Nanaimo news

• Lower Mainland harness driver killed in crash

  20-10-2026 18:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Scott Knight, 52 of Langley, was killed this weekend in a harness racing accident in Osoyoos.
  Due to a misstep by one of the horses in Sunday’s race at the Desert Park Raceway, that equine team went down. The racers following were unable to stop in time, resulting in a multi-horse crash, as operators at the track described it.
  Paramedics received a call at 3:33 p.m. on Sunday, confirmed Brian Twaites, BC EHS paramedic public information officer.
  Five ambulances with primary care paramedics
  
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• Canucks end 10-game winless skid with thrilling 6-5 OT win over Anaheim Ducks

  28-10-2026 06:09 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The skid is over for the Vancouver Canucks.
  Filip Hronek scored on a power play in overtime, capping a furious late rally as the Canucks beat the host Anaheim Ducks 6-5 in NHL action Tuesday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
  Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored twice for the Canucks (3-10-1) who had dropped 10 in a row heading into the contest. Liam Öhgren, Brock Boeser and Jamie Oleksiakalso scored for the Canucks, with Boeser and centre Elias Pettersson adding two assists apiece. Leevi Merilainen
  
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• B.C.’s snap election held the day after 2020 class of MLAs secured pensions

  28-10-2026 01:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  By waiting until Oct. 24 to hold the B.C. snap provincial election, NDP Leader David Eby saved several of his party’s MLAs from losing their pensions.
  Had the election been called any sooner — and there was plenty of pressure for Eby to do so as the Conservative Party floundered — several outgoing MLAs would have received no pension.
  Any member of the B.C. legislature first elected on Oct. 24, 2020, and re-elected in 2024, had their pensions vested on Oct. 23, 2026.
  NDP caucus communicatio
  
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• B.C.’s snap election called for one day after 2020 class of MLAs secured pensions

  28-10-2026 01:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  By waiting until Oct. 24 to call the B.C. snap provincial election, NDP Leader David Eby saved several of his party’s MLAs from losing their pensions.
  Had the election been called any sooner — and there was plenty of pressure for Eby to do so as the Conservative Party floundered — several outgoing MLAs would have received no pension.
  Any member of the B.C. legislature first elected on Oct. 24, 2020, and re-elected in 2024, had their pensions vested on Oct. 23, 2026.
  NDP caucus communicatio
  
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• B.C. NDP meeting to select new interim leader this week

  28-10-2026 00:52 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The B.C. NDP caucus is meeting this week to select an interim leader to replace David Eby, who announced he will step aside after leading his party to an ill-fated snap election.
  Both outgoing and new members of the legislature plan to meet.
  “Separately, the party will take a clear and honest look at the campaign and set the timing and process for a leadership race in the weeks and months ahead,” a caucus spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
  Outgoing Health minister Ravi Kahlon gave a
  
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• Suspect charged by Nanaimo RCMP after fatal incident involving pedestrian

  28-10-2026 00:36 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A suspect has been charged after a fatal incident on Nov. 2, 2025, in which pedestrian Mahadi Redwan was struck and killed while walking along Island Highway North in Nanaimo.
  In a press release issued Tuesday, Oct. 27, Nanaimo RCMP stated that after a comprehensive investigation, Wael Hmaied was charged with one count of dangerous driving causing death under the Criminal Code, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
  Hmaied turned himself in to police on Oct. 26, and was l
  
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• Drawing of lots results in new mayor for Village of Lytton

  28-10-2026 00:01 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Village of Lytton has a new mayor, after a judicial recount confirmed a tied vote for that position and the decision came down to the drawing of lots.
  Jennifer Thoss has been confirmed as the incoming mayor, after the recount and draw on Tuesday (Oct. 27). She and incumbent mayor Denise O’Connor each received 45 votes in the municipal election held on Oct. 17, and a recount produced the same outcome.
  According to CivicInfoBC, there were an estimated 198 eligible voters in Lytton in this el
  
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• Princeton council seat determined by a draw

  27-10-2026 23:58 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  It came down to a draw, more than a week after the local government election, to determine the final seat in the Princeton town council election.
  The election was held on Oct. 17, but the vote resulted in a tie for the fourth of four councillor seats.
  On Oct. 26, Carrie Kassa, chief election officer for Princeton, declared Tyler Willis elected as councillor following a judicial recount lot draw.
  In the election, held on Oct. 14, Willis and Paula Shackleton were tied for the fourth spot on counci
  
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• Dead humpback whale seen in area of BC Ferries collision

  27-10-2026 23:47 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A dead humpback whale has been reported to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) near the site where a whale was struck by BC Ferries’ Queen of Surrey from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay terminals on Oct. 18.
  In an update on Tuesday, Oct. 27, the Marine Education and Research Society said the dead whale was sighted near the Grace Islands just over a week after reports of a ferry striking a whale in the same area.
  “Necropsy anticipated, but it is believed that external injuries indicate ves
  
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• Major crime unit investigates disappearance of woman, 18, last seen in Qualicum

  27-10-2026 23:36 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit is seeking the public’s help finding an 18-year-old woman last known to be in Qualicum Beach.
  Melissa Harper was reported missing on Oct. 21, according to a news release from BC RCMP.
  Harper was last contacted on Oct. 21 and was last known to be in Qualicum Beach.
  Police and family are concerned for her health and well-being.
  “The circumstances of her disappearance are suspicious,” said Cpl. Alex Bérubé, spokesperson for the BC RCMP. “Fo
  
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• ‘We tried so hard to get help’: Mom of B.C. teen shares mental health struggles

  27-10-2026 23:34 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Warning: This story deals with suicide. Those with suicidal thoughts can call or text 9-8-8 to reach BC Crisis Centre. If experiencing a mental health crisis, call 310-6789 or visit crisiscentre.bc.ca.
  Late one Thursday in September, Kyle Webber grabbed the keys to his black Volkswagen Golf and drove into the night from his Surrey home, leaving his family with more questions than answers in the weeks since then.
  A Salish Secondary grad of 2024, the 19-year-old worked at a cellphone store, had st
  
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• Industrial board orders Trigon to halt contractor work during ongoing longshore strike at Prince Rupert port

  27-10-2026 22:54 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The International Longshore Warehouse Workers Local 523 welcomed a Canada Industrial Relations Board ruling today that found Trigon Pacific Terminals violated the Canada Labour Code by using contractors to perform work normally done by unionized employees during its ongoing strike.
  In an Oct. 27 order, the board directed Trigon to cease using contractors to perform specified duties within 48 hours of the order’s issuance, unless the union agrees otherwise. The restriction remains in effect for
  
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• What’s in a wave? How a Kelvin wave could impact Vancouver Island’s east coast

  27-10-2026 21:42 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  Vancouver Island residents have probably heard about the Kelvin wave by now — the ocean phenomenon impacting coastlines this fall — but have they wondered what it means for the sheltered shores of the Salish Sea?
  It all starts with it being a potent El Niño year across the globe, part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) pattern that leads to warmer surface water temperature in the Pacific Ocean, which occurs approximately every two to seven years.
  El Niño causes a weakening or reve
  
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• ‘Absolutely incredible fish’: Female angler reels in 1,200-lb. sturgeon in Chilliwack

  27-10-2026 21:21 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A Chilliwack-based fishing guide is calling it one of the largest sturgeons ever caught by a female angler on the Fraser River.
  Sturgeon Slayers was out on a guiding trip with her when she reeled in an untagged, 1,200-pound, 11-foot-4-inch white sturgeon in Chilliwack. It had a 60-inch pectoral girth and a 70-inch belly girth.
  “This was an absolutely incredible fish,” said Kevin Estrada, owner of Sturgeon Slayers. “When you see a fish with these kinds of measurements, you realize how speci
  
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• Shuswap MLA says ‘better days are ahead’ following landslide Conservative win

  27-10-2026 21:20 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  For re-elected Salmon Arm-Shuswap MLA David Williams, the BC Conservative Party’s majority win as a source of “hope for the future.”
  Williams spent election night, Saturday, Oct. 24, with his team at the Salmon Arm Legion. When voting results began rolling in, from the riding and throughout the province, the watch party turned to celebration as the Conservatives took a wide lead early on, eventually securing 63 of the British Columbia’s 93 ridings.
  “I never thought for a minute that we
  
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• No foul play suspected after man found dead in Goldstream Park river

  27-10-2026 21:15 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  West Shore RCMP are investigating after the body of a 49-year-old man was pulled from a river in Langford.
  Mounties were called to Goldstream Park near the 2900 block of Golden Gate Road at about 3:50 p.m. on Thursday (Oct. 22) after an unresponsive male was spotted in the water.
  Frontline officers retrieved him from the water, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The BC Coroners Service was notified and attended the park.
  Investigators are still working to determine exactly how the man died
  
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• Several B.C. rugby players included in Rugby Canada’s Nations Cup squad

  27-10-2026 19:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Rugby Canada has selected 36 players for the senior men’s team’s final three 2026 Nations Cup matches in November.
  Head coach Stephen Meehan said the squad includes the return of several France-based players and a few who have signed professional contracts in England after a landmark deal with CHAMP Rugby, the country’s second-tier league. One is Courtenay’s Foster DeWitt, who signed with Nottingham Rugby in October. DeWitt was also part of Canada’s Pacific Nations Cup squad earlier th
  
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• Nanaimo students favoured B.C. Green Party and Conservative candidate in mock election

  27-10-2026 18:16 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In mock student elections, Nanaimo’s students chose much different than the official electorate in both provincial and municipal.Ahead of the elections, students across B.C. were given the chance to vote for their choice of candidate, and results were published online at www.student.vote.ca.
  In Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools, students voted for Anna Mary McKenzie, the B.C. Green Party candidate, to represent Nanaimo-Gabriola Island. In the student election, McKenzie received 449 votes, or 42
  
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• IIO investigation clears Victoria Police officers of wrongdoing in June arrest

  27-10-2026 18:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) has concluded its investigation into the arrest of a man in Victoria last summer.
  The incident that sparked the investigation began around 3 p.m. on June 7 when Victoria Police officers were at a liquor store in a commercial plaza in the 170-block of Wilson Street to arrest a man who was not permitted to be there.
  Officers arrested the man and took him to the police department, but on July 6, the IIO was notified about the incident by the man, wh
  
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• Loss of B.C. shoppers a $64 million hit for Washington State border towns

  27-10-2026 17:48 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Businesses in Washington State’s Whatcom County on the border with Canada lost “in the range of” $64 million U.S. from 2024 to 2025 because far fewer B.C. residents are driving south to purchase merchandise, clothing, gas, food and beverages.
  The estimate was published in an online report by Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI).
  “Whatcom County’s Cross-Border Retail Economy,” a collection of interactive maps and data charts, shows Canadian shoppin
  
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• 1 person ‘unaccounted for’ after massive blaze destroys former Victoria hotel: police

  27-10-2026 17:48 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Amid the lingering smoky smell from the massive Saturday fire, investigators expect to begin delving into the charred debris of a former hotel for a cause and potential victims.
  Victoria police and fire departments are investigating the major fire that tore through a former Travellers Inn at 760 Blanshard Street on Oct. 24.Firefighters arrived just before 4 a.m. to find heavy flames extending up the exterior of the building. Crews began an interior attack, but intense heat and fire conditions fo
  
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• ‘Great example of cooperation’: Mounties help Island resident rescue deer from pool

  27-10-2026 17:40 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A deer that found itself in an unusual predicament was safely rescued by police and a resident last week.
  At approximately 8:53 a.m. on Oct. 23, Sidney/North Saanich RCMP received a report from a resident of Downey Road in North Saanich that a deer was trapped in a backyard swimming pool.
  An officer attended the residence and found an adult buck unable to get out of the pool on its own.
  Working together, the officer and the homeowner used a large strap to help guide the deer safely from the wate
  
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• Rebels win Cullen Cup thriller, set to host Canadian Bowl in Langford

  27-10-2026 17:35 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Westshore Rebels are back on top of B.C. junior football.
  Westshore defeated the Langley Rams 35-28 in an offensive duel on Saturday (Oct. 24) to win the Cullen Cup and book a place in the Canadian Bowl against the Regina Thunder at Starlight Stadium on Nov. 8.The Rebels will host the national championship with a chance to win the first Canadian Bowl in franchise history.
  Westshore has reached every Cullen Cup – which serves as the conference championship – final since 2022, winning the
  
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• West Shore RCMP investigating fatal motorcycle crash in Langford

  27-10-2026 17:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A 55-year-old man is dead following a late-night motorcycle crash in Langford on Oct. 22.
  First responders were called to the area near the intersection of Florence Lake Road and Setchfield Avenue at approximately 11:30 p.m. for a report of a single-vehicle collision.
  BCEHS spokesperson Brian Twaites said one ambulance with primary care paramedics, an ambulance with advanced care paramedics, and a paramedic supervisor attended the scene.
  West Shore RCMP arrived to find the driver suffering from
  
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• Vancouver Island dog rescuer killed helping animals in war-torn Ukraine

  27-10-2026 16:07 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Animal advocates across the province are mourning the loss of a leader, reporting the death of RainCoast Dog Rescue Society founder Jesse Adams.“It’s with a heavy heart that we, RainCoast Dog Rescue Society, have to announce the passing of our founder Jesse Adams,” reads a post from the Victoria Humane Society. “After a life lived in service to animal welfare, Jesse made the ultimate sacrifice to his beliefs on the frontlines of Ukraine.”
  The bond between a person and their pet knows n
  
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• Beban House known as one of Nanaimo’s most haunted buildings

  27-10-2026 13:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  It’s not hard to understand why so many people believe that the old Beban House on Bowen Road is haunted.
  The building, which hasn’t seen many changes since it was constructed by Frank and Hannah Beban in 1930, has hidden stairwells, stained-glass windows, narrow hallways and a reputation for being one of Nanaimo’s most haunted places.
  There have have been sightings in the basement of a young Chinese boy, said to be a former servant of the Beban family who died on the property, a woman in
  
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• ‘Clearly a mistake’: Candidates, experts reflect on snap election call

  27-10-2026 00:57 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  As the dust settles on the 2026 snap B.C. election, the Conservative Party is poised to take two-thirds of the legislative seats, and the NDP is looking for a new leader.
  Ravi Parmar, who eked out a third victory for the NDP in Langford-Highlands, says voters “sent a message” that the snap election was the “wrong decision.”
  “It was clearly a mistake. No question,” Parmar said in a Monday morning interview. “We spent the entire election campaign answering the question, ‘ Why did
  
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• Prepare for winter conditions when heading up to the mountains: Comox Valley SAR

  26-10-2026 23:07 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Comox Valley Search and Rescue (CVSAR) is reminding everyone that while it might feel like fall in the valley, prepare for winter when heading up into the mountains.
  “Around Mount Washington and Strathcona Park, snow, ice and shorter daylight hours can make familiar routes more challenging. Conditions at the trailhead may be very different from what you encounter higher up,” said CVSAR’s Facebook announcement.
  CVSAR put together a checklist to help mountain goers stay safe in winter condit
  
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• PHOTOS: Island zombie walk rises from the dead ahead of Halloween

  26-10-2026 23:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A little over 20 years ago, a strange sight began appearing in downtown Victoria. Blood-smeared faces, lurching bodies and grunting noises filled Centennial Square as Halloween drew near.
  This year, a few dozen zombies and macabre creatures rose from the dead once again, gathering at the same spot they have for the past two decades before taking to the capital’s streets on the afternoon of Oct. 25.
  Commonly known as zombie walks, the first event of its kind took place in Milwaukee in August 20
  
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• Fake campaign signs pop up in B.C. riding on election eve

  26-10-2026 22:44 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Who would bother to make fake election campaign signs and put them up without a candidate’s consent?
  Tim Binnema sure wants to know.
  Green Party candidate in Surrey-Fleetwood, Binnema says someone put up hundreds of unauthorized signs with his name and photo last Friday (Oct. 23), a day before final voting in the B.C. election.
  “It’s somewhere between 100 and 200 (signs), I would say,” Binnema estimated Saturday. “It was shocking, to be tell you the truth. When I turned around the corn
  
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