Nanaimo news

• LETTER TO THE EDITOR: VIU student refugee program cuts

  10-11-2026 23:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  To the editor,
  As a Nanaimo community member, I am deeply disappointed by Vancouver Island University’s decision to pull its long-standing funding for the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Student Refugee Program. Walking away from this life-changing humanitarian commitment without allowing for collaboration or adequate transition planning will leave currently sponsored students stranded in financial and administrative uncertainty, a failure of institutional responsibility.
  For almost
  
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• B.C. businesswoman receives US$5K NEXUS fine in crackdown

  11-11-2026 00:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A South Surrey woman who operated three boutique stores south of the border for more than a dozen years before closing her last U.S. shop in May says she has been stripped of her trusted-traveller privileges and hit with a US$5,000 fine for violating a rule she never knew existed.
  Suzanne Smith of Betty Be Good Boutique said Nov. 2 that her experience has made her nervous about future crossings, and that it is a cautionary tale that she hopes others can learn from.
  “I’m someone who regularly
  
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• Alberta First Nation sues B.C. over Site C dam impacts

  10-11-2026 22:46 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Alberta is suing British Columbia, the federal government, and BC Hydro for what it says are Treaty 8 rights violations related to several dams on the Peace River, including Site C, now known as the John Horgan Dam.
  “The Province and British Columbia Hydro built these hydroelectric projects without regard for the rights, culture and way of life of ACFN, which includes the exercise of its Treaty Rights,” the lawsuit, filed on Nov. 5 in B.C. Supreme Cour
  
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• Victoria health care trailblazer to be honoured with lifetime achievement award

  10-11-2026 22:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A Victoria leader whose work shaped local health care and national land conservation is receiving a major philanthropic honour this month.
  Karen Morgan will receive the John Saunders Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, Nov. 19.
  The presentation takes place during the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Vancouver Island Chapter annual National Philanthropy Day Awards at the Union Club of British Columbia.
  Morgan spent over 21 years with the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation. Du
  
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• Tickets down in 2026 for B.C. Highway Patrol driving for the conditions campaign

  10-11-2026 21:54 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  B.C. Highway Patrol issued 6,695 tickets during its “Drive Relative to Conditions” campaign in October.
  While that’s down slightly from the 2025 numbers, B.C. Highway Patrol is giving at least one example of how some drivers are “still reluctant to slow down in adverse conditions.”
  Police highlighted an instance near Merritt on Oct. 25 that shows dangerous driving in poor conditions is still a problem with a video of a driver getting pulled over in a news release Tuesday (Nov. 10).An o
  
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• THE MOJ: B.C. Lions search for answers after another CFL playoff exit

  10-11-2026 21:40 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Another B.C. Lions playoff game on the road.
  Another loss. Another season ending in disappointment.
  This time, it was the Edmonton Elks who delivered the knockout blow, defeating the Lions 28-16 at Commonwealth Stadium last Saturday to advance to this Sunday’s Grey Cup against the Montreal Alouettes.
  It marked the fourth time in five years that the Lions had won the Western Semifinal, only to see their season end on the road in the Western Final. The lone exception came in 2024, when B.C. was
  
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• Cowichan Valley riding win official for Conservative Chen

  10-11-2026 21:37 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The final count of ballots for the 2026 Provincial General Election is now complete, and the Conservative Party’s Bert Chen has officially been declared the winner of the Cowichan Valley riding.“I am most looking forward to following through on our campaign promises to hire more healthcare professionals, revive our forestry sector, and address public safety,” said Chen on Nov. 10.
  “Additionally, I want to get to move forward on providing the local infrastructure funding needed in North C
  
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• Duncan air quality warning follows prescribed burn in Lake Cowichan

  10-11-2026 21:12 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  An air quality advisory for the Duncan area on Nov. 1 due to elevated levels of fine particulate matter was the result of many factors, officials say.
  The most noticeable cause was the prescribed burns being undertaken in the Cowichan Lake area by Mosaic Forest Management.The fires were visible on the mountainside above Highway 18 on Oct. 31, prompting numerous calls from concerned residents.
  “While the sight of flames on the mountainside can understandably cause concern, these operations are
  
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• B.C. fashion designer to host solo show days after Project Runway Canada premiere

  10-11-2026 21:05 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A B.C. fashion designer is preparing to take the spotlight with her first independent fashion show, celebrating a career milestone alongside her upcoming television debut.Serena Kealy, 23, will host her independent show on Nov. 23 at the Pony Room, a queer lounge in Vancouver, just three days after the premiere of the second season of Project Runway Canada on Crave.This self-taught local South Surrey and White Rock designer, said putting on her own show is something she’d been dreaming about f
  
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• West Shore kids keep their free passes to local hockey and lacrosse through 2030

  10-11-2026 21:02 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Taking the family to the rink can be expensive, but the Q Centre turnstiles will stay free for West Shore kids through the end of the decade.
  A renewed sponsorship between Maxxam Insurance and the arena’s primary tenants extends the free youth ticket program for the Victoria Grizzlies and Victoria Shamrocks for three more seasons.
  The initiative allows up to two youth 18 and under to enter home games at no cost alongside a paying adult.
  Since launching in 2024, the program has covered 21,404 a
  
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• SHOP LOCAL: Downtown Nanaimo offers unique shopping experience

  10-11-2026 21:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Matthew Rosenthal said he can do almost all his Christmas shopping in just four blocks in the Old City Quarter area of Nanaimo.
  Rosenthal, who is the owner of Wesley Street’s Cascara Consulting Engineers Ltd. and president of the Old City Quarter Association, said the whole downtown core has seen significant revitalization and densification over the years, that has resulted in many new unique and varied mom-and-pop shops opening up to join other distinctive stores that have made downtown Nanai
  
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• Krog admonishes non-voters as City of Nanaimo’s new council sworn in

  10-11-2026 21:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  City of Nanaimo’s new council has been sworn in and are ready to govern the municipality.
  Seven of the incumbents, including Mayor Leonard Krog, were re-elected in last month’s municipal elections and two new councillors, Andréa Coutu and Marnie Boers, were introduced to the council table at the well-attended swearing-in ceremony at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre on Monday, Nov. 9.
  As well, six council members were appointed at the meeting, to represent the city at the Regional Dist
  
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• Amanda Marshall brings Dirty 30 tour to Victoria, Duncan and Nanaimo

  10-11-2026 21:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Admittedly, the 30th anniversary of her self-titled breakthrough album snuck up on Amanda Marshall.The smoky-voiced Canadian singer who broke into the pop music scene back in the ‘90s is pretty pleased with The Dirty 30 Tour: Pearl Celebration, Diamond Legacy so far, affectionately calling it the “tour that never ends.”
  “We just keep adding dates to it,” Marshall said with a laugh during a phone interview with Monday Magazine.The Dirty 30 Tour features Kellie Loder for some dates, incl
  
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• Amanda Marshall brings Dirty 30 tour to Victoria

  10-11-2026 20:59 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Admittedly, the 30th anniversary of her self-titled breakthrough album snuck up on Amanda Marshall.The smoky-voiced Canadian singer who broke into the pop music scene back in the ‘90s is pretty pleased with The Dirty 30 Tour: Pearl Celebration, Diamond Legacy so far, affectionately calling it the “tour that never ends.”
  “We just keep adding dates to it,” Marshall said with a laugh during a phone interview with Monday Magazine.The Dirty 30 Tour features Kellie Loder for some dates, incl
  
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• Four grizzlies destroyed in Bella Coola following fatal attack

  10-11-2026 20:57 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Four bears have been euthanized after being conclusively linked to the killing of a mother and daughter from Bella Coola.
  ​At a press conference on Tuesday, Nov. 10, BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) Inspector Jeff Tyre confirmed that forensic testing determined that four grizzly bears captured by the BCCOS over the last several days were all actively involved in the attack.
  ​“Evidence from the investigation as well as animal DNA was analyzed and conclusively linked to a sow and thre
  
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• Rain shadow protects Victoria while Vancouver Island faces 150 to 200 mm of rain

  10-11-2026 20:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Overlapping “orange” warnings of water across Vancouver Island should have residents eyeing storm drains.A couple of storm systems arrive on the coast back-to-back starting Tuesday, with Victoria through Nanaimo soggy, but the rest of the Island drenched in up to 200 mm of precipitation, prompting alerts from Environment and Climate Change Canada as well as the provincial River Forecast Centre.
  For Victoria and parts of the South Island, the rain shadow is helpful, says meteorologist Mike Gi
  
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• Cabot opens 2027 bookings at B.C. Interior golf course for hotel guests only

  10-11-2026 20:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Green fees have been announced for Revelstoke’s new luxury golf course set to open next summer, though only hotel guests may play for the first season.
  Bookings for staying and playing at Cabot Revelstoke starting July 2027 have opened, its team announced early this month.
  The inaugural season for the 18-hole course at Revelstoke Mountain Resort will run July 2 to Sept. 30, but exclusively for golfers staying at the new 155-room Karl Hotel that overlooks the 18th green.
  For both local and visi
  
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• 133 people died in B.C. in September from drug overdoses

  10-11-2026 20:22 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The B.C. Coroners Service says 133 people fatally overdosed in B.C. in September.
  The coroners service released the latest data Tuesday (Nov. 10) which showed approximately four people died per day in September.
  Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, there have been 1,143 drug-toxicity deaths in B.C. In 2025, there had been 1,399 deaths during the same period.
  So far in the 2026 data, deaths among people aged 30 to 59 accounted for 70 per cent of all fatal overdoses. Seventy-six per cent of those who have
  
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• UPDATE: Search suspended for missing canoeist north of Sayward

  10-11-2026 20:18 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The search for missing 35-year-old James “Dakota” Smith has been suspended.
  Sayward RCMP said in a release that “utilizing the most current and effective search technologies, the JRCC, the RCMP and multiple search and rescue teams consolidated their knowledge and expertise to conduct a methodical and thorough search of the area.”
  “Despite the intensive search through inclement weather consisting of high unpredictable winds, heavy rainfalls and the frigid water temperature, the chances
  
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• Kelowna BMX rider pedals his way into Canadian Hall of Fame

  10-11-2026 19:57 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A Kelowna BMX rider has earned recognition with an induction into the 2026 Canadian BMX Freestyle Hall of Fame.
  ​According to the hall of fame, Dom Mach has been riding since 1988, when he initially fell in love with the sport. The BMX rider first started riding his bike on the streets before turning to ramps and skateparks in his early years.
  ​According to a social media post by the Canadian BMX Hall of Fame, Mach has been “ripping everything and everything on his bike” since the age of
  
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• Song & Surf plans its 2027 swan song on the shores of Port Renfrew

  10-11-2026 19:36 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Tickets for the Song and Surf finale are on sale now as the small music festival in Port Renfrew prepares for its swan song.“At the very first Song and Surf way back in the winter of 2008, no one knew that the small gathering was planting the seed for a collective of friends to bring 25 music festivals,” the festival said in a social media post announcing the final event in February.“This February, as we once again gather on the salty shores of Port Renfrew, we will celebrate all this and
  
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• Building blocks of electronics: UVic engineering student plugs the science of building for all ages

  10-11-2026 19:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Five days spent sleeping on a Thermarest in a Copenhagen office are a small price to pay for a childhood dream come true.
  The days between those fitful sleeps are what excite third-year mechanical engineering student Michell Brule. The UVic student was working at an advanced robotics lab in Germany for the summer when a good friend called to see if he wanted to come visit in Denmark; it turned out there was an ulterior motive – that friend was hoping he’d jump on board with a new business.Co
  
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• 9-year-old Vernon, B.C., DJ ready to spin

  10-11-2026 19:04 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  At just nine-years-old, Vaughn Gauvin is already making a name for himself as one of the world’s youngest DJs.
  The Vernon child started spinning on his eighth birthday, when his mom took him to Wentworth Music.
  “I tried to encourage him to get a keyboard and learn music first,” said mom. “But he saw a DJ board and said, ‘I want that.'”
  It makes sense, considering Gauvin grew up watching his parents’ friends spin music.
  “His dad and I are hardcore into dancing and electronic music
  
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• With PacWest titles in tow, VIU soccer teams eye gold at upcoming national championships

  10-11-2026 19:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Despite recently capturing Pacific Western Athletic Association soccer titles, there will be little time for Vancouver Island University Mariners soccer teams to rest on their laurels.
  The M’s women’s team maintained their perfect season, upping their record to 10-0-0 and earning a PacWest title, on the strength of a 2-1 extra time win against the Capilano University Blues on Nov. 1. VIU striker Emma Riccardi scored in the 28th minute, beating Cap goalkeeper Megan Thitchener, and attacking m
  
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• Heavy rain, flood warnings remain in effect for parts of southern B.C.

  10-11-2026 18:57 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Parts of B.C. could see up to 250 millimetres of rain through to Thursday morning, Environment Canada warns.
  Environment Canada issued the orange warning Tuesday morning (Nov. 10) that very heavy rain is expected on west and central Vancouver Island, with 150 to 200 millimetres of rain, with some areas exceeding 250 millimetres in the next few days.
  The warning says a “very robust” frontal system is continuing to hit Vancouver Island, and rainfall is expected to intensify Tuesday afternoon,
  
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• Hope Search and Rescue volunteer awarded for service

  10-11-2026 17:54 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A search and rescue volunteer from Hope has been awarded with an Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award for 40 years of service.
  Barry Gannon, search manager for Hope Search and Rescue (SAR), received the award during a ceremony in Edmonton on Monday (Nov. 9).
  “Barry Gannon has been a driving force in search and rescue, and emergency management, in British Columbia for nearly 40 years,” wrote a representative of Public Safety Canada. “Since joining Hope Search and Rescue in 1986, he
  
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• Hope Search and Rescue volunteer awarded for 40 years of service

  10-11-2026 17:54 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A search and rescue volunteer from Hope has been awarded with an Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award for 40 years of service.
  Barry Gannon, search manager for Hope Search and Rescue (SAR), received the award during a ceremony in Edmonton on Monday (Nov. 9).
  “Barry Gannon has been a driving force in search and rescue, and emergency management, in British Columbia for nearly 40 years,” wrote a representative of Public Safety Canada. “Since joining Hope Search and Rescue in 1986, he
  
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• VIDEO: Disney releases holiday short filmed in Agassiz

  10-11-2026 17:47 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A holiday-themed Disney short filmed in Agassiz this summer has been released.“The Invisible Horse” is a three-minute short film shot in Agassiz as part of Disney’s “Make the Holidays Magic” campaign.Reilly Greenwood stars as Jack, a young boy who has seemingly outgrown the magic of Christmas whose mindset is challenged by the titular invisible horse. Dougal Wilson (“Paddington in Peru”) directed the short.
  During the summer, film crews with “Project Wayne” were seen throughou
  
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• Vancouver Island veteran remembers guarding Montreal Olympics with Army

  10-11-2026 13:35 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  David Livingstone joined the Canadian Army shortly after finishing high school and within a year was guarding the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
  He signed up for a student summer employment opportunity program through the Seaforth Highlanders in Vancouver, after moving to Richmond from Toronto when he finished his studies.
  Livingstone said he found the job interesting and so he signed on with the army reserve and volunteered to go to Montreal as part of the security force.
  There was a heightened state
  
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• Nanaimo Military Camp big part of city in Second World War

  10-11-2026 13:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Thousands of troops-in-training at the Nanaimo Military Camp in 1943 were called into action in the cold and miserable Aleutian Island Campaign off of Alaska in 1943.
  Elements of the 13th Infantry Brigade and other Canadian military units that were training to go to war at the Nanaimo Military Camp joined up with American troops in an invasion of the barren and desolate Kiska Island, and other islands in the Aleutian chain, to expel Japanese air and naval units that had taken them over the previ
  
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