Nanaimo news

• Crews continue to establish control lines at Bald Range wildfire west of Summerland

  13-08-2026 14:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Fire crews continue to work, but there are weather concerns at the Bald Range wildfire west of Summerland.
  As of Thursday morning (Aug. 13), all evacuation orders and alerts remain in place. However, in its Wednesday night update, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS)’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) said it’s working on a plan for a staged re-entry when it’s safe for residents to return home.On Wednesday (Aug. 12), fire crews continued to establish backup con
  
  Read more

• Light-industrial subdivision proposed for Nanaimo’s East Wellington Road

  14-08-2026 23:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A proposal for a light-industrial subdivision on 25 hectares of land on East Wellington Road will go to a public hearing.
  City council gave the first two readings for a zoning amendment to allow the project on two adjacent properties, located at 2080 and 2160 East Wellington Rd., to move forward at its meeting on Monday, July 27.
  The large, undeveloped properties are on the north side of East Wellington Road, southwest of the Nanaimo Parkway.
  Mark Holland, from the Westplan Consulting Group, spo
  
  Read more

• Central Saanich incident prompts fine from WorkSafe BC

  14-08-2026 23:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Over July, WorkSafeBC handed out just over $33,150 in fines to three Vancouver Island contractors for a number of incidents, including one that left a worker seriously injured after being struck by an excavator.
  On July 28, Arise Roofing was handed a $2,732.94 fine after inspectors found three workers, one of whom was a representative of the company, were on a sloped roof with no fall protection, exposing the workers to fall risks of up to 7.6 metres, in Central Saanich.
  WorkSafe BC says Arise f
  
  Read more

• 1 person taken to hospital after bear attack prompts closure of Vancouver Island park

  14-08-2026 21:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Residents and visitors are being asked to stay away from Stoney Hill Regional Park after a bear attack on Friday morning.
  According to Cowichan Valley Regional District, BC Conservation and BC RCMP requested the temporary closure of the park for the safety of visitors.
  BC Conservation, RCMP and CVRD Parks staff are actively responding to the incident and assessing the area, reads a post on the CVRD’s Facebook page.
  Visitors are being asked to obey all signage and stay away from this park u
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• UPDATE: Summerland’s Bald Range evacuation order partially downgraded to alert

  14-08-2026 20:48 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE (12:25 p.m.)The Bald Range Wildfire evacuation order for residents of the Trout Creek neighbourhood of Summerland, for properties east of Highway 97, has been reduced to an evacuation alert.The order remains in place for the rest of the community and for all properties west of Highway 97 in Trout Creek.The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen’s Emergency Operations Centre dashboard at emergency.rdos.bc.ca has a searchable map to determine whether your property in the RDOS or Su
  
  Read more

• UPDATE: Crews make ‘good progress’ on Summerland wildfire after favourable overnight conditions

  14-08-2026 20:48 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE (11:50 A.M.)
  Favourable overnight conditions allowed crews to make “good progress” on the southern flank of the Bald Range wildfire in Summerland, the BC Wildfire Service said.
  Six helicopters supported firefighters in battling the blaze, with structure protection personnel and apparatus also continuing operations on the ground.
  There was no growth on the fire overnight. It is 19,149 hectares in size and remains out of control.
  Favourable conditions also aided crews in helping
  
  Read more

• Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar quits B.C. Conservative caucus

  14-08-2026 20:43 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar announced on social media on Friday that he is leaving the B.C. Conservative caucus, saying he no longer shares the party’s values under new Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
  “I completely respect the vote of the membership, and that Kerry-Lynne Findlay has earned the right as leader to shape the party as she sees fit,” he wrote. “It has, however, become clear to me over the last few months that my values don’t align with this new directi
  
  Read more

• Netflix’s ‘Crew Girl’ puts Vancouver Island in the spotlight

  14-08-2026 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Greater Victoria will take centre stage this fall as Netflix’s new teen drama Crew Girl brings the region’s most iconic spots to audiences around the globe.
  With the trailer released Aug. 12, keen-eyed viewers may have already noticed some familiar places.
  The eight-episode series, which premieres on Sept. 10, follows Teagan Tao (Miku Martineau), “a gifted 16-year-old single sculler whose promising future is derailed by a family scandal.”
  After moving to the East Coast wi
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Eby shuffles cabinet after Bailey cancer diagnosis, Osborne to Finance, Kahlon to Health

  14-08-2026 19:47 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Premier David Eby is shuffling his cabinet after Finance Minister Brenda Bailey’s cancer diagnosis.
  Bailey’s cancer is treatable, she says, and her prognosis is “very good.”
  Health Minister Josie Osborne will take over for Bailey, with Jobs and Economic Development Minister Ravi Kahlon taking over at Health.
  More to come.
  
  Read more

• Central Saanich stats prove girls belong in baseball

  14-08-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Pretty confident they’ve already proven girls belong in baseball, the leaders at Central Saanich Little League look to recruit others and build on the future.On the heels of a successful first season, the female program for young players is hosting a winter open house and free spring break clinic that pushed the numbers up enough to host two teams this season.On Wednesday (Aug. 19) evening, they hope to see Diamond 5 at Centennial Park filled with keeners – experienced or not. Girls
  
  Read more

• Headline history: Canadian police information system links computers across country

  14-08-2026 19:28 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Since being established in 1973, the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) has only grown, linking police, and Canadians, across the country.
  In an article about the system, published in the News Bulletin on Aug. 12, 1999, it was praised for being used to return elderly and lost individuals to their families, a part of its function of sharing information between police agencies.
  Some of this information includes data on all persons who are of “special interest,” including missing
  
  Read more

• Meteor shower offers highlight during Jordan River rescue mission

  14-08-2026 19:09 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue is praising a well-prepared family after spending an evening watching falling stars with a patient.The SAR team was called out Wednesday for a person who broke their leg falling from a swing in Jordan River.“The subject and her family were on vacation, and we were pleased to see the group had packed all the essentials despite not traveling far from their accommodation,” the team said in an online update. “One of the highlights of the call —
  
  Read more

• Metchosin Fire warns of wildfire risk after multiple small trail fires

  14-08-2026 19:02 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Metchosin Fire crews are responding to multiple small fires in the trail system off Neild Road as dry conditions continue to increase wildfire risks across the region.
  The exact causes of the fires have not been confirmed, but potential human ignition sources include discarded cigarettes, improperly extinguished fires, and hot or sparking equipment, such as ATVs and dirt bikes, according to the Metchosin Fire Department.
  The department is reminding residents that recreational use of ATVs and oth
  
  Read more

• Four new wildfires north of Gold River

  14-08-2026 19:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Four wildfires each measuring approximately 0.009 hectares have been discovered north of Gold River on Aug. 13.
  The wildfires are in proximity to one another, with one located between Gold Muchalat Park and Strathcona Park. The other 3 wildfires are located north of Gold Muchulat Park.
  All four wildfires are currently listed as “out of control” on BC Wildfire Service. The cause of the fires is currently under investigation.
  There is one other fire on Vancouver Island that was discove
  
  Read more

• Northern B.C. driving study aims to improve wildfire evacuations

  14-08-2026 18:31 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) PhD candidate is studying local driving behaviour to help improve wildfire evacuation planning.
  According to a press release by UNBC, Alireza Noory, a natural resources and environmental studies (NRES) doctoral student, is studying how those driving decisions could help improve wildfire evacuation planning in northern B.C. and beyond.
  “Using behaviour collected from local drivers can make evacuation forecasts more realistic and help local ag
  
  Read more

• UPDATE: Phased re-entry to begin for evacuees of Quilpituk Creek wildfire near West Kelowna

  14-08-2026 17:43 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE 8:20 a.m.
  Westside Road residents can rejoice as some evacuation orders and alerts have been lifted at the Quilpituk Creek wildfire.
  On Friday morning, the Central Okanagan EOC announced that the evacuation orders for all properties from Cinnabar Creek to Westshore Estates have been downgraded to an evacuation alert, and the evacuation alerts for properties south of Cinnabar Creek in the Wilson’s Landing area have been lifted.
  For those who are able to return home but are on evacuat
  
  Read more

• B.C.’s RCMP’s top cop relieved of duties after ‘allegations’ dating back to 2016

  14-08-2026 17:33 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C.’s top Mountie has been relieved of his duties, the federal RCMP announced Thursday (Aug. 13).
  RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said that Dwayne McDonald, who had been the B.C. RCMP’s commanding officer, is out of the role following “allegations” dating back to 2016. Police said the allegations were between 2016 and 2018.
  “These allegations were recently brought to the attention of the RCMP. Investigations are ongoing,” Duheme said in the statement.“We
  
  Read more

• Evacuated Peachland advocate warns wildfires expose water risks from logging

  14-08-2026 16:02 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As an advocate for protecting the Peachland watershed water supply, Taryn Skalbania is used to publicly challenging the provincial government’s policies and guidelines governing logging in the forestry sector.
  But another challenge confronted her with the rapid growth of the Bald Range wildfire, as she faced an evacuation order at 3 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8, from her Princeton Avenue hobby farm just inside the eastern municipal boundary of Peachland.
  “We had already decided not to l
  
  Read more

• ‘We’re in the process of recovery’: OKIB Chief on Bradley Creek blaze

  14-08-2026 15:11 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  ‘I don’t want to say it’s going to be easy because it’s not going to be.”
  That’s what Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) Chief Dan Wilson said on Thursday night (Aug. 13) in an update posted to social media in regards to recovery from the Bradley Creek wildfire, which remains classified as being held.
  The blaze has been classified as being held by BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) since Saturday, Aug. 8, however, continued work is being done on the blaze and to make sure it
  
  Read more

• Quilpituk Creek wildfire on Westside Road held, assessments remain underway

  14-08-2026 14:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Quilpituk Creek wildfire remains held on Friday morning (Aug. 14), as evacuees wait for word that they can return home.
  On Thursday morning, BC Wildfire Service changed the status of the 1,275.7-hectare blaze to being held, which means that “based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.”
  At the same time, the Central Okanagan Emergency Management Emergency OC deployed “a rapid damage assess
  
  Read more

• Quilpituk Creek wildfire being held, assessments remain underway

  14-08-2026 14:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Quilpituk Creek wildfire remains held on Friday morning (Aug. 14), as evacuees wait for word that they can return home.
  On Thursday morning, BC Wildfire Service changed the status of the 1,275.7-hectare blaze to being held, which means that “based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.”
  At the same time, the Central Okanagan Emergency Management EOC deployed “a rapid damage assessment team
  
  Read more

• Hundreds of firefighters battling Bald Range blaze near Summerland

  14-08-2026 14:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Clearer skies and windy conditions increased fire behaviour at the Bald Range wildfire west of Summerland on Thursday, Aug. 13.
  As of Friday morning, Aug. 14, all evacuation orders and alerts remain in place. On Thursday night, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) provided an update on the staged re-entry process for evacuees.
  In its Thursday night update, BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said the fire displayed Rank 3 and 4 in some places, including the Shingle Creek area to the west.
  
  Read more

• Julie Sperber selected as new CEO of the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce.

  14-08-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Julie Sperber has been chosen as the new CEO of the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce.
  Sperber, current president and CEO of the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance, will be taking over from interim CEO Liette Masse, who has been in the leadership role since late 2025.
  In a press release, the chamber said Sperber brings extensive experience in organizational development, regional-economic development, partnership building and community engagement to her new role.
  “Julie is a thoughtful, s
  
  Read more

• Streaking B.C. Lions win 3rd in a row, dump Stampeders 30-26 in Calgary

  14-08-2026 06:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The B.C. Lions are streaking.
  Overcoming a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers, the Lions won their third straight game, beating the host Calgary Stampeders 30-26 in CFL action Thursday night at McMahon Stadium.
  For the victors (4-5) quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for 301 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Keon Hatcher. Rourke also scrambled for a rushing TD. Running back Zander Horvath continued his run of stellar play, rumbling for 102 yards and a touchdown. Kicker Sean Whyte added a field goal a
  
  Read more

• UPDATE: Crews responding to hot spot from Bradley Creek wildfire near Vernon

  14-08-2026 02:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: 5:40 p.m.
  A hot spot has been identified northwest of the Irish Creek Road South and Westside Road intersection, according to the Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) in a Thursday afternoon Bradley Creek wildfire update.
  BC Wildfire crews have been notified, and resources are on the way. People are asked to stay clear of the area.
  “Boaters are asked to please keep clear of the lake. If firefighting aircraft are nearby, clear the area immediately and stay near the shore to avoid interfering
  
  Read more

• Summerland fruit growers face mounting losses as wildfire’s toll grows

  14-08-2026 02:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  When Claire Tamang was forced to flee her cherry orchard in Meadow Valley near Summerland last Friday with her 10-day-old baby, she had just enough warning to squeeze through the only exit just before the fire closed off her escape route.
  “The flames were on both sides, and we were driving through the smoke and just hoping that that was still the right choice,” she told Black Press Media.
  But her husband and 40 temporary foreign workers from Mexico were trapped on the other side.
  Tam
  
  Read more

• Harmac pulp mill receives $5.5 million federal investment

  14-08-2026 01:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo Forest Products, which operates the Harmac Pacific pulp mill in south Nanaimo, is receiving $5.5 million in federal funds to help the mill navigate trade disruptions and seize new opportunities.
  As well, Duke Point’s Niik Steel will receive $1 million in the same funding program, and the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance is earmarked for $300,000.
  Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada, made the fun
  
  Read more

• Sentencing begins for ex-Nanaimo Mountie who had consensual sex with woman he met with on duty

  14-08-2026 01:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A judge will ponder submissions before determining the fate of a Nanaimo RCMP constable who had sex with a woman after the end of a shift in 2024.
  Mark Tyler Hilland, 47, pleaded guilty to breach of trust by a public officer, and sentencing began on Thursday, Aug. 13 at B.C. provincial court in Nanaimo in front of Judge Reginald Harris, with Andrew McLean, representing Crown counsel and Brad Kielmann, defence.
  McLean sought a suspended sentence, which would result in a criminal record, while Kie
  
  Read more

• Ray Colegrave

  14-08-2026 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  May 22, 1947 to August 4, 2026
  With heavy hearts, we announce that Raymond (Ray) Emerson Colegrave, beloved husband of Kathryn (Kathy) Colegrave, passed away on August 4, 2026 after a short but devastating journey with cancer. He was the loving stepdad of Andrew Winter (Mary Ann) and Kimberlee Johns (Steven). He will also be dearly missed by his three grandchildren, Ace, Mya and Eleanor, as well as his younger brother, Tom Colegrave (Shelley). Ray was predeceased by his father
  
  Read more

• New bike-pump track opening in Cedar

  14-08-2026 00:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The second bike-pump track in the Nanaimo area is set to open.
  Richard Daykin, Regional District of Nanaimo’s manager of parks services, told the joint inter-jurisdictional Special District 68 Sports Field and Recreation Committee at a recent meeting that there will be a grand opening of the new track, located in Cedar Community Park, on Aug. 31.
  He said the approximately $200,000 project is being funded entirely by the Stevie Smith Legacy Foundation.
  Stevie Smith was a professional cyclis
  
  Read more

Follow @news_nanaimo on Twitter!