Nanaimo news

• LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Cedar experiences the brunt

  24-10-2026 20:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  To the editor,
  The re-election of Leonard Krog as Mayor of Nanaimo may not be the good news some think it is, especially for the residents of Electoral Area A.
  While Mayor Krog focuses on Nanaimo’s urban core, his apparent support for rezoning land adjacent to Cable Bay to heavy industrial use poses a direct threat to our neighbouring community’s environment and quality of life.
  Cable Bay is a cherished natural ecological jewel. It serves as a vital recreational corridor, wildlife habitat, a
  
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• It’s a great pumpkin! Vancouver Island man grows 805 lb giant

  02-11-2026 22:04 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Anyone who saw Courtenay resident Ian Kitchener’s giant pumpkin would be excused for thinking that Cinderella’s coach was more fact than fairy tale.
  His colossal squash tips scales at 805 lbs—roughly the weight of four refrigerators—and Kitchener isn’t even a gardener.“My wife does the garden,” he said.
  While it could be assumed that Kitchener was born with a green (or orange) thumb, the truth is that growing an 805 lb pumpkin came from years of trial, error, and toil.
  “The first
  
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• Damage limited after fireworks accidentally spark fire at First Nation near Gold River

  02-11-2026 21:53 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  An accidental fire sparked by Halloween fireworks was put out by firefighters at the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation near Gold River.
  John Amos, Culture Coordinator for the Nation’s Welcome House, apologized to the Nation for the incident.
  “We were out there, we were prepared, I was showing the boys what to do, helping me out and whatnot and I forgot one item,” Amos said. “I usually take a bucket with me to douse the fireworks when they are done.”
  Amos said they saved the “biggest (
  
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• 15-year sentence for man guilty of 2021 Naramata manslaughter

  02-11-2026 21:31 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Ekene Anigbo has been ordered to serve 15 years less time served for the death of a Naramata woman.Anigbo appeared in B.C. Supreme Court in Kelowna the morning of Monday, Nov. 2 for sentencing after he was found guilty of manslaughter for the 2021 death of 57-year-old Kathleen Richardson.The 27-year-old stood trial for first-degree murder, but was convicted on Aug. 14 of the lesser charge of manslaughter after a lengthy trial that began in March.Justice Alison Beames found the Crown had not prov
  
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• ‘This caucus is unified’: Doerkson meets with new caucus in Victoria

  02-11-2026 21:22 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  B.C.’s new premier designate, Lorne Doerkson, said the B.C. Conservatives are united when he took the stage on Monday to speak to B.C. residents and his fellow MLAs.
  On Nov. 2, the first meeting of the majority Conservative caucus was held in Victoria following a landslide victory in the 2026 provincial election. The win was preceded by a turbulent time for the party, rife with floor-crossing, senior staff resignations, allegedly leaked back-door conversations and the resignation of then-leade
  
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• Campbell River RCMP investigating after needle found in full-size chocolate bar 

  02-11-2026 20:06 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Carefully inspect your kids’ Halloween candy.
  That’s the message after the Campbell River RCMP received two reports on Nov. 1, about a needle that was discovered in a full-size chocolate bar that was received by a child while trick-or-treating on Halloween night.The bar was believed to have been given out on South McPhedran Rd., somewhere between Merecroft Rd. and South Dogwood Street.In a Facebook post, Courtney Draper wrote, in part, “Last night we trick-or-treated on South McPhedran and
  
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• 2 charged in homicide of 11-year-old Burnaby boy reported missing in 2025

  02-11-2026 19:49 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Homicide police have announced charges against two people in connection with the death of an 11-year-old Burnaby boy who was reported missing more than a year ago.
  The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says 51-year-old Branko Bijelic and 46-year-old Sarah Bijelic, both of Burnaby, are facing charges in the homicide case of Kai Pavlovic. He was reported missing in September 2025.
  Branko Bijelic, who was arrested on Oct. 30, is charged with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains.
  
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• Cowichan Tribes and City of Duncan sign MOU

  02-11-2026 19:36 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  On Oct. 9, Cowichan Tribes and City of Duncan formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding recognizing a shared commitment to strengthen their government-to-government relationships.“Building strong relationships with our neighbours is important to Cowichan Tribes,” said Chief Cindy Daniels. “This agreement gives us a stronger foundation to work together, share our teachings, and build greater understanding of Quw’utsun Mustimuhw and our connection to the lands in our Traditional Territ
  
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• Dr. David Suzuki will speak at Nanaimo Climate Connections 2027

  02-11-2026 19:34 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Renowned Canadian scientist Dr. David Suzuki will be the first keynote speaker at Nanaimo Climate Connections 2027 in January.
  Announced through a press release on Nov. 2, the former host of CBC’s The Nature of Things, author of more than 55 books, and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, Suzuki has spent his life communicating about humanity’s collective impact on the natural world.
  Suzuki’s Stronger Together tour in Ontario earlier this year built on the idea of developing communit
  
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• Duncan United Church left in the cold after copper pipes stolen

  02-11-2026 19:32 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Patrons of the Duncan United Church on Ingram Street were left in the cold after thieves stole copper pipes from the roof on Friday, Oct. 31.
  “Our furnace didn’t work in the sanctuary, and so we started investigating,” said David Vanderlinde, chair of the church’s unified board.
  He said the men’s choir was practicing in the sanctuary on Saturday and noticed the room was atypically cool. The choir turned up the thermostat, but the system didn’t turn on.
  Saturday afternoon, a staffer f
  
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• Vancouver Island football player to compete at powerlifting nationals

  02-11-2026 18:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Matthew Crowie carries a lot of weight these days – on and off the football field.
  As an offensive and defensive lineman with the Ballenas Whalers senior varsity football team, the Grade 12 student is accustomed to going head-to-head with opposing players, using his strength and physical presence to help his team compete.
  Standing five-foot-eight, Crowie has worked hard in the gym to build the strength needed to play both ways on the line of scrimmage. But what started as physical preparation
  
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• Vancouver Island pastry chef stoked to get on Stack TV baking competition

  02-11-2026 14:44 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Jose Castillo figures his coworkers at the Fairmont Empress may be a little surprised as his character develops on the Flavour Network this fall.The pastry chef’s childhood dream came true when an Instagram message appeared on his professional profile. At jose_castillo_chef, baked goods pop from the screen, enticing his followers and apparently one television producer. At first it seemed potentially a prank, the James Bay resident admits, but it turned out a producer of a program was looking f
  
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• Nanaimo jiu-jitsu academy ‘tops’ at Abu Dhabi Combat Club open on Mainland

  02-11-2026 14:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A Nanaimo Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts academy hauled in numerous medals and captured the adult title at a major Canadian competition on the Lower Mainland.
  Island Top Team athletes won golds and silvers at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Canada Vancouver Open at the Richmond Olympic Oval on Oct. 24, an event that Rob Biernacki, Island Top Team owner and head instructor, referred to as “the largest no gi (where competitors don’t wear traditional uniforms) event in Canada, bringing in
  
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• PHOTOS: Kelowna hosts 2026 Skate Canada International

  02-11-2026 02:57 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The 2026 Skate Canada International in Kelowna has come to a close, ending a weekend display of world class figure skating.The Skate Canada International is the second competition on the annual ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix, featuring athletes from around the world who are trying to qualify for the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Final, which will take place from Dec. 10 to 12 in Chongqing, China.This is Kelowna’s third time hosting a Skate Canada International Event after the competition was he
  
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• Pooch on the loose: Victoria airport overnight search ends in a paw-fect rescue

  02-11-2026 02:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A Hollywood-esque search-and-rescue mission unfolded on the grounds of Victoria International Airport over the weekend, while most people were asleep. But this time, the target wasn’t an injured hiker or a lost adventurer, but a 25-pound labradoodle named Cayenne.
  Elizabeth Cage, Cayenne’s owner and operator of Duncan Doodles & Labradors, recounted the ordeal to the Peninsula News Review, which involved plenty of stress, a full-scale rescue operation by airport staff and, most importantl
  
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• Home Town Takeover Canada premiere takes over audience’s hearts

  02-11-2026 01:59 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  “It was so beautiful.”
  “Incredible!”
  “That was so good.”
  Dozens of people who gathered at the Kinsmen Community Centre (KCC) to watch the premiere of Home Town Takeover: Canada on Oct. 25 were full of compliments as they walked out following the one-hour premiere of the HGTV show featuring Port Alberni.
  “I thought it was great,” said Jane Thompson, who was at the KCC with family members. “I liked that it showed the beginning (before) and the end of a couple of the projects, lik
  
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• Northern B.C. man fined $7.5K for possession of endangered species

  01-11-2026 22:55 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A Prince Rupert man convicted of illegally possessing 10 endangered northern abalone has been fined $7,500.
  The Metlakatla Fishery Guardians alerted Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) on Sept. 8, 2025, that they suspected harvesters fishing in waters around Metlakatla, about five kilometres north of Prince Rupert, may have caught the protected marine species.
  The report enabled DFO fishery officers to locate Caylin James Holland, who was found in possession of 10 northern abalone, according to a
  
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• Nanaimo’s closed Diefenbunker is a relic of a time at the edge of nuclear catastrophe

  01-11-2026 22:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  As the Cold War reached its peak, nuclear war seemed inescapable. Fortunately, then Prime Minister John Diefenbaker had a plan – it just wasn’t for everyone.
  Diefenbaker made sure that himself and other government officials would survive, creating an array of secret bunkers throughout Canada between 1959-61 that both federal and provincial politicians had access to.
  These wouldn’t be something the average Canadian family would be privy to. For the Canadian public, government propaganda adv
  
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• North Okanagan patients could soon lose critical coverage for eye injections

  01-11-2026 18:44 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A number of patients in the North Okanagan could soon lose coverage for the eye injection medication that prevents them from going blind, leaving them to choose between onerous travel to receive the injections elsewhere or exorbitant bills to have them done locally.Vernon physician Dr. Hussein Hollands says that just two weeks from now, some of his elderly patients will be forced to choose a third option: going without the medication and suffering the consequences.Hollands, who specializes in me
  
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• Nanaimo’s firefighters going door-to-door to ensure smoke alarms in residences

  01-11-2026 14:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  There was no working smoke alarm present in 79 per cent of residential structure fire deaths across the province in 2024, according to the Office of the Fire Commissioner for B.C.
  In response to concerns that many homes in Nanaimo may not have smoke alarms, Nanaimo Fire Rescue initiated a program several years ago to encourage city residents to utilize them for their own safety.
  John MacKenzie, NFR’s assistant chief of operations, said firefighters have gone door-to-door in a number of Nanaimo
  
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• Cameron Tennison

  01-11-2026 08:03 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  June 2, 1952 ~ October 12, 2026With deep sadness and love we announce the passing of Cameron B. Tennison on October 12, 2026, at the age of 74. He passed peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family. Cam was dearly loved and will be deeply missed by his beloved wife, Terri; his three daughters, Michelle (Sean), Natasha (Dallas), and Nicole (Devin); his stepdaughter, Alexina; his cherished granddaughters, Ayda and Brooklynn; his uncle George; his sisters, Kaye (Jim) and Joa
  
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• Sharon Copley Selinger

  01-11-2026 05:55 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  July 16, 1942 ~ October 26, 2026
  Sharon Copley Selinger neé Beeman. Born July 16, 1942passed peacefully on a lovely fall evening, October 26, 2026. Sharon was the second born to Zoe and Frederick Beeman. She had one older brother Roger. Sharon grew up in North Delta on a little chicken farm. After finishing secondary school she moved to Nanaimo for secretarial classes. Sharon had a wonderfully exciting life and in her early twenties lived in a few big cities. She lived in Tor
  
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• Orville Pierre Lavigne

  01-11-2026 05:50 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  June 11,2026 ~ September 16,2026
  Orville Pierre Lavigne passed away peacefully at the age of 86 on September 16,2026 at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC. Born in Melita, Manitoba, Orville was predeceased by his mother (Grace), father (Maurice) and his 5 sisters. Survived by his loving wife Susan of more than 60 years years, and sons Stephen and Dwayne (Heather), granddaughter (Taylor) and his brother Roy (Marg).
  After a career in truck driving, he developed a passion
  
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• David Price

  01-11-2026 05:45 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of David (Dave) Price of Nanaimo on July 27th 2026. He was 73 years old. David was predeceased by his parents Helen and Thomas Price and his loving wife Theresa. Dave was a truck driver for many years. He recently retired from Van Kam Freightways in 2023 after 28 years. Dave enjoyed trucking, sports, bowling and spending time with his family and friends. He will be greatly missed by his stepdaughter Shawna, grandchild
  
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• No Halloween treats for Canucks, who fall 4-2 to visiting Toronto Maple Leafs

  01-11-2026 02:51 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  William Nylander and Teddy Blueger each had a goal and an assist, helping the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in NHL action on Halloween night at Rogers Arena.
  Auston Matthews and Zack MacEwen also scored for the Leafs (8-6-2), with Anthony Stolarz making 27 saves for the goaltending win.
  Brock Boeser and Max Sasson replied for Vancouver (3-12-1). Leevi Merilainen took the loss in net, stopping 24 or 27 shots.
  The Leafs opened the scoring just 83 seconds into
  
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• B.C. Lions advance to CFL Western Final after 33-26 win over Roughriders

  01-11-2026 00:39 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The B.C. Lions are Edmonton-bound.
  Quarterback Nathan Rourke passed for 366 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Lions to an 33-26 win over the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders in CFL Western Semifinal playoff action Saturday at BC Place. With the win, the Lions advance to the Western Final on Nov. 7 against the Elks in Edmonton.
  Jevon Cottoy had eight catches for 131 yards and two TDs for B.C., while Stanley Berryhill caught a long touchdown pass and kicker Sean Whyte kicked four field goal
  
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• Whitecaps are best in west heading into MLS playoffs, Game 1 at home Nov. 22

  31-10-2026 23:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Vancouver Whitecaps FC are best in the west for the first time in club history, clinching first place in the MLS Western Conference, with playoffs three weeks from now.
  The soccer club will open the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs at home Sunday, Nov. 22 at BC Place in Game 1 of a best-of-three series. Kickoff time will be confirmed at a later date. Game tickets are sold on ticketmaster.ca/whitecaps.
  Vancouver will face the winner of the Western Conference wild card match between the eighth and ninth seed
  
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• GoFundMe established after Nanaimo bus driver, soccer dad, dies in Ghana

  31-10-2026 21:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Family members and the soccer community are mourning after a Nanaimo man died unexpectedly in Ghana.
  A GoFundMe has been established for Peter Dadzie, a Regional District of Nanaimo bus driver and father who leaves behind wife Sam and three children – sons Marshall and Maxwell, Vancouver Island University Mariners men’s soccer players, and daughter Millie-Mai.
  Speaking from Australia, Millie-Mai said Peter had a great sense of humour and was a huge supporter of Nanaimo United FC. She was sho
  
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• LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Have we chosen the wrong time for British Columbia?

  31-10-2026 19:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  To the editor,
  I support ending the twice-yearly clock changes. But adopting permanent daylight saving time rather than permanent standard time raises important questions about children’s safety, mental health and economic costs.
  As a Nanaimo family physician for over 30 years, my immediate concern is for our children. During the darkest weeks of winter, sunrise in Nanaimo will occur shortly after 9 a.m. Many children will be walking, cycling or waiting for school buses before sunrise.
  An Octo
  
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• Wilderness International Canada protects 1,250 acres of rainforest on Read Island 

  31-10-2026 18:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Wilderness International Canada (WIC) has purchased 1,250 acres of forest and wetlands on Read Island, protecting a significant area of coastal rainforest in B.C.’s Discovery Islands.The milestone was achieved through two rounds of acquisitions between May and August of 2026, bringing together 11 properties conservation area.The protected landscape encompassess mature second-growth forest, remnant old-growth trees, rare woodland ecosystems, and extensive wetlands, including a peat bog complex.
  
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