Nanaimo news

• Breaking the cycle: B.C. First Nations community healer turns pain into purpose

  24-09-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Editor’s Note: This article contains descriptions of abuse suffered by residential school survivors that may be triggering.
  When Cyril Morris (wəqʷaqʷələq) talks about his two children, he can’t help but smile.
  Ask about his three grandsons, and that smile grows bigger still.
  From drumming and singing together to sharing his extensive collection of 1980s memorabilia and diving into the world of comics, Morris has plenty of ways to connect with his grandchildr
  
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• Hope conservationist demands answers to why bear cub was released alone

  25-09-2026 22:38 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  What started as a couple of wandering bears on Sept. 20 ended with one of them dead and another abandoned in the wild, with a prominent Hope conservationist now demanding some answers to exactly how this happened.
  Lydia Koot is the chair of the Hope Mountain Black Bear Committee, and she recently published an email to the provincial government regarding the decisions made about the curious bears.
  The black bear and her cub walked into the Hope Pharmasave on Sunday (Sept. 20) and wandered around
  
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• U.S. news outlet reveals details from Tumbler Ridge shooter’s ChatGPT account

  25-09-2026 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The American magazine Mother Jones has revealed disturbing new details of Tumbler Ridge shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account use in the months leading up to the tragic school shooting on Feb. 10.
  The AI chatbot reportedly produced “hypothetical” mass-shooting scenarios for Van Rootselaar, described what types of guns can have the most devastating impact in school shootings, answered queries on what time of day other high-profile shootings have occurred, and even expla
  
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• Centre BC leader Elenore Sturko running in Surrey South for provincial election

  25-09-2026 22:09 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  CentreBC Party leader Elenore Sturko is returning to her roots, and running in the riding she was first elected in four years ago, Surrey South.
  Sturko, who was elected to the Surrey South riding in a 2022 byelection when former MLA Stephanie Cadieux left electoral politics to become Canada’s first Chief Accessibility Officer, said she just recently made the decision.“This is where I was first elected in 2022 in a byelection, and this is where I live. So I wanted to come back to my h
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP’s Josh Waltman enjoying Tour de Rock, so far

  25-09-2026 22:08 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Josh Waltman said he was having fun after five days into the 2026 Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock.
  Waltman, an RCMP officer with the Nanaimo detachment, and the other 22 riders in the annual fundraiser to help kids with cancer pulled into Parksville after a long day of riding on Thursday, Sept. 24, just when rain began to fall after a long day of riding.
  He said his butt hurt for the first two days after leaving Port Alice at the beginning of their long and arduous 14-day, approximately 1,200-kilom
  
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• Headline history: Referendum on conference centre barely passed

  25-09-2026 20:53 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A referendum on borrowing to build the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in downtown Nanaimo barely passed with just 52 per cent of the vote two decades ago.
  On Nov. 20, 2004, the City of Nanaimo asked voters to borrow up to $30 million towards the construction of the VICC, but the issue divided the community since the city announced the referendum early in 2004.
  The municipality and the supporters of building the conference centre said the project was an integral part of plans to revitalize Na
  
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• Overnight rain holds Mount Jack wildfire near Sooke at 276 hectares

  25-09-2026 20:42 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A night of rain has helped douse growth of the Mount Jack wildfire near Sooke.
  The BC Wildfire Service said Friday morning (Sept. 25) that the rain has reduced fire behaviour to “mainly Rank 1,” which they describe as a “smouldering ground fire with no open flame.”
  “No significant growth” has been observed and the size remains at 276.19 hectares. While the fire is still listed as “out of control,” the service is hopeful for more favourable weather.
  
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• City of Nanaimo – Notice of Tax Sale

  25-09-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Pursuant to the Local Government Act, the following properties will be offered for sale by public auction to be held in the room designated as Council Chambers, Board Room, Service and Resource Centre, 411 Dunsmuir Street, Nanaimo, BC on Monday, September 28, 2026 at 10:00am unless the delinquent taxes plus interest are paid prior to the Tax Sale.The City of Nanaimo makes no representation expressed or implied as to the condition or quality of the properties being offered for sale. For more info
  
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• B.C. First Nations man recounts life at Kuper Island Residential School

  25-09-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Editor’s Note: This article contains descriptions of physical and sexual abuse endured or witnessed by children at Kuper Island Residential School that may be triggering.
  It’s a warm, clear day for mid-September, and Vernon Jack sits in dappled sunlight behind his Peninsula home. Moving in formation, a wedge of geese flies overhead, while a kitten hops in circles through a nearby patch of straw-yellow grass. Just out of sight, cars passing along West Saanich Road hum softly.
  It was j
  
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• B.C. Finance Minister Josie Osborne will run for re-election

  25-09-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Josie Osborne, the incumbent MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim, has announced she is aiming to retain her seat in October.Osborne was first elected as MLA in 2020 and has since served as the province’s Minister of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation, the Minister of Health, and (currently) Minister of Finance at various points.Prior to her election as MLA, Osborne worked as a fisheries biologist for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, led an environmental education non-profit, and was Tof
  
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• School District to support Kelowna families, children affected by crash involving 2 students

  25-09-2026 18:13 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In response to an incident that left two young kids in hospital after being struck by an SUV in Kelowna’s Upper Mission neighbourhood on Thursday, Sept. 24, Central Okanagan Public Schools’s (SD 23) is supporting all families and students impacted.“We are saddened at the news of this accident, and our hearts are with those affected,” said SD23’s communications advisor Justin Schneider.” The District’s Post Critical Incident Response Team and school staff
  
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• Group calls for torch-lighter ban in Nanaimo

  25-09-2026 18:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Calls are out for the sale of continuous-flame butane lighters to be banned in Nanaimo.
  Jenny Garceau, who oversees housing programs for the mid-Island branch of Canadian Mental Health Association, expressed concerns by CMHA over the issue at the city council meeting on Monday, Sept. 21.
  She said that in the aftermath of fires caused by continuous-flame butane lighters in CMHA’s supportive-housing building at 437 Wesley St., in addition to supporting community partners and service users th
  
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• Tillicum Lelum now eligible for permissive tax exemption from City of Nanaimo

  25-09-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A residence on Haliburton Street operated by Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Society will be placed on the list of properties eligible for a permissive tax exemption from the city in 2027.
  Council made the unanimous decision at its meeting on Monday, Sept. 21, after agreeing to have the municipality enter into a housing agreement with the society that would see its Sxwutculi Lelum (Hummingbird House), which provides short-term housing for Indigenous women in need, fit the criteria for a tax exemption.
  
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• ‘Earmarks of a scam:’ Shuswap Bird society goes dark after RCMP raises concerns

  25-09-2026 14:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Search online, and you can still find a trail of breadcrumbs purportedly linked to the Bird Sanctuary of Shuswap.
  Click on the resulting links to either the organization’s website or Facebook page, and you’ll find they go nowhere.
  These destinations disappeared from the internet shortly after the Observer contacted Bird Sanctuary of Shuswap, a registered non-profit society (confirmed by Service BC), regarding concerns in the community about the group, its goals and fundraising effort
  
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• Hometown rider cruises through Parksville Qualicum Beach on Tour de Rock

  25-09-2026 04:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Tour de Rock riders cruised through the Parksville Qualicum Beach area on Sept. 24, making stops to raise money for childhood cancer research and support services.
  The team of 22 law enforcement, emergency services personnel and media members started its day in Courtenay, before making its way to Magnolia Court in Bowser.
  They stopped at Quality Foods, Kwalikum Secondary School and Arrowsmith Elementary School in Qualicum Beach, as well as Thrifty Foods and Berwick in Parksville.
  Victoria Ne
  
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• Former rodeo rider Doerkson seeks to buck-off Eby in B.C. election

  25-09-2026 02:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  When interim B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson was a bareback rodeo rider in the 1990s, he once took a spill bad enough to knock him out, burst his eardrum, dislocate his shoulder and break his collarbone.
  Riding a horse named Kung Fu, which he described as a “huge” animal, Doerkson’s hand suddenly slipped out of his rigging, and he began to fall backwards.
  “It bucked just as my hand let go of the rigging,” he said.He landed hard on his shoulder, and the other
  
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• Surrey child-killer granted unescorted absence

  25-09-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A man serving life in prison for abducting, sexually assaulting and killing a Surrey 10-year-old 26 years ago has been granted a 60-day unescorted temporary absence (UTA) from prison, to participate in a cooking program at a community residential facility.
  According to a Sept. 2 Parole Board of Canada decision, Shane Robert Ertmoed – convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the Oct. 1, 2000 death of Heather Thomas – applied for the UTA “for personal development for r
  
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• Running simultaneous with municipal race, Sicamous mayor calls snap election ‘disrespectful’

  25-09-2026 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Premier David Eby’s call for a snap election on Sept. 22 trumped the recent Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention, as well as the regularly scheduled municipal election.
  With speculation about a possible provincial election circulating at UBCM, held in Vancouver Sept. 14 to 18, the general consensus was not favourable with local governments, including the District of Sicamous.
  “David Eby calling an election in the middle of a municipal election is disrespectful,” Mayor C
  
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• 4 Vernon Taekwon-Do athletes ready to take on World Cup in Spain

  25-09-2026 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Four Vernon athletes will soon step onto one of the biggest arenas in the sport of Taekwon-Do.Sundance Taekwon-Do is sending Jack Sharkey, Jill Donald, Shawn Donald, and Ezekiel Richman to the 2026 ITF World Cup in Benidorm, Spain, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, where they will be among 2,681 competitors from 57 countries.
  Canada’s 100 athletes form the eighth-largest delegation at the event.
  Sharkey is no stranger to the world stage.
  He has worn the Team Canada uniform at the 2023 ITF World Cha
  
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• ‘Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor’ in double fatality on W.R. Bennett Bridge

  24-09-2026 23:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor in the fatal car crash on Kelowna’s William R. Bennett Bridge on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 22, according to the RCMP’s BC Highway Patrol.
  “The preliminary investigation indicates an eastbound Toyota collided with a westbound Jeep. Emergency responders attended the scene and located four occupants involved in the crash. Two individuals were pronounced deceased at the scene,” media relations officer Cst. Clyde Feero of the
  
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• Buy Canadian campaign announcement made by David Eby at Lower Mainland stop

  24-09-2026 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  BC NDP leader David Eby made a stop in Maple Ridge Thursday morning, Sept. 24, to announce a new legislative requirements that government agencies buy Canadian products when possible for public infrastructure projects.Eby made the announcement at the IUOE 115 Training Centre, a specialized trades training facility, that provides hands-on technical training, apprenticeships, and safety certifications for the heavy construction, road building, and resource industries in British Columbia.
  It is a d
  
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• Search for missing paddleboarder on Okanagan Lake paused after ‘extensive search’

  24-09-2026 22:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The search for a paddleboarder who went missing on Okanagan Lake has been suspended at this time, said Vernon North Okanagan RCMP.
  “An extensive search of the area where the person was last seen has been conducted on the water and from the air,” RCMP media relations officer Constable Chris Terleski told Black Press Media. “The paddleboard was located yesterday but the person remains missing.”
  Just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, RCMP were notified and called to assist
  
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• Chipotle Mexican Grill nears opening day in Kelowna

  24-09-2026 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Kelowna’s first Chipotle Mexican Grill is set to open at the end of September.
  ​
  The restaurant chain is expanding to the Interior of B.C. for the first time with its new restaurant at 150-1950 Harvey Ave., officially opening its doors to customers on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
  ​
  “Opening in Kelowna, the cultural hub of the Okanagan Valley, brings Chipotle closer to residents, students and visitors across the region,” said managing director Anat Davidzon.
  ​
  “O
  
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• Kimberley developer urges municipal election candidates to consider emergency response

  24-09-2026 20:46 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As the municipal election approaches, professional planner and economic developer Schaun Goodeve is asking candidates to consider a more coordinated response for helping businesses prepare for wildfire evacuation and other similar emergencies.
  Goodeve lives in Kimberley, a community in eastern B.C. that was impacted by multiple wildfires this past summer. Three large-scale fires were ignited in succession after lightning storms, starting on July 18. All three fires were in close proximity to the
  
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• $1,000 reward to find person who trapped Langley raccoon

  24-09-2026 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A wildlife protection charity is offering $1,000 for info leading to the identification and conviction of whoever set a leg-hold trap in Langley that caught and seriously injured a young raccoon.
  The Fur-Bearers non-profit offered the reward after a raccoon was found dragging the trap by Brookswood resident Louise Pilon on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
  “He was in our backyard, sitting on the fence,” she said.
  Her husband noticed he was stuck and had something on his leg. He couldn’t mov
  
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• $1,000 reward for person who trapped Langley raccoon

  24-09-2026 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A wildlife protection charity is offering $1,000 for info leading to the identification and conviction of whoever set a leg-hold trap in Langley that caught and seriously injured a young raccoon.
  The Fur-Bearers non-profit offered the reward after a raccoon was found dragging the trap by Brookswood resident Louise Pilon on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
  “He was in our backyard, sitting on the fence,” she said.
  Her husband noticed he was stuck and had something on his leg. He couldn’t mov
  
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• Structures, calves lost in devastating fire at landmark Sicamous dairy

  24-09-2026 20:41 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The owners of D Dutchmen Dairy in Sicamous experienced “a farmer’s worst nightmare” early Thursday morning when a fire ripped through their barn resulting in the loss of the structure and about 40 calves.
  The fire started at approximately 1 a.m. on Sept. 24, and according to Bianca Colonna (née Dewitt) it was “fully engulfed in 10 minutes.”
  She added that the fire department was amazing and were able to contain the blaze so it didn’t reach the cows, tho
  
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• Andrea Morrow

  24-09-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  December 26, 1963 – September 1, 2026
  Andrea Morrow passed away peacefully on September 1, 2026, at the age of 62, surrounded by her family, following a courageous journey with dementia. Andrea was a proud member of the Tla’amin Nation, and her connection to her family, community and heritage was an important part of who she was.
  She was the daughter of Len Bob and Marie Newton, granddaughter of Henry and Theresa Bob, and great-granddaughter of Johnny and Emily Bob
  
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• George Anderson will be representing the B.C. NDP in the Nanaimo-Lantzville riding

  24-09-2026 20:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  George Anderson said he plans to seek re-election in the Nanaimo-Lantzville riding, following the announcement of a snap provincial election.
  Scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, Anderson confirmed he will be once again representing the B.C. NDP, after his first term in office was cut short.
  “My view right now is that the premier has called an election at a point that is extremely serious for British Columbia,” Anderson said. “We continue to face uncertainty from the United States,
  
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• Comox Valley resident celebrates 104th birthday

  24-09-2026 19:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Florence Robertson just might be the Comox Valley’s very own longevity guru.
  For Robertson — now 104 years young — her secret to a long and healthy life is found in the power of song.
  “When I turned 100, people kept asking, ‘What’s the secret of you living to be 100?’ And I had to think, because both of my parents died young,” she said. “But I came to two conclusions: I’ve had a rest after lunch for most of my adult life; and the second
  
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