Nanaimo news

• How a game-changing B.C. D&D invention got its start in B.C.

  25-11-2025 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  What started out as a fun crafting date night has now become an actual D&D world creation game changer.
  From dungeon master to world building stamp creator, Jacob Harris has designed an additional tool for D&D and other tabletop gamers.
  With the help of Karoline Moore, Harris – born and raised in South Surrey – launched a kit of 25 “Tabletop Stamps” on a Kickstarter program. The stamps have specific designs that would work for D&D or other fantasy role-playing
  
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• From Japan to Cowichan: artist follows her muse to Vancouver Island

  20-12-2025 15:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  It has been said that painting is self-discovery; every good artist paints what they are.
  Nonoka Kawasaki, a Japanese artist who was born in Sapporo, Hokkaido will be bringing her paintings to the town of Lake Cowichan for a two week exhibition before Christmas.
  Kawasaki, who lived and studied in Vancouver for one year, held an international exchange exhibition in Ohtaki, Japan, this past October. It was through that project that she became connected with its sister city, the Town of Lake Cowich
  
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• LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Closure of nearby mill underlines need to support industry locally

  20-12-2025 14:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  To the editor,
  Re: ‘Anti-Harmac’ amendment targets key company, Opinion, Dec. 3.
  The announced closure of the Crofton pulp mill and the loss of 350 good jobs bring into sharp focus the realities of the forest industry in B.C. Our NDP provincial government, contrary to its claims, has achieved the virtual destruction of the industry. Death by a thousand cuts, including increased regulation, set-asides, and slow approval of cutting permits, has led to the closure of sawmills and a scar
  
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• Sherwood’s hat trick powers Canucks to 4-1 victory over Islanders

  20-12-2025 03:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Kiefer Sherwood had a hat trick, leading the visiting Vancouver Canucks to a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders in NHL action Friday at UBS Arena.
  David Kampf had the other goal for the Canucks (14-17-3) who are now 3-0 since trading captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. Thatcher Demko was solid in goal for Vancouver, stopping 20 of 21 shots.
  Anders Lee had the lone goal for the Isles (19-13-3), with Ilya Sorokin absorbing the loss in net, making 26 saves.
  The Canucks stormed to a 3-0 lea
  
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• B.C. Conservatives say Nanaimo rail line unsafe, ministry and corridor foundation disagree

  20-12-2025 02:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The rail corridor foundation and politicians are disputing the state of the train tracks in Nanaimo.
  The B.C. Conservative Party issued a press release Thursday, Dec. 18, stating that the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure was aware of “severe and dangerous defects on the nine-mile rail line between Wellcox Yard and Superior Propane in Nanaimo, and failed to act.”
  The party stated that the hazards include missing bolts, rotten rail ties, lack of maintenance records an
  
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• Headline history: Olympic torch made its way through Nanaimo ahead of 2010 Winter Games

  20-12-2025 01:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  On Halloween night in 2009 the glow that joined fireworks and jack-o’-lanterns in Nanaimo was the Olympic torch as it made its way from Olympia, Greece, where it was lighted Oct. 22, to Vancouver ahead of the the 2010 Winter Games.
  The torch made its way through Nanaimo with Michelle Stilwell, Paralympic gold medallist, igniting a cauldron at Maffeo Sutton Park. The lighting marked the close of the second day of the torch’s 106-day, 45,000-kilometre relay journey across Canada and ba
  
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• Nanoose Bay family loses everything after early morning fire guts home

  20-12-2025 01:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A family of four in Nanoose Bay are without a home after they lost their house and its contents after a fire broke out early Friday morning (Dec. 19).
  The Nanoose Bay Fire Department received a call of a structure fire at 2:05 a.m. at a home in the Dorcas Point Road area.
  Fire chief Leo Groenewegen said when they arrived at the scene, the “fire was not fully involved but it was in the roof, so it travelled very quickly.”
  Fire crews, said Groenewegen, encountered challenges containing
  
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• Guns, drugs, cash seized in Kamloops gang bust

  19-12-2025 23:11 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Local RCMP and the province’s gang-busting police unit have disrupted violent gang activity and a drug trafficking operation in Kamloops.
  The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. (CFSEU-BC) Uniform Gang Enforcement Team worked with Kamloops RCMP from Dec. 9 to 12 to conduct a targeted, intelligence-led operation.
  Over the four days, the gang enforcement team’s officers were strategically placed throughout Kamloops with a particular focus on the North Shore and other areas
  
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• CFIA confirms avian flu detected on Vancouver Island

  19-12-2025 23:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has detected avian flu on a farm in the Comox Valley, putting measures in place to stop the spread.
  CFIA has set up an active control zone from Merville to Royston, including Cumberland. The zone applies to non-commercial poultry. Birds, their products, and by-products in these areas are not allowed to move off properties within the zone without a CFIA permit. The control zone applies to all poultry, regardless of flock size.
  It is the only active zone
  
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• Vacancy rates improve to highest level of the 21st century in B.C.’s capital region

  19-12-2025 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Rental prices seem to be taking a dip in B.C. as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released its 2025 Rental Market Report, which showed that Greater Victoria’s vacancy rate rose to 3.3 per cent, the highest it’s been since 1999.
  According to the report, Victoria faces similar demographic trends to Vancouver with outflows of international migrants and students, along with a weak labour market for younger people – both of which reduced rental demand.
  “These
  
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• CFIA detects avian flu on Vancouver Island

  19-12-2025 21:12 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has detected avian flu on a farm in the Comox Valley, putting measures in place to stop the spread.
  CFIA has set up an active control zone from Merville to Royston, including Cumberland. The zone applies to non-commercial poultry. Birds, their products, and by-products in these areas are not allowed to move off properties within the zone without a CFIA permit. The control zone applies to all poultry, regardless of flock size.
  It is the only active zone
  
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• Lands damaged by 2017 wildfires in B.C. are being rehabilitated

  19-12-2025 21:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation (CCR) is celebrating the environmental and economic success to-date of its Palmer Project which is rehabilitating forests devastated by the 2017 wildfires.
  “This work is imperative if we want to have healthy forests in the future,” said Percy Guichon, CEO of CCR, in a press release.
  The project targets lands near Palmer Lake in the Chilcotin, about one and a half hours west of Williams Lake, which were subject to catastrophic fires and left to recover
  
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• Chemainus Theatre 2026 lineup features Ladies, Scoundrels and Jane Austen

  19-12-2025 21:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  It will definitely be a happy new year for theatre lovers as Chemainus Theatre announces their 2026 lineup.
  It all begins in February as Chemainus Theatre will have fans of the arts charmed with their production of Godspell.
  The classic folk-rock hit from Wicked’s composer Stephen Schwartz is a celebration and exploration of creating community and sacrificial love as it explodes with catchy music, a talented cast of actor-instrumentalists and playful parables in vibrant, contemporary, and
  
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• Woman OK after being swept out to sea in Nanaimo

  19-12-2025 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A woman was shaken but unhurt after being swept out to sea by strong currents around Nanaimo this week.
  Nanaimo Fire Rescue, Nanaimo RCMP, B.C. Ambulance Service and other responders were called to Morningside Drive near Neck Point shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18.
  “Our crews responded … for a water rescue down at Neck Point,” said John MacKenzie, Nanaimo Fire Rescue assistant chief of operations.
  Nanaimo Fire Rescue sent its new squad unit, one fire truck and its Marine
  
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• Experts nix B.C. orca vessel strike injury fears after Victoria sighting

  19-12-2025 20:38 via nanaimobulletin.com
  When an endangered B.C. southern resident orca was spotted with a fresh wound at the base of its dorsal fin, alarm bells rang.
  Because of a recent spate of vessel strikes in B.C. waters that have injured humpback whales – which may have resulted in three deaths – there were immediate concerns the orca may have suffered a similar fate.
  The 16-year-old male, identified as J45, was first seen with the injury in late November in Active Pass, travelling alongside other members of J pod.
  H
  
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• B.C. police search for more victims after 2 charged in child exploitation case

  19-12-2025 20:07 via nanaimobulletin.com
  WARNING: The following story contains content which some readers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.
  Surrey police believe there may be more victims as they investigate a man and woman suspected of child exploitation.
  The Surrey RCMP Special Victims Unit started an investigation in October 2024 involving alleged offences that started in 2021 related to child sexual abuse material, a Surrey Police Service release noted.
  Two suspects — Carter Cooke, 28, and Tkhu Khyonh “Mika&rd
  
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• Growing demand: Canadian fans rally behind women’s professional sports

  19-12-2025 19:41 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The future of women’s sports in Canada is hopeful and there is the fandom to back it, according to the CEO of Canadian Women & Sport.
  “I think there’s so much coming and there’s so much that’s already here,” said Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, who heads up the Canadian organization that has been promoting gender equity in sport for 40 years. “I think the story about women’s sport is just going to continue to build year over year.”
  As Canadians
  
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• Abbotsford Canucks players still waiting on Calder Cup championship rings

  19-12-2025 19:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The mark of greatness for many professional athletes can often be found on his or her fingers.
  The championship ring is a symbol for success and a long-lasting memory for those rare individuals who make it to the top in their sport.
  The tradition actually dates back to the 1893 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Hockey Club, who ordered rings for its players after that big win. The American Hockey League’s Calder Cup champion has rewarded its players with rings for decades – but that trad
  
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• Snuneymuxw First Nation buying Coquitlam casino

  19-12-2025 18:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Snuneymuxw First Nation has announced it is purchasing a fifth casino.
  The First Nation’s economic development corporation, Petroglyph Development Group, has announced it will be purchasing Great Canadian Casino Vancouver in Coquitlam from Great Canadian Entertainment.
  In a press release issued Friday, Dec. 19, the group stated that a definitive agreement has been signed for the purchase, which remains subject to customary closing conditions and required approvals under B.C.’s Compet
  
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• Cape Scott Water Taxi owner finds unexpected passenger onboard vessel

  19-12-2025 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  When George Burroughs woke up the morning of Dec. 17, he couldn’t have anticipated how his morning would go.
  Burroughs, owner of Cape Scott Water Taxi in Port Hardy, had a morning run to make and was down at the Quarterdeck & Marina Resort to get the Sea Legend ready.
  “I was walking down the steps from the deck into the wheelhouse when a bucket sitting near the last step knocked my foot. I figured I had kicked it.” Burroughs recalls. He didn’t think much of it until h
  
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• Bright Nights 50/50 raffle jackpot hits $125,225 for B.C. Burn Fund

  19-12-2025 18:29 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The jackpot is now $125,225 in the Bright Nights 50/50 raffle that supports the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund, the charity of more than 4,800 professional firefighters from 56 communities in B.C. and Yukon.
  Entry deadline is Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 11:59 p.m. (end of day) in the raffle, where the winner is given half the jackpot.
  The Bright Nights 50/50 is an extension of the Burn Fund’s largest fundraising event, the Bright Nights light festival, now at Noel Surrey. The festi
  
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• Silent Sunday vigil in Victoria to honour unhoused people who died

  19-12-2025 16:47 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A silent vigil will be held in downtown Victoria on the afternoon of Dec. 21 to honour people who died while living on the streets of the capital this year.
  The Longest Night of the Year Silent Vigil, organized by the Housing Justice Project, will begin at Pandora Green—the green space along Pandora Ave. between Cook St. and Vancouver St.—at 3 p.m., with a community walk to the Whale Wall near the Johnson Street Bridge.
  Part of an international observance held annually on the winter
  
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• Province invests up to $7.5 million in WFP’s value-added division in Chemainus

  19-12-2025 16:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Western Forest Products’ value-added division in Chemainus is receiving up to $7.5 million from the province to add two new continuous dry kilns to its manufacturing operations.
  The investment, from the province’s BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, will allow WFP’s facility on River Road to expand the production of high-value products and create new opportunities for second-growth hemlock to produce higher-value products, as well as increasing the stability of the forest company&rsquo
  
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• B.C. store to pay $750K settlement in washroom voyeurism case

  19-12-2025 15:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A Vancouver Island food market will be paying six women $750,000 after reaching a settlement in a class-action lawsuit against them and a former employee who was found to have secretly recorded women in the store’s bathroom.
  The $750,000 settlement will be split among the six plaintiffs in the suit, with different amounts allocated between five whose recorded images were distributed on the internet, and one whose images were recorded but not distributed, according to Sean Hern, one of the
  
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• Service changes coming to Nanaimo transit routes, including Rapid Line - NanaimoNewsNOW

  19-12-2025 14:41 via news.google.com
  Service changes coming to Nanaimo transit routes, including Rapid Line  NanaimoNewsNOW
  
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• B.C. woman’s rare spinal stroke diagnosis inspiring her to help others

  19-12-2025 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  It takes immense strength to find the silver lining in the face of tragedy, but that’s what 20-year-old Brooklyn Aleksic has been able to do with her diagnosis, which threw a giant wrench in her life earlier this year.
  Practically overnight, the Abbotsford resident went from having a thriving academic and social life at the University of Victoria to being bedridden due to what she would later find out was a spinal stroke.
  This incredibly rare affliction left her unable to walk and took her
  
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• Merchants in Nanaimo offering festive food for sale as Christmas approaches - Nanaimo News Bulletin

  19-12-2025 14:16 via news.google.com
  Merchants in Nanaimo offering festive food for sale as Christmas approaches  Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
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• Group says Saanich voyeurism case brings deeper issues to light

  19-12-2025 14:10 via nanaimobulletin.com
  In light of six women in Greater Victoria receiving a $750,000 settlement from Red Barn following a non-consensual recording case, a local sexual-harassment prevention organization is highlighting the responsibility employers have to prevent abuse in the workplace.
  “The non-consensual sharing of intimate images is something that has become more prevalent in the last few years,” said Stacey Forrester, co-founder of Good Night Out Vancouver, which provides training and workshops aimed
  
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• Holiday train rolling through B.C. bringing Barenaked Ladies fun and charity

  19-12-2025 14:08 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Despite the CPKC Holiday Train’s 90-minute delay getting through Rogers Pass Wednesday afternoon, the cold, rain and hail didn’t dissuade hundreds from waiting at the Revelstoke rail yard for the Barenaked Ladies to roll in.
  On a railway tour across British Columbia to raise money for local food banks this holiday season, the iconic Canadian band — perhaps best known for penning the Big Bang Theory’s theme song — addressed the Revelstoke crowd quite apologetically u
  
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• Merchants in Nanaimo offering festive food for sale as Christmas approaches

  19-12-2025 14:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Nanaimo merchants have ample items on sale to fill people’s plates and gift lists this holiday season.
  Nesvog’s Meats and Sausage Co. has items to grace the dinner table, starting with their locally sourced turkeys from Somerset Farm on Gabriola Islan. Turkey rolls are also a big draw.
  “Basically, you take a boneless breast and a boneless turkey thigh, if you’re feeding five or six people, and you don’t want to cook a 22-pound turkey … and some store-made bre
  
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