Nanaimo news

• ‘Festival was never profitable’: Rifflandia pulls the plug on Victoria event

  10-06-2026 16:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Citing rising costs and lack of amenable venue, Victoria’s popular long-running music festival Rifflandia is officially over.“After 18 years, countless memories, and a whole lot of heart, we’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to bring Rifflandia Festival to a close. We held onto hope that we might be able to celebrate one final September together, but ultimately the realities of producing the festival we love made that impossible,” reads the official announcement.&
  
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• B.C.’s Jenn Gardiner re-signs with Vancouver Goldeneyes

  11-06-2026 03:37 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Surrey’s Jenn Gardiner is staying in Vancouver for the next couple of seasons.
  The team annouced Wednesday (June 19) that Gardiner signed a three-year contract through the 2028-29 season.
  She turned down an offer from a PWHL expansion team during phase two of the league’s expansion distribution process. Since it was a foundational player offer, that means she was required to sign with any of the league’s 12 teams during Phase 3, which began at 9 a.m. PT on Wednesday (June 10).
  
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• BC Prosecution Service approves driving charge for Interior Mountie

  11-06-2026 03:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Revelstoke Mountie is facing a careless driving charge for an incident that happened last year in Sicamous.
  The BC Prosecution Service (BCPS) shared on Wednesday, June 10, that it’s charging Cst. Rachel Mandel of Revelstoke RCMP with one count of driving without due care and attention on June 15, 2025.
  This would contravene Section 144.1 of B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act, with supporting information sworn on Wednesday through Salmon Arm’s provincial court.
  READ: Revelstoke jail gua
  
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• Nanaimo District Secondary girls’ soccer achieves B.C. soccer supremacy

  11-06-2026 02:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo District Secondary School’s girls’ soccer team has achieved provincial soccer supremacy for the first time ever.
  The NDSS Islanders won the B.C. School Sports AAA provincial soccer championship in Kamloops, defeating École Argyle Secondary School 2-1 in the title game on May 30 at McArthur Island Park in Kamloops, the first time an NDSS girls’ team has taken a B.C. title, according to a Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools’ social media post.
  Darby Moen was nam
  
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• 1 person taken to hospital after vehicle crash in Nanoose Bay

  11-06-2026 02:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  One person was taken to hospital after a motor vehicle crash in the Nanoose Flats area on June 10.
  BC EHS was called to the incident in the 2800 block of the Island Highway shortly after 2:45 p.m.
  Janet Irvine was one of the first people on the scene, and had been driving northbound with her husband two cars behind the vehicle that crashed.
  They went to check on the car, which landed on its roof.
  “It was completely upside down, right in the ditch,” Irvine said. “She was stuck,
  
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• Forests minister talks saw mills, old-growth and caribou in B.C. Interior

  11-06-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  On his first visit to Revelstoke, B.C.’s minister of forests got comfy in the rain Tuesday afternoon while speaking about his hopes for local saw mills, old-growth and caribou protection.
  Ravi Parmar, also the province’s deputy government house leader, had just arrived to town on June 9 after a visit to the Pacific Woodtech mill in Golden and a cloudy-but-scenic drive through Rogers Pass.
  One of his first stops in Revelstoke was the Downie Street Development, where the Revelstoke Com
  
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• Vancouver Island resident bilked out of $40K online via AI-generated ad

  11-06-2026 01:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Parksville Qualicum Beach resident was bilked out of $40,000 after falling victim to a bogus online advertisement.
  An Oceanside RCMP report indicated on May 7, the resident was scammed after following an artificial intelligence-generated politician online advertisement for an alleged crypto currency company.
  The same day, another resident was scammed out of more than $7,000 by clicking on a hyperlink in an email alleging to be
  from a government agency, allowing remote access to their computer.
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP make arrest in shooting incident

  11-06-2026 01:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo RCMP investigators have arrested an individual in connection with incident involving shots being fired from a vehicle, which had several occupants, towards people in Knowles Park.On Tuesday, June 9, officers took a suspect into custody without incident, in connection to the shooting that occurred on Victoria Road on the evening of June 3.
  Investigators also located the suspect vehicle, described as a white Audi.
  At this time, no charges have been laid in relation to the shooting.
  The ind
  
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• B.C. man fined $6,000 for illegally transporting protected snapping turtle

  11-06-2026 01:03 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Surrey man has been fined $6,000 for numerous wildlife offences, including illegally transporting a protected snapping turtle between provinces.
  Thai Hoang Khoi Le pled guilty on May 21, 2026, in Surrey provincial court and was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for interprovincial transport of animals without the proper permits and $1,000 for unlawfully possessing live wildlife.
  He was charged under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (
  
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• ‘Represent Canada’: Barriere woman wins custodian rights to Swedish island

  11-06-2026 01:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The people of Barriere may be surprised to learn that the Sovereign of a small Swedish island is living quietly amongst them.
  Well, that’s a bit of an overstatement.
  Bronwen Bird of Barriere is not actually the queen of the island called Storberget in the Baltic Sea off the east coast of Sweden, but she is, in fact, its custodian for the next year. That’s thanks to a program from Visit Sweden, a tourism company owned by the Swedish government.
  “The title of Island Custodian has
  
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• B.C. government straining to show World Cup’s economic benefit

  11-06-2026 01:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As players get set to take the pitch this weekend for the first of seven World Cup matches at BC Place in Vancouver, the provincial government is continuing its effort to persuade a skeptical public of the economic benefit of being a host city.
  “It’s clear when you host major events like this, there’s an economic impact that comes from that,” said Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s jobs minister, at a Wednesday news conference.
  Shortly after Kahlon’s remarks, the province re
  
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• CRPAWS volunteers conduct three-day stakeout to rescue cat family

  11-06-2026 00:48 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A tiny tail poked out from a small hole at the bottom of a shed at Vancouver Island Air on the Tyee Spit in Campbell River on May 30.
  This tail inevitably launched a three-day campaign to rescue a mom cat and her kittens from underneath a shed at the float plane operation.
  “The shed is a permanent building, and they will be difficult to catch as we cannot get under it,” Vancouver Island Air’s Melissa Cuttler said in a message to Campbell River Partners for Animal Welfare (CRPAW
  
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• Nanaimo Conservatory of Music will be holding Island Notes Chamber Music Festival

  11-06-2026 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Island Notes Chamber Music Festival will feature five musical acts this year, including a free concert at the Bowen Park Amphitheatre.
  Organized by the Nanaimo Chamber of Music, attends can listen to the Graham Villette Quartet, on June 11 at St. Andrew’s United Church; Cellovista, on June 12 at the Black Rabbit Kitchen Attic; Fernwood Trio, on June 13 at St. Paul’s Anglican Church; Mid-Island Chamber Music Players, on June 13 at St. Paul’s Anglican Church; then the free co
  
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• New bill introduces social media age restrictions for Canadians under 16

  10-06-2026 23:37 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Liberal government is introducing a new bill that aims to put age restrictions in place for social media services for Canadians.
  The federal government introduced the Safe Social Media Act, Bill C-34, in Ottawa Wednesday (June 10).
  The proposed bill includes an age restriction preventing children under the age of 16 from having accounts on social media services. It also aims to include measures to reduce children’s exposure to “certain content and high-risk interactions.”
  A
  
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• Kelowna absent from Indigenous-led Okanagan water alliance

  10-06-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nearly every municipality, regional district, and First Nation across the Okanagan and Similkameen watersheds has signed on to a syilx-led initiative to restore and protect the region’s waters for the next seven generations.
  But the multi-government effort is missing two key players: the cities of Kelowna (kiʔláwnaʔ) and West Kelowna, representing a combined population of nearly 210,000 people, according to B.C. Stats.
  Located in the Regional District of Central Okanagan,
  
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• 2026 FIFA World Cup: An in-depth look at Canada’s midfielders and forwards

  10-06-2026 23:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Canada’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad includes some talented and promising midfielders and forwards. Following is a look at who they are and what they bring to the table.
  To read about the team’s goalkeepers and defenders, click here.
  Midfielders:
  Mathieu Choinière can play anywhere in the midfield. In the 15 games he’s dressed for LAFC this season, he’s played the majority of them at the centre of the pitch. He has been deployed mostly in the central midfield in his
  
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• 2026 FIFA World Cup: An in-depth look into Canada’s goalkeepers and defence

  10-06-2026 23:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Canada is set to kick off the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 12. As one of the three host nations, they will look to advance into the knockout rounds. Canada historically has yet to win a World Cup game, but with a group that includes Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland, the chances are good this time around.
  Here’s a closer look at Canada’s goalkeepers and defence:
  Goalkeepers:
  Maxime Crépeau is the team’s likely starting goalkeeper, taking the reins from Milan B
  
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• ‘Yes and no’: Stefanski gives evasive answers in Lumby murder trial

  10-06-2026 22:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Crown prosecutors typically make sure to ask binary questions during cross examination.
  Accordingly, as Crown lawyer Laura Drake posed questions to accused North Okanagan murderer Vitali Stefanski Wednesday morning, she made an apparent effort to phrase the questions in a way that would elicit a yes or no answer.
  On multiple occasions during Vitali’s second-degree murder trial in B.C. Supreme Court trial in Kamloops June 10, Vitali attempted to sidestep these binary questions.
  “Yes a
  
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• PHOTOS: VIU graduates receive degrees, ready to make way in the world

  10-06-2026 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  One door closed and another opened as university students in Nanaimo turned the tassels on their grad caps and received their degrees.
  Convocation ceremonies took place at Vancouver Island University’s Nanaimo campus this week, with graduation for students in the faculty of health sciences and human services on Tuesday, June 9.
  In his speech, Dennis Johnson, VIU interim president and vice-chancellor, lauded the pupils for reaching a major milestone, through resilience and determination, ev
  
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• 50 B.C. groups awarded grants to fight misinformation

  10-06-2026 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  More than 50 community projects across B.C. have received $500 grants to combat harmful misinformation as part of the B.C. Human Rights Commissioner’s Community Amplifier initiative.
  ​One of the projects, Transform the Words in Kelowna, saw more than 1,000 colourful origami cranes hanging from the roof of the downtown library.
  ​The installation created by Advocacy Canada with 13 partner groups, libraries and mental health organizations, uses personal stories to counter misinfor
  
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• ‘I called my mom immediately’: Victoria man wins $2M on scratch ticket

  10-06-2026 22:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Victoria resident will treat his mom to a nice dinner while basking in a “surreal” $2 million scratch ticket win.David S. spotted a diamond on a ticket at Devonshire Vape and Cigars on Esquimalt Road and bought it on a whim, according to the BC Lottery Corporation.“I took the ticket to the till and did a little dance,” recalled David of the moment he realized he won, after checking his ticket on the self-scanner. “I called my mom immediately.”
  He doesn&rsquo
  
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• Kamloops cops seek suspect in indecent act investigation

  10-06-2026 22:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Kamloops police are asking for help identifying a suspect in an indecent act investigation.
  According to a press release, on Friday, May 29, just before 11:30 a.m., a woman was shopping at a thrift store in the 900-block of Columbia Street.
  She felt someone staring at her and turned to see a man allegedly masturbating in the aisle near her. When the suspect realized the woman had seen him, he fled, Mounties say.
  “To date, police have been unable to identify the male and are now releasing a
  
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• VIDEO: Communities across B.C. in the spotlight in new adventure show

  10-06-2026 21:46 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  View this post on InstagramA post shared by Finding Nowhere Show (@findingnowhereshow)Multiple communities across the province are featured in a new documentary-style series available now on streaming platforms.
  Finding Nowhere is an eight-episode adventure series focuses on three cousins – Joel Primus, Ryan Primus and Seth Steward – who were all born in Prince George but grew up in different parts of B.C. – discovering small-town life, learning rewilding skills and experiencin
  
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• B.C. jobs minister says he’s still hopeful despite Trump’s latest CUSMA comments

  10-06-2026 21:39 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. Jobs and Economic Growth Minister Ravi Kahlon says he remains “hopeful” that the U.S. and Canada can still come to terms on a renewed trade deal despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest comments panning the current framework.
  But Kahlon also said it is “vitally important” for the province to continue diversifying trade away from the U.S., just in case.
  “I’m not suggesting that we’ll never do business with the U.S. They’re going to be
  
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• B.C. teacher gets 15-year ban for sexual relationship with former student

  10-06-2026 21:34 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  An independent school teacher has received a 15-year ban after admitting to a sexual relationship with a former student, just months after they graduated.
  Jonas Alexander Douglas Huston entered into the consent resolution agreement with the teacher regulation commissioner on May 26. In it, he admitted that he had a sexual relationship with a former student and agreed that for 15 years, he wouldn’t apply for an independent school teaching certificate or any other authorization to teach in t
  
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• Nanaimo Pride opens biggest festival yet, despite worsening anti-2SLGBTQIA+ rhetoric

  10-06-2026 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Dual flags were raised at city hall, signifying Nanaimo’s 30th Pride celebration, the hard battles won, and the community’s refusal to be wiped out in the face of adversity.
  On Tuesday, June 9, both the progress pride flag and transgender pride flag were raised at Nanaimo city hall. While this year is the largest the festival has ever been, Lauren Semple, Nanaimo Pride Society’s president, said community members have been reporting an uptick in homophobic and transphobic attack
  
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• Boy, 8, and girl, 7, dead after UTV rollover in northern B.C., RCMP say

  10-06-2026 20:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Two children are dead after a utility terrain vehicle crash in the northern B.C. community of Pouce Coupe.
  Dawson Creek RCMP were called to a report of a UTV rollover on the 13700-block of 207 Road in the nearby community of Pouce Coupe on June 4, just after 1 p.m., RCMP said in a release Tuesday (June 9).
  Police say five young children were in the vehicle when the driver lost control, resulting in it rolling several times “over a considerable distance.”
  An eight-year-old boy died at
  
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• Longtime B.C. sailor in recovery after daring rescue

  10-06-2026 19:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  After 26 hours adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, braving a vicious storm that totalled his sailboat, the 610-foot Silver Whisper was expertly pulled alongside John Campbell’s vessel, and like the hand of god, crew members pulled him into the cruise ship – the end of a days-long ordeal leaving him with broken bones and his home at the bottom of the sea.
  Campbell has been a sailor for decades, picking up the hobby at five years old, and 17 years ago he bought April Alice, a 27
  
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• World Cup numbers: 39-day FIFA soccer tournament starts Thursday, June 11

  10-06-2026 19:39 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to start Thursday (June 11) in Mexico City, we compiled some tournament-related numbers — some firm, others estimated, all for fun:
  104: Number of matches during the quadrennial men’s soccer tournament from June 11 to July 19.
  Three: Number of countries hosting matches in 2026, namely Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
  16: Host cities in those three countries including Vancouver, Toronto and Seattle.
  12: Noon, Pacific time, when Thursday’s first game
  
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• World Cup watch parties expected to spike electricity use at home: BC Hydro

  10-06-2026 19:32 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  World Cup watch parties are expected to lead to a spike in home electricity use, a new BC Hydro survey found.
  The FIFA World Cup, which kicks off Thursday (June 11), is set to become one of B.C.’s biggest at-home viewing events, BC Hydro said in a news release Wednesday. It will be second only to NHL playoffs, with nearly two-thirds of residents planning to host or attend a watch party.
  BC Hydro says the surge in electricity is being fuelled by younger adults, with 73 per cent of Gen Z and
  
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