,” she said in a written statement. “Political parties play an important role in our democracy, but they are vehicles for our values: they cannot be substitutes for them.”
  Bird joins Delta South MLA Ian Pato
  
  Read more

• B.C. rescue teams free sea lion with plastic wrapped around neck

  25-08-2026 21:51 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Less than two kilometres from the shores of Metchosin, a rescue team rallied together to help a California sea lion in need.The approximately 280-kilogram adult male was first spotted Aug. 1 at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve with a plastic packing band wrapped around his neck.
  As the entanglement posed a significant risk to his health, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society (VAMMR) launched into action.
  However, unsafe weather conditions delayed efforts.
  After waiting two weeks for a
  
  Read more

• Spill that Wine: Lightning Rock summer

  25-08-2026 21:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Not one to mix wine with politics, for fear of a cranial eruption, I give thanks to those among us who are braver than I. I’m speaking of Ron Kubek, owner of Lightning Rock Wines. Ron has stepped into the ring on behalf of B.C. Winegrowers and the small businesses they support.At a recent Boyz Only tasting of Lightning Rock’s wines, we started with Lightning Rock 2024 Chardonnay. The Cross Border Collection is sourced from the Dry Lake Vineyard in Washington State. Nicely balanced, y
  
  Read more

• B.C. Conservative riding association president for Abbotsford-Mission steps down

  25-08-2026 21:34 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The president of the Conservative Party of B.C. riding association for Abbotsford-Mission has resigned and left the party as new leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay eyes the seat.
  Former Mission mayor and BC Liberal MLA Randy Hawes announced his resignation from the president role on social media Monday (Aug. 24), days after Abbotsford-Mission MLA Reann Gasper stepped down to make way for Findlay.
  Hawes said Findlay represents “a huge step to the far right”. He has been the riding association
  
  Read more

• THE MOJ: B.C. Lions need to watch out for trap game against Ottawa

  25-08-2026 20:58 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  LANCASTER’S LOGIC: CFL legend Ron Lancaster had a saying – you’re never as bad as you think you are when you lose and you’re never as good as you think you are when you win. It’s a smart way of looking at things – and more importantly it makes you scrutinize the entire body of work rather than just looking at the outcome. So when I analyze the Lions’ 30-16 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders at BC Place this past Sunday, I also recognize the Riders
  
  Read more

• Findlay addresses B.C. Conservative defections, says there could be more

  25-08-2026 20:48 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay held a press conference for the first time in almost two months on Tuesday as she seeks to stabilize her caucus after two high-profile departures by long-time MLAs.“There may even be others that leave our caucus; I don’t know,” Findlay told reporters in Vancouver.
  She stood flanked by core caucus supporters within the caucus, including her husband, Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman, and Reann Gasper, the MLA for Abbotsford-Mission who h
  
  Read more

• Highway 1 closure near Hope smaller due to ‘reduced fire impacts’

  25-08-2026 20:37 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A portion of Highway 1 has reopened due to reduced fire impacts along parts of the corridor, according to Drive BC.
  However, Highway 1 remains closed for an approximately 20-kilometre stretch between Spuzzum Creek Road and Aspen Road as of Tuesday morning (Aug. 25).
  “Wildfire activity in the Fraser Canyon continues to affect Highway 1, though improving conditions have allowed adjustments to closures,” Drive BC said.
  BC Wildfire Service said rockfall continues to be a hazard and perio
  
  Read more

• 50 years of PNE history in photos by Craig Hodge, longtime fair staffer

  25-08-2026 20:17 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  It’s been a fun 50 years of photographing the PNE for Craig Hodge, who says the 2026 fair will be his final year of such freelance work there.
  He started in 1976 as a photographer with The Columbian, which evolved into Surrey Now and other newspapers, and soon took a PNE staff job to shoot the summer fair.“I started working for newspapers when I was 16, part-time, and I used to take my summers off to work at the PNE,” explained Hodge, who figures he’s taken millions of ph
  
  Read more

• Former WHL, OHL players can join legal action regarding abuse claims

  25-08-2026 20:08 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  New developments in litigation will allow former junior hockey players who competed in the Western Hockey League or Ontario Hockey League a new avenue to seek compensation for alleged bullying, harassment or abuse experienced during their tenure in the Canadian Hockey League.Skaters who have played in those leagues at any time since May 8, 1975 and say they’ve experienced abuse are eligible to join a court created opt-in process. Those wishing to join the process have until April 6, 2027 a
  
  Read more

• Two families displaced by North Cowichan duplex fire

  25-08-2026 19:46 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  On Aug. 22, at approximately 4:45 p.m., North Cowichan firefighters responded to a house fire on Drombeg Place, just off of Auchinachie Road.
  North Cowichan Fire Chief Ron French said there were around 25 members on scene, with three apparatuses from the south end, and one from Maple Bay.The fire left both sides of the duplex a total loss.
  The fire progressed quickly, French said, due to wind that afternoon, though firefighters acted quickly to contain it the blaze.
  “The crew did a great j
  
  Read more

• Taking outhouse to another level: Man rides toilet on Okanagan lake

  25-08-2026 19:42 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Fun in the water and on the toilet.
  ​That was the scene for a Kelowna man who was enjoying Okanagan Lake over the weekend when he spotted another man riding an E-Foil with a toilet attached to it.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Okanagan Efoils (@okanaganefoils)​An Instagram post from Okanagan E-Foils shows the incident on the west side of the lake near the W.R. Bennett Bridge, captioned “What a weird thing to see from your boat…”
  ​The funny, unusu
  
  Read more

• After blowout win and loss to Rams, VI Raiders prep for Okanagan Sun rematch

  25-08-2026 19:39 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  With a 77-0 blowout win, followed by a 31-12 loss to the top-ranked Langley Rams, the Vancouver Island Raiders are prepping for a rematch with the Okanagan Sun.
  The Raiders, currently third in the B.C. Football Conference, play the second place Sun Saturday, Aug. 29 on the road. Okanagan handed Vancouver Island a 45-17 loss in the first regular season game of 2026.
  The Raiders started the Saturday, Aug. 22 game against the first place Rams, at Q’unq’inuqwstuxw Stadium, well enough, s
  
  Read more

• Trial of B.C. police officer accused of sexual assault pushed to 2027

  25-08-2026 19:17 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The trial of a Central Saanich police officer accused of sexual assault has been delayed until February as lawyers determine the admissibility of evidence ahead of the trial.
  On Monday, Aug 24, Const. Ryan Johnston of the Central Saanich Police Service (CSPS) was supposed to stand trial, however, the hearing was mostly in camera as lawyers and the justice considered a future hearing to determine the admissibility of publicly unknown evidence.
  In December 2024, the Vancouver Police Department ann
  
  Read more

• Man seriously injured in late-night stabbing in Vancouver Island city

  25-08-2026 19:04 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A man was stabbed during a fight involving several people in downtown Victoria.
  Victoria Police Department (VicPD) said they responded to multiple reports of the incident late Sunday evening (Aug. 23), shortly before midnight, in the 1000-block of Johnson Street.
  However, when police arrived at the scene, the people involved had left the area.
  “Officers located evidence at the scene consistent with a violent altercation, including damage to a nearby business and blood,” said a statem
  
  Read more

• PSL launch signals sweater weather, but drought more likely behind Victoria’s early leaf fall

  25-08-2026 19:03 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  While pumpkin spice season is at hand for some coffee drinkers, it’s still too early for the leaf colour changes spotted across the South Island landscape.
  Foliage changes early in some areas may be an indication of the stress trees are facing, primarily due to heat and drought, in Greater Victoria.Scorch or early browning of leaves is easy to spot, says Matthew Coady, an arborist and area manager of Western Operations for Davey Tree Canada.Leaves are green because of chlorophyll, which ab
  
  Read more

• Lightning-caused fires continue to reveal themselves on South Island

  25-08-2026 15:58 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A trio of small wildfires is burning in the wooded areas of the South Coast – each deemed .009 hectares and attributed to lightning.
  A fire near Lens Creek, about 70 km northwest of Sooke, deemed spreading or anticipated to spread beyond the current perimeter, was discovered Monday (Aug. 24) according to BC Wildfire Service and likely caused by lightning in the storm that passed through Sunday.The other two fires are also associated with the same storm. A fire at Granite Main is deemed &ld
  
  Read more

• Rising temperature could increase activity at Bald Range blaze by Summerland

  25-08-2026 14:56 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  While BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said it could take advantage of lower temperatures over the weekend, rising heat would increase activity on the western flank of the Bald Range wildfire on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
  The west flank of the fire, north of Isintok Lake, has been the most active portion of late, and with highs of 31 C and 33 C on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, and an increase in winds, that fire activity could increase.
  As of Tuesday morning, six evacuation orders and 10 evacuation aler
  
  Read more

• Lantzville mountain biker to rep the Maple Leaf at world championships in Italy

  25-08-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Nanaimo area mountain biker has been selected to represent Team Canada at the world championships this week.
  Lantzville resident Piper Graaten, 16, will rep the Maple Leaf at the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val Di Sole, Italy from Wednesday-Sunday, Aug. 26-30, on the strength of her performance at the 2026 Canadian Downhill Mountain Bike Championships at Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops in late July – she took third in the expert women U19 division with a time of 5:33.99.
  
  Read more

Follow @news_nanaimo on Twitter!