Nanaimo news

• Island Health issues water warnings for Greater Victoria beaches

  16-06-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Two Greater Victoria swimming holes are under new health warnings after testing showed high levels of bacteria.Island Health conducts beach sampling from mid-May through the Labour Day weekend and issues beach advisories when there is evidence of elevated bacterial levels in the water or other potential contaminants that increase the risk of illness to the public.
  Glen Lake Park beach at 3071 Shoreview Dr. and Saanich Inlet at Stelly’s X Road are both under Island Health advisory after &ld
  
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• Evacuation alert issued after wildfire grows to 22 hectares west of Princeton

  17-06-2026 08:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE:
  An evacuation alert has been issued for properties west of Tulameen on Lawless Creek Road and Tulameen River Road due to the Grasshopper Mountain wildfire.
  The blaze sparked Tuesday afternoon and quickly grew to an estimated 22 hectares. BC Wildfire responded to the incident with air tankers and helicopters alongside the Tulameen and District Fire Department.
  The Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen asks those living on properties under the evacuation alert to prepare to evacuat
  
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• Bailey’s Law, on intimate partner violence, passes third reading in Senate

  17-06-2026 03:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  It is now only a matter of time before Bailey’s Law can come into effect, as Bill C-225 passed its third reading in the Senate.
  After receiving its three readings in the House of Commons in April, Bill C-225 – otherwise known as Bailey’s Law – was quickly passed through the Senate, receiving its third reading on June 16.
  The act was first brought forth by Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola MP Frank Caputo and was named after Bailey McCourt, who died on July 4, 2025, following a vio
  
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• New well-being plan for children aims for better coordination in B.C. government

  17-06-2026 02:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Two years after the call for a well-being plan for children and teens, the provincial government has released an action plan.
  Children and Family Development Minister Jodie Wickens announced the new Child and Youth Well-Being Action Plan and Outcomes Framework during a news conference in Vancouver on Tuesday (June 16). She was joined by Attorney General Niki Sharma, Representative for Children and Youth Dr. Jennifer Charlesworth, and Alex Turpin, a former child in care and member of the ministry
  
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• Developer cautions Nanaimo about not keeping up with necessary infrastructure work

  17-06-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The developer of the large Sandstone development in Nanaimo’s south end is cautioning the municipality about the consequences of not keeping up with infrastructure demands.
  Georgia Desjardins is the vice president of development at Seacliff Properties, which is developing Sandstone, a 294-hectare property located at the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway and the Duke Point Highway where the company is planning a range of housing options, as well as retail and commercial development.
  Desj
  
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• Canadian administrators honour RDN CAO Holmes

  17-06-2026 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Regional District of Nanaimo CAO Douglas Holmes has worked in municipal government management roles for 30 years.
  His dedication to the job and years of service were given recognition by the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators’ Long Service Recognition Awards, held in Whistler on May 26.
  “Doug’s dedication to his role has undoubtedly contributed to the advancement of your municipality, and we are pleased to recognize his achievements,” said Brenda Orchard, pr
  
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• Seasonal Nanaimo bus service changes to come into effect

  17-06-2026 01:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Seasonal bus changes are set to come into effect as of June 30, which will remove some trips as well as temporarily discontinue an entire route.
  In a media advisory sent out by B.C. Transit on June 16, the corporation, alongside the Regional District of Nanaimo, said that to coincide with the end of the school year, school-oriented trips will be removed from several routes across the transit system.
  The routes that will be affected include Route 5 Fairview, Route 6 Harewood, Route 20 Hammond Bay
  
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• ‘Extremely concerning’: B.C. environmentalists outraged by minister’s caribou comments

  16-06-2026 23:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. environmental organizations have expressed outrage over comments made by the minister of forests about caribou and old-growth during an interview in Revelstoke last Tuesday.
  Minister Ravi Parmar visited the community on June 9 to tour sites such as the Downie Timber saw mill, BC Hydro’s Revelstoke Dam and BC Housing’s Downie Street Redevelopment project.
  Fitting in a chat in the rain with Black Press Media, Parmar spoke about local mills, lumber market diversification, old-growt
  
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• 63-year-old temperature record in Nanaimo broken a week before summer

  16-06-2026 22:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Nanaimo area broke a 63-year-old temperature record one week before the official start of summer.
  The mercury hit the 33.2 C mark on Sunday, June 14, according to Christy Climenhaga, Environment Canada scientist, surpassing the previous record of 30 C set on the same day in 1963.
  “We had what was called an upper ridge, so a large wave that forms in that upper air flow in our atmosphere that allows warm weather to build into the area, and also keeps any of those storm systems, that rain
  
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• More than 25% of B.C. is at elevated drought levels

  16-06-2026 21:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. is trending toward warm and dry conditions in the weeks to come., according to the latest update on the summer wildfire season.
  The province provided the latest on the wildfire situation and drought outlook on Tuesday (June 16) during a press conference in Vancouver. Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Kelly Greene was joined by Forests Minister Ravi Parmar and Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Randene Neill, as well as David Campbell, the head of B.C.’s Ri
  
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• Lazenby wins provincial gold, Cram captures bronze at BCSS track championships

  16-06-2026 21:23 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Quw’utsun Secondary School’s Robert Lazenby raced to a provincial title and Ladysmith Secondary School’s William Cram earned a bronze medal as Cowichan Valley-area athletes competed at the BCSS Provincial Track and Field Championships, June 4-6 at McLeod Stadium in Langley.
  Lazenby posted the top local result, winning gold in the junior boys 1,500-metre race walk. Schoolmate Louis Mommaerta also represented Quw’utsun, finishing 30th in the senior boys 1,500m run.
  Ladysmit
  
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• Construction underway in Duncan on new affordable housing project for seniors

  16-06-2026 21:19 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Out with the old, in with the new.
  Construction for the new Duncan Manor at the St. John’s Anglican Church property located at 162 First St. and the corner of Jubilee Street broke ground on May 11.
  In the works for two years, Duncan’s city council voted unanimously to give the project a development permit back in April 2024. Since, Coun. Tom Duncan is a fan of the plans for the new facility, and Mayor Michelle Staples feels this type of housing is a great need for Duncan, and is grat
  
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• Proliferation of parking lots in north end raises concerns at Nanaimo council table

  16-06-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The loss of trees and green spaces in a proposed housing development in Nanaimo’s north end raised some concerns at a recent council meeting.
  The proposal calls for the construction of two multi-family apartment buildings on two undeveloped adjacent lots at 6055 Turner Road and 6045 Linley Valley Drive, which would have a total of 106 rental dwelling units when complete.
  The developer asked council at its meeting on May 25 to amend a covenant on the properties that would reduce the minimum
  
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• Distracted driving believed to be cause of FedEx crash near Sicamous

  16-06-2026 20:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A FedEx driver failed to deliver the “Purple Promise” after crashing into a rock face on Highway 97A near Sicamous.
  The Sicamous RCMP responded to a report of a single vehicle collision at 10:45 a.m. on Monday, June 15, and found the driver of a northbound courier truck failed to stay in the lane and was driving on the shoulder for a short stretch before hitting the solid rock wall.
  The impact tore the right side of the truck cab open “completely destroying” the vehicle.
  
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• UPDATE: Out-of-control West Kelowna wildfire now 8 hectares in size

  16-06-2026 20:13 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE 11:56 a.m.
  RCMP and peace officers are blocking Benedick Road at the intersection of Campbell Road and Lucinde Road.
  According to BC Wildfire Service, the blaze is now 8 hectares in size.
  At this time, no evacautions alerts or orders are in place.
  Helicopters are now on scene bucketing the blaze.
  UPDATE 11:56 a.m.
  RCMP and peace officers are blocking Benedick Road at the intersection of Campbell Road and Lucinde Road.
  According to BC Wildfire Service, the blaze is now 0.5 hectares in size
  
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• UPDATE: Out-of-control West Kelowna wildfire ‘like standing inside a campfire’

  16-06-2026 20:13 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: 2:16 p.m.
  The wildfire remains listed at eight hectares on the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) map.
  Black Press Media has reached out to West Kelowna Fire Rescue reguarding the blaze.
  The blaze was discovered on Tuesday morning in Kalamoir Regional Park and is believed to be human-caused.
  A muster station has been set-up at Westbank Lion’s Hall Community Centre, located at 2566 Main Street for evacuees.
  According to a Central Okanagan Emergency Operations (COE) volunteer, the muster sta
  
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• UPDATE: Evacuations ongoing as out-of-control wildfire burns in West Kelowna

  16-06-2026 20:13 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE 12:49 p.m.
  BCWS now stated the fire is suspectedly human-caused.
  UPDATE 12:25 p.m.
  West Kelowna RCMP are assisting West Kelowna Fire Rescue with evacuations in the affected area of the wildfire.
  “Officers are in the area supporting public safety efforts, helping to ensure residents are able to leave safely and that evacuated zones remain secure,” said RCMP media relations officer Const. Ash Puri.
  Puri added there’s no solid number to how many homes are being evacuated at
  
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• Man dies in custody of Vancouver Police Department, watchdog investigating

  16-06-2026 19:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C.’s police watchdog is investigating after a man died while in the custody on the Vancouver Police Department.
  The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said Tuesday (June 16) that it would be investigating the in-custody death.
  The man was arrested by Vancouver police around 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 14 and lodged in the cells at the Vancouver jail, according to preliminary information provided to the watchdog from Vancouver police.
  It was around 8 a.m. on June 15 that staff found the
  
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• VIDEO: Victoria firefighters fight blaze at Canada’s oldest Chinese temple

  16-06-2026 19:27 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Fisgard Street is closed between the Government Street and Douglas Street intersections as the Victoria Fire Department responds to a fire at the Tam Kung Temple building in Chinatown.
  The City of Victoria said the fire department responded to the incident just after 3 p.m. on Monday (June 15). Fire had gone into the ceiling structure of the historic building.
  The building was evacuated and no injuries were reported.
  The Tam Kung Temple is designated as a national historic site, originating as a
  
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• Victoria firefighters fight blaze at Canada’s oldest Chinese temple

  16-06-2026 19:27 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Fisgard Street is closed between the Government Street and Douglas Street intersections as the Victoria Fire Department responds to a fire at the Tam Kung Temple building in Chinatown.
  The City of Victoria said the fire department responded to the incident just after 3 p.m. on Monday (June 15). Fire had gone into the ceiling structure of the historic building.
  The building was evacuated and no injuries were reported.
  The Tam Kung Temple is designated as a national historic site, originating as a
  
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• Topping 1930: Victoria breaks daily heat records 2 days running

  16-06-2026 19:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As summer-like temperatures continue in the waning days of spring, Victoria officially broke a near century-old daily heat record Monday (June 15).A ridge of high pressure saw daily records fall Sunday, with that heat rolling over to Monday across the province, according to Environment Canada data.In Victoria, at the Gonzales weather station, the mercury hit 28.1 C, over the 27. 8 C record set for the same day in 1930.The day before, the region broke a record from 1999 at 30.2 C, above the previ
  
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• Snuneymuxw purchase of River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond finalized

  16-06-2026 19:01 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The deal has been closed on Snuneymuxw First Nation’s purchase of River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond.
  On June 16, the First Nation’s economic development corporation, Petroglyph Development Group Ltd., announced in a press release that it had finalized the purchase, which makes it the fifth casino owned by the Nation.
  Others include Casino Nanaimo, Elements Casino Victoria, Chances Maple Ridge and Great Canadian Casino Vancouver, all purchased from Great Canadian Entertainment star
  
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• Vancouver Island man pleads guilty after shooting dog caught in foot-hold trap

  16-06-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Port Alberni man has pleaded guilty to a Criminal Code charge after killing a dog caught in a foot-hold trap.
  Michael Stini admitted to shooting and killing his neighbour’s dog, Stone, while Stone was immobilized in a foot-hold trap on Stini’s property. The offence took place on Feb. 23, 2023, and directly contradicted guidance from conservation officers to not to engage with or dispatch any animal, a press release from the BC SPCA noted.
  Stini was charged following an investigatio
  
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• FBI investigating Blaine shooting near Peace Arch Park

  16-06-2026 18:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The FBI is investigating a shooting incident that occurred near the Surrey-U.S. border in Blaine.
  According to a Tuesday morning (June 16) social-media post by the Blaine Police Department, the U.S. Border Patrol was involved in a shooting at the corner of 4th Street and A Street. The site is adjacent to Peace Arch Park.
  “There is no threat to the public,” the post notes.
  “We ask for your assistance and patience in the area while the FBI investigates the incident and crime scen
  
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• Cultus Lake Waterpark incident ‘not believed to have been intentionally caused:’ RCMP

  16-06-2026 18:24 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In the wake of the Cultus Lake Waterpark electrocution incident Monday (June 15) that injured 12 children the investigation has been been undertaken by Worksafe BC officials.
  The group of youth on a field trip suffered burns to their feet, after touching an electrified rail in the queuing area near one of the rides.
  Waterpark officials made a statement late Monday to say the park would be shut down for 48 hours for the investigation, and that they were cooperating fully with officials.
  “We
  
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• Island talent anchors stacked Colwood fight night

  16-06-2026 18:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  After spending three months training in Japan, Odin Munns is eager to show how far he has come when he returns to the ring later this month.
  The 19-year-old Island Boxing athlete is set to face Mahad Amin Ali on the 15-bout amateur card during Champ Productions Fight Night at the Q Centre in Colwood on June 20. The bout will be his first since earning a victory over Santiago Porras at the promotion’s last event in November.
  View this post on InstagramA post shared by Champ Promotions (@cha
  
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• WORLD CUP DAILY, June 16: France, Argentina among 8 teams in action Tuesday

  16-06-2026 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Daily FIFA World Cup updates and news for Black Press Media publications.
  Tournament favourite Spain couldn’t beat Cabo Verde on Monday (June 15), among Day 5 highlights at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
  The two teams were held scoreless in Atlanta in the day’s first of four matches, all ended in draws — something not seen at the World Cup since 1958.
  The population of Cabo Verde, a tiny island nation off Africa’s west coast, is just 529,000, while Spain’s hovers around 5
  
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• Nanaimo’s population reached more than 112,600 people in 2025

  16-06-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The population of Nanaimo has been estimated at 112,672 in 2025, and it is projected to reach 121,941 by 2030, according to the city’s annual state of the economy report
  Nanaimo’s economic development officer Amrit Manhas told council at a recent meeting that the city’s population continues to grow, but at a slower pace than the past five years.
  “This is partly due to broader provincial and federal policy changes around immigration,” she said.
  “Growth has slow
  
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• Canadian fighter jets to train off west coast of Vancouver Island

  16-06-2026 05:59 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Cold Lake, Alta. – Aircraft from 4 Wing Cold Lake will be conducting training in the vicinity of Comox and various locations on Vancouver Island from June 15-22, 2026.
  The CF-18 Hornet fighter jets will be operating out of 19 Wing Comox and transiting to the west coast of Vancouver Island. Most of the training will take place offshore and will include low-level flying. Residents from Tofino in the west to San Josef Bay in the north may hear or see the aircraft operating in these areas.
  As
  
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• 1 dead after car drives wrong way on northbound lanes of Coquihalla Highway

  16-06-2026 03:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE:A collision that shut down the Coquihalla Highway northbound near Comstock Road for several hours is now being reported as a fatal incident.
  According to Merritt RCMP Staff Sgt. Joshua Roda, a small car was seen travelling the wrong way down Highway 5 at about 8 a.m. Monday.
  Then, only minutes later, Merritt RCMP received a report that the car had been involved in a head-on collision with a transport van in the northbound lanes of the highway.
  The driver, and sole occupant of the small ca
  
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