Nanaimo news

• Eby promises Langley long-term care facility

  24-10-2026 02:16 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  NDP leader David Eby said the 300-bed long-term care facility his government promised Langley before the last election would be built if he’s re-elected.
  Eby met with Langley-Willowbrook NPD candidate Andrew Mercier and Langley-Walnut Grove’s hopeful Holly Isaac on Friday, Oct. 23, in Langley City, visiting several local stores and chatting with people on the street in the final hours before the provincial election.
  Asked about the promised local facility, which was to be built on the ground
  
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• Several B.C. rugby players included in Rugby Canada’s Nations Cup squad

  27-10-2026 19:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Rugby Canada has selected 36 players for the senior men’s team’s final three 2026 Nations Cup matches in November.
  Head coach Stephen Meehan said the squad includes the return of several France-based players and a few who have signed professional contracts in England after a landmark deal with CHAMP Rugby, the country’s second-tier league. One is Courtenay’s Foster DeWitt, who signed with Nottingham Rugby in October. DeWitt was also part of Canada’s Pacific Nations Cup squad earlier th
  
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• Nanaimo students favoured B.C. Green Party and Conservative candidate in mock election

  27-10-2026 18:16 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In mock student elections, Nanaimo’s students chose much different than the official electorate in both provincial and municipal.Ahead of the elections, students across B.C. were given the chance to vote for their choice of candidate, and results were published online at www.student.vote.ca.
  In Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools, students voted for Anna Mary McKenzie, the B.C. Green Party candidate, to represent Nanaimo-Gabriola Island. In the student election, McKenzie received 449 votes, or 42
  
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• IIO investigation clears Victoria Police officers of wrongdoing in June arrest

  27-10-2026 18:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) has concluded its investigation into the arrest of a man in Victoria last summer.
  The incident that sparked the investigation began around 3 p.m. on June 7 when Victoria Police officers were at a liquor store in a commercial plaza in the 170-block of Wilson Street to arrest a man who was not permitted to be there.
  Officers arrested the man and took him to the police department, but on July 6, the IIO was notified about the incident by the man, wh
  
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• Loss of B.C. shoppers a $64 million hit for Washington State border towns

  27-10-2026 17:48 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Businesses in Washington State’s Whatcom County on the border with Canada lost “in the range of” $64 million U.S. from 2024 to 2025 because far fewer B.C. residents are driving south to purchase merchandise, clothing, gas, food and beverages.
  The estimate was published in an online report by Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI).
  “Whatcom County’s Cross-Border Retail Economy,” a collection of interactive maps and data charts, shows Canadian shoppin
  
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• 1 person ‘unaccounted for’ after massive blaze destroys former Victoria hotel: police

  27-10-2026 17:48 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Amid the lingering smoky smell from the massive Saturday fire, investigators expect to begin delving into the charred debris of a former hotel for a cause and potential victims.
  Victoria police and fire departments are investigating the major fire that tore through a former Travellers Inn at 760 Blanshard Street on Oct. 24.Firefighters arrived just before 4 a.m. to find heavy flames extending up the exterior of the building. Crews began an interior attack, but intense heat and fire conditions fo
  
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• ‘Great example of cooperation’: Mounties help Island resident rescue deer from pool

  27-10-2026 17:40 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A deer that found itself in an unusual predicament was safely rescued by police and a resident last week.
  At approximately 8:53 a.m. on Oct. 23, Sidney/North Saanich RCMP received a report from a resident of Downey Road in North Saanich that a deer was trapped in a backyard swimming pool.
  An officer attended the residence and found an adult buck unable to get out of the pool on its own.
  Working together, the officer and the homeowner used a large strap to help guide the deer safely from the wate
  
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• Rebels win Cullen Cup thriller, set to host Canadian Bowl in Langford

  27-10-2026 17:35 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Westshore Rebels are back on top of B.C. junior football.
  Westshore defeated the Langley Rams 35-28 in an offensive duel on Saturday (Oct. 24) to win the Cullen Cup and book a place in the Canadian Bowl against the Regina Thunder at Starlight Stadium on Nov. 8.The Rebels will host the national championship with a chance to win the first Canadian Bowl in franchise history.
  Westshore has reached every Cullen Cup – which serves as the conference championship – final since 2022, winning the
  
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• West Shore RCMP investigating fatal motorcycle crash in Langford

  27-10-2026 17:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A 55-year-old man is dead following a late-night motorcycle crash in Langford on Oct. 22.
  First responders were called to the area near the intersection of Florence Lake Road and Setchfield Avenue at approximately 11:30 p.m. for a report of a single-vehicle collision.
  BCEHS spokesperson Brian Twaites said one ambulance with primary care paramedics, an ambulance with advanced care paramedics, and a paramedic supervisor attended the scene.
  West Shore RCMP arrived to find the driver suffering from
  
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• Vancouver Island dog rescuer killed helping animals in war-torn Ukraine

  27-10-2026 16:07 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Animal advocates across the province are mourning the loss of a leader, reporting the death of RainCoast Dog Rescue Society founder Jesse Adams.“It’s with a heavy heart that we, RainCoast Dog Rescue Society, have to announce the passing of our founder Jesse Adams,” reads a post from the Victoria Humane Society. “After a life lived in service to animal welfare, Jesse made the ultimate sacrifice to his beliefs on the frontlines of Ukraine.”
  The bond between a person and their pet knows n
  
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• Beban House known as one of Nanaimo’s most haunted buildings

  27-10-2026 13:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  It’s not hard to understand why so many people believe that the old Beban House on Bowen Road is haunted.
  The building, which hasn’t seen many changes since it was constructed by Frank and Hannah Beban in 1930, has hidden stairwells, stained-glass windows, narrow hallways and a reputation for being one of Nanaimo’s most haunted places.
  There have have been sightings in the basement of a young Chinese boy, said to be a former servant of the Beban family who died on the property, a woman in
  
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• ‘Clearly a mistake’: Candidates, experts reflect on snap election call

  27-10-2026 00:57 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  As the dust settles on the 2026 snap B.C. election, the Conservative Party is poised to take two-thirds of the legislative seats, and the NDP is looking for a new leader.
  Ravi Parmar, who eked out a third victory for the NDP in Langford-Highlands, says voters “sent a message” that the snap election was the “wrong decision.”
  “It was clearly a mistake. No question,” Parmar said in a Monday morning interview. “We spent the entire election campaign answering the question, ‘ Why did
  
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• Prepare for winter conditions when heading up to the mountains: Comox Valley SAR

  26-10-2026 23:07 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Comox Valley Search and Rescue (CVSAR) is reminding everyone that while it might feel like fall in the valley, prepare for winter when heading up into the mountains.
  “Around Mount Washington and Strathcona Park, snow, ice and shorter daylight hours can make familiar routes more challenging. Conditions at the trailhead may be very different from what you encounter higher up,” said CVSAR’s Facebook announcement.
  CVSAR put together a checklist to help mountain goers stay safe in winter condit
  
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• PHOTOS: Island zombie walk rises from the dead ahead of Halloween

  26-10-2026 23:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A little over 20 years ago, a strange sight began appearing in downtown Victoria. Blood-smeared faces, lurching bodies and grunting noises filled Centennial Square as Halloween drew near.
  This year, a few dozen zombies and macabre creatures rose from the dead once again, gathering at the same spot they have for the past two decades before taking to the capital’s streets on the afternoon of Oct. 25.
  Commonly known as zombie walks, the first event of its kind took place in Milwaukee in August 20
  
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• Fake campaign signs pop up in B.C. riding on election eve

  26-10-2026 22:44 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Who would bother to make fake election campaign signs and put them up without a candidate’s consent?
  Tim Binnema sure wants to know.
  Green Party candidate in Surrey-Fleetwood, Binnema says someone put up hundreds of unauthorized signs with his name and photo last Friday (Oct. 23), a day before final voting in the B.C. election.
  “It’s somewhere between 100 and 200 (signs), I would say,” Binnema estimated Saturday. “It was shocking, to be tell you the truth. When I turned around the corn
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP seek help identifying man involved in alleged jewelry theft attempt

  26-10-2026 22:41 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Nanaimo RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance to identify a man alleged to have been involved in an attempted theft of jewelry from a north Nanaimo business.
  The incident occurred shortly before 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, at Costco, located at 6700 Island Highway North.
  Police were notified that the man allegedly attempted to force open a glass jewelry display case using an unknown tool.
  Surveillance footage shows the man examining the display before attempting to pry open the case.
  An al
  
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• B.C. North Coast LNG project draws nearer to final investment decision

  26-10-2026 22:08 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A floating LNG liquefaction facility proposed for north of Prince Rupert has now secured binding contracts for more than half its planned production.On Oct. 26, Ksi Lisims LNG announced it had converted its May 2026 heads of agreement to a binding sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE), a state-owned German energy company. Under the agreement, SEFE would purchase one million tonnes of LNG per annum (mtpa) over 20 years.
  This brings Ksi Lisims completed binding S
  
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• B.C. election outcome does not reflect popular vote

  26-10-2026 21:51 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  The British Columbia provincial election on Oct. 24 gave the Conservatives a majority government, winning 64 of 93 seats in the legislature, with the New Democratic Party winning 27 seats and the BC Greens winning two.
  However, the voter statistics told a different story: fewer than half of voters marked their ballots for a Conservative.
  A total of 48.1 per cent of voters cast ballots for the Conservatives, while 37.4 per cent voted for a BC NDP candidate and 11 per cent supported a BC Green can
  
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• Court orders Penticton unhoused encampment be cleared

  26-10-2026 21:40 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Around two years after it was established, the encampment of unhoused individuals off Highway 97 in Penticton has been ordered to be cleared by a B.C. Justice.In her oral reasons for judgement, Justice Briana Hardwick issued an injunction barring the occupation of the road dedication that had been transformed into an impromptu fenced community of tents and temporary structures, with it coming into effect at noon on Oct. 30.
  The injunction requires all of the temporary structures to be cleared, a
  
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• BC Ferries CEO replaced amid review of services

  26-10-2026 21:40 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  BC Ferries’ CEO Nicolas Jimenez has moved on for unspecified reasons, and BC Ferries’ board says it initiated a leadership transition and launched a revitalization review.
  According to BC Ferries, Brian Anderson, vice president of strategy and planning, has been appointed as the interim CEO, while Dallyn Willis, executive vice president and chief financial officer, assumes responsibility for strategy and planning and leads the revitalization review with oversight from the board.
  “The ferry
  
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• BC NDP candidate pulls ahead by 13 votes after results corrected in Ladysmith-Oceanside riding

  26-10-2026 21:29 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  BC NDP candidate Stephanie Higginson has pulled ahead in the Ladysmith-Oceanside riding, after preliminary results of the provincial election were corrected.
  Higginson now sits at 13,380 (44.37 per cent), 13 votes ahead of Kris McNichol of the BC Conservative Party’s 13,367 votes (44.33 per cent).
  Charlene Smylie of the BC Green Party sits in third place with 3,365 votes (11.16 per cent).
  Elections BC noted Monday that results reported on election night are preliminary and subject to change as
  
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• B.C. NDP candidate pulls ahead by 13 votes after results corrected in Ladysmith-Oceanside riding

  26-10-2026 21:29 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  BC NDP candidate Stephanie Higginson has pulled ahead in the Ladysmith-Oceanside riding, after preliminary results of the provincial election were corrected.
  Higginson now sits at 13,380 (44.37 per cent), 13 votes ahead of Kris McNichol of the BC Conservative Party’s 13,367 votes (44.33 per cent).
  Charlene Smylie of the BC Green Party sits in third place with 3,365 votes (11.16 per cent).
  Elections BC noted Monday that results reported on election night are preliminary and subject to change as
  
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• Tips to keep pets and wildlife safe this Halloween

  26-10-2026 19:11 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Halloween is a fun time for many people, but it can present plenty of hazards for animals, both domestic and wild.
  Loud noises such as doorbells ringing, unexpected visitors and open doors, fireworks, exposure to potential toxins, and discarded candy wrappers are all things that can make animals anxious or present health threats. It often leads to fear and unpredictable behaviour for animal companions and wildlife.
  Planning ahead of Halloween and the holiday season gives pets a better chance at
  
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• Toxic drug crisis weighed in Nanaimo municipal election results, says political analyst

  26-10-2026 13:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Opioid overdoses and related street disorder factored into the recent City of Nanaimo municipal election results, says a Vancouver Island University political science professor.
  The city declared results earlier this week, confirming Leonard Krog received 10,368 votes to earn the mayorship, with Sarah Lovegrove, a first-time candidate, in second with 8,461. Ben Geselbracht, Paul Manly, Hilary Eastmure, Sheryl Armstrong, Andréa Coutu, Erin Hemmens, Marnie Boers and Ian Thorpe were elected as cou
  
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• ‘Me against me’: Islander running 24 hours for men’s health

  26-10-2026 13:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A kayaking guide who paddled 24 hours straight for charity last year is getting ready to take on another gruelling, day-long challenge.
  On Nov. 7, 22-year-old Ethan Reid plans to run around the clock to raise money for Movember – an annual donation drive supporting men with projects centred around suicide prevention and mental health.
  “I’m raising funds and bringing awareness to men’s health this month for all the men in and out of my life,” Reid wrote on his fundraising page. “I mys
  
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• From rodeo rider to premier-elect: Meet ‘unknown’ BC Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson

  26-10-2026 13:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  British Columbians who didn’t stay up for the provincial election results on Saturday, Oct. 24, woke up on Sunday morning to find that the province has a new premier-in-waiting: Lorne Doerkson of the BC Conservatives, whose party swept into power for the first time since 1933.
  Few (if any) people still living will remember that last provincial Conservative government, but many will be asking themselves who Lorne Doerkson is. First elected provincially in the Cariboo-Chilcotin riding in 2020, a
  
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• Drivers beware: police warn about ghosts on B.C. roads

  26-10-2026 13:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In the run-up to Halloween, BC Highway Patrol (BCHP) is warning drivers that there are ghosts on B.C.’s highways.
  They’re not talking about spooks and spectres, but about ghost cars. Also known as ghost cruisers, they’re unmarked police vehicles with fewer obvious emergency lights and markings than regular cruisers, but are otherwise fully functional police vehicles. Two recent excessive speed impounds were a direct outcome of using ghost cruisers to enforce safe driving near Prince George
  
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• Boos for Hughes: Wild win 4-2 as ex-Canucks captain jeered in return to Vancouver

  26-10-2026 05:42 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Amid a steady chorus of boos, Quinn Hughes had a goal and an assist, lifting the visiting Minnesota Wild to a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in NHL action Sunday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
  Hughes, the superstar defenceman and former Canucks captain, was returning to Vancouver for the first time since being acquired by Minnesota on Dec. 12, 2025. He was loudly jeered every time he touched the puck, along with various derogatory chants during the game. A tribute video during a break seven m
  
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• THORPE REPORT: High school student athletes celebrated

  26-10-2026 05:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  With our municipal election out of the way, the “Thorpe Report” is settling back into its normal routine, set to appear on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.
  Today we play catch-up. Local students are well into their new school year and also into another year of extra-curricular activities. That said, let’s look back to give belated recognition to secondary school students who earned top athlete awards at the end of last school year…
  Working from north to south, we’ll start
  
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• 2026 B.C. election sees record low turnout as Conservatives win majority

  25-10-2026 22:35 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A large number of British Columbians opted out of the democratic process in the 2026 provincial election, according to preliminary results.
  The elections, which resulted in a landslide victory for the BC Conservatives on Oct. 24, saw the lowest turnout in the province’s history, with only 48.1 per cent of registered voters casting their ballots with 99.75 per cent of boxes reporting. The result marks an over 10 per cent decrease in voter turnout percentage compared to the 2024 provincial elect
  
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