Nanaimo news

• More police, prosecutors: CentreBC unveils public safety plans

  15-10-2026 22:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  CentreBC is promising to hire 500 additional RCMP officers and 60 Crown prosecutors over five years as part of a provincewide safety plan announced in Surrey today (Oct. 15).Party leader Elenore Sturko, who is running in Surrey South, outlined CentreBC’s commitments outside Surrey Provincial Court, joined by members of her party, ahead of the Oct. 24 provincial election.“This is something near and dear to my heart,” said Sturko at the beginning of her announcement.Sturko explai
  
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• Tkachuk nets 3 as Florida Panthers rally to edge Vancouver Canucks 3-2

  16-10-2026 03:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Brady Tkachuk scored three times, carrying the Florida Panthers to a come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
  Seth Jones had a pair of assists for the winners (4-2-2), while Akira Schmid made 15 saves to earn the win in goal.
  Liam Öhgren and defenceman Elias Pettersson replied for the Canucks (2-6-1), while goalie Leevi Merilainen was outstanding, making 36 saves.
  The Panthers carried the play early in the first pe
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP seeking help finding man involved in alleged unwanted-touching incident

  16-10-2026 01:33 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance to identify a man involved in an alleged unwanted touching incident that occurred in downtown Nanaimo.
  Just after 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 17, a woman reported that she had been walking southbound after crossing Front Street near Port Place Shopping Centre when an unknown man suddenly grabbed her, according to a release from Nanaimo RCMP.
  Immediately afterwards, the man boarded Transit bus #40 that takes passengers to Vancouver Island University
  
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• Open letter warns of hospital specialist exodus over Interior Health policy

  16-10-2026 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In an open letter from members of the South Okanagan medical community, Interior Health is being called out for driving away the only neurologists stationed at Penticton Regional Hospital.The letter lays out how the three neurologists at PRH filed their resignation papers following IH moving to require them to provide expanded after-hours on-call coverage beyond just the South Okanagan, without any increase in compensation.
  The three local neurologists will finish their time at the hospital in N
  
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• Kelowna drag star gets approval to push forward with defamation suit

  16-10-2026 00:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A defamation suit filed against Action4Canada is allowed to proceed.Justice Hardwick ruled in BC Supreme Court in Kelowna on Sept. 1 that Tyson Cook, also known as drag star Freida Whales, may continue with his suit claiming defamation by Action4Canada after the organization publicly opposed drag story time.Cook filed the suit on Dec. 19, 2024, alleging Action4Canada published false statements about Cook. The suit also names Graeme Flannigan, Tammy Ann Mitchell, Tori Olason and Person A as havin
  
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• Six-storey apartment building proposed for downtown Nanaimo

  16-10-2026 00:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A six-storey rental apartment building with 69 residential units is proposed for 76 Terminal Ave. North, just north of Pearson Bridge and Maffeo Sutton Park in downtown Nanaimo.
  The prominent 0.62-acre site sandwiched between Terminal Avenue North and Stewart Avenue was the site of a Husky gas station which was closed after a fire in 2020, and demolished in 2022.
  The site has been remediated to make it ready for development, but it has remained empty since the demolition of the gas station.
  Usag
  
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• Wildwood Ecoforest looks to community to help ‘burn the mortgage’

  16-10-2026 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Ten years after a court battle helped keep Wildwood Ecoforest in the public domain, the organization that stewards the property is asking the community to help tackle a lingering piece of that fight — its mortgage.
  The Ecoforestry Institute (EIS) has launched its ‘Burn the Mortgage’ campaign to help pay down the mortgage it took out to purchase Wildwood in 2016.
  Originally, the campaign was planned for September but has since been extended through October after a donor offered
  
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• B.C. Conservatives remove Vancouver candidate after alleged Hitler posts

  15-10-2026 23:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The B.C. The B.C. Conservative Party announced it is dropping Vancouver-Strathcona candidate Jordan McIntosh after the NDP’s Vancouver-Quilchena candidate Callista Ryan accused him of posting online about Hitler and the Holocaust using an anonymous account under the moniker “DeathNight.”
  Ryan posted screenshots of the posts on Thursday (Oct. 15), in which DeathNight is shown saying that Hitler did not specifically hate Jews, and that “Lots of Jews died because there were
  
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• John Johnsen

  15-10-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  With heavy hearts and many fond memories, we say goodbye to John Johnsen, affectionately known as Johnny, who passed away peacefully on September 23, 2026, aged 77. If Johnny were here, he would tell us not to make a fuss, but he gave us too many good stories not to share a few and celebrate the life he lived.
  Born in Vancouver, BC, to Oscar and Elizabeth Johnsen, Johnny moved with his family to Nanaimo, BC, where they built strong roots in the neighbourhood of Wellington. He
  
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• Conservatives pledge to scrap new Massey Tunnel, build bridge instead

  15-10-2026 23:08 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Conservative Party of BC Leader Lorne Doerkson says if his party forms government, they would abandon plans to build a new eight-lane tunnel to replace the aging George Massey Tunnel in favour of a 10-lane bridge.
  The party issued a press release Thursday morning (Oct. 15) committing to a 10-lane George Massey Bridge, completing the Surrey Hospital in Cloverdale (already underway and set to open in early 2030), and building a new Women and Children’s Hospital in Surrey.
  Original plans by t
  
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• Loss of control led to 2022 fatal float plane crash near Port Hardy – TSB

  15-10-2026 22:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has finished its investigation into a 2022 float plane crash in Strachan Bay.On November 23, 2022, an Air Cab Cessna A185E seaplane departed a logging camp at Strachan Bay for Port Hardy Water Aerodrome with one pilot and two passengers on board. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft climbed to approximately 100 feet above sea level before pitching nose down and colliding with the water. All three occupants were fatally injured, and the aircraft was destro
  
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• Central Okanagan Search and Rescue manager to speak on international stage

  15-10-2026 21:13 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Search and rescue training and practices is a world-wide effort, and now, a local member is getting to speak on an international stage.
  Duane Tresnich, search manager for Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR), left for Reykjavík, Iceland on Wednesday, Oct. 14 as he’s been invited to be a guest speaker at the 18th annual Rescue26 International Search and Rescue Conference.
  “Duane will speak about the important connection between search and rescue and social media, explorin
  
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• Police identify woman found dead at Central Saanich landfill

  15-10-2026 20:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A woman found dead at a Central Saanich waste disposal facility has been identified, police say.
  Central Saanich Police announced the update on Wednesday, one day after officers responded to a report of a body found at the facility.
  Efforts are underway to notify the woman’s next of kin, police said in a media release.
  The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death, with assistance from Central Saanich Police.
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• Victoria police dog, trained in stress intervention celebrates 6th birthday

  15-10-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Victoria police are celebrating their furriest officer on the job, who turned six on Oct. 14.Daisy joined VicPD on Oct. 24, 2023, as the Occupational Stress Intervention Dog after training through the BC and Alberta Guide Dogs via funding from Wounded Warriors Canada. She is trained to recognize signs of stress and trauma and provides a calming presence to those who need it most.
  “That means she works with trauma-exposed professionals as part of an organization, rather than being paired wi
  
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• Chemainus teacher named finalist for Governor General award

  15-10-2026 20:16 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A classroom project exploring the history of Japanese Canadians in Chemainus has earned teacher Joy Wilson national recognition.
  Wilson, who taught Grade 7 at Chemainus Secondary School last year, has been named one of 16 finalists for the 2026 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching for a project developed in partnership with the Chemainus Valley Historical Society and Chemainus Museum.
  The recognition comes after a project roughly two years in the marking that began w
  
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• B.C. court finds housing corporation breached agreement over former Duncan Ramada

  15-10-2026 20:11 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A B.C. Supreme Court judge has found the provincial corporation responsible for properties used by BC Housing breached its agreement with the owners of the former Ramada Duncan by failing to restore the hotel after it was used to shelter unhoused residents during the pandemic.
  Justice K. Wolfe also found the Provincial Rental Housing Corporation (PRHC) breached the agreement by stopping rent payments after Sept. 2022, despite the hotel’s 34 rooms having been gutted and never restored.
  The
  
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• COLUMN: B.C. flu and COVID vaccine rollout is too little, too late

  15-10-2026 20:10 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Where are B.C.’s vaccines?
  Influenza A and COVID are already spreading. Another flu season in B.C., another round of vaccination arriving too late.
  Last week, the Provincial Health Officer finally announced that flu vaccination for the higher risk population will start on Oct. 13. Thereafter the general public will be receiving vaccination notifications until early November.
  Of course, Dr. Bonnie Henry is well aware that it takes another two weeks after vaccination for full antibody protec
  
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• Vancouver Island mounties called to fight involving replica gun, bear spray

  15-10-2026 20:02 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A firearm and bear spray were reported to be involved in a fight between two men in Langford Wednesday evening (Oct. 15), prompting a police response.
  The incident occurred in the 700 block of Goldstream Ave., around 7:30 p.m.
  “Witnesses reported that one of the males had pointed what appeared to be a firearm, while the other male deployed what appeared to be bear spray,” West Shore RCMP said in an emailed statement to the Goldstream Gazette.
  Police located the man seen with the fire
  
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• Mark MacDonald running as Conservative candidate in Nanaimo-Gabriola Island

  15-10-2026 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Mark MacDonald is dismayed by the poor state B.C. is currently in under the leadership of Premier David Eby and his NDP government.
  That’s why MacDonald, an award-winning writer and publicist, decided to run for the B.C. Conservative Party in the riding of Nanaimo-Gabriola Island.
  “When Eby called this snap election, I saw it as a chance to get him and the NDP out of office,” he said.
  “The province currently has a $13.8-billion deficit and our taxes are way up. Under Eby&
  
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• Eby vows to cut $45 charge for low-income seniors bus pass, bring in Surrey Charter

  15-10-2026 19:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  BC NDP leader David Eby was in Surrey on Thursday morning (Oct. 15) for another campaign event as the B.C. election date nears.A Chevron gas station on 120 Street is where Eby and other NDP candidates gathered for two transit-related promises and a vow to give Surrey its own charter.If re-elected, Eby said the NDP would eliminate the $45 charge for low-income seniors to get a bus pass, and would commit to have Bus Rapid Transit run from Surrey to White Rock with $250 million in funding for a pro
  
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• Greater Victoria drink makers capture 13 awards at national competition

  15-10-2026 19:36 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The best cider in Canada is currently sitting in a barrel in Saanichton.
  Greater Victoria drink makers dominated the 2026 Canada Beer Cup in Calgary on Thursday (Oct. 8) night, bringing home 13 medals from the national competition.
  Seven capital region producers combined for five gold, five silver and three bronze awards at the sold-out industry gala.
  The fifth annual competition drew 1,900 entries from more than 400 craft breweries and cideries across Canada. The event first launched in 2022.
  A
  
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• Police investigating after vehicle found submerged in ocean in Victoria

  15-10-2026 19:24 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A single-vehicle incident that left a sedan submerged in the ocean off James Bay on Wednesday (Oct. 14) is under police investigation.
  Emergency responders were called to the waterfront near the James Bay boat ramp, in the 70-block of Dallas Road, shortly before 9 a.m.
  “BC Emergency Health Services notified police of a request for an ambulance, after a witness reported seeing a sedan drive into the ocean,” the Victoria Police Department said in a statement to Black Press Media.
  Multi
  
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• Kelowna athlete to be inducted into the Volleyball BC Hall of Fame

  15-10-2026 19:23 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Known as one of the most dominant middle blockers in Canadian volleyball history, former Kelowna Senior Secondary and UBCO athlete Marisa Field has been named to the Volleyball BC Hall of Fame for the class of 2026.
  ​Field helped the UBCO Thunderbirds win back-to-back CIS National Championships in 2008 and 2009, en route to earning the 2009 May Brown Trophy as UBC’s Outstanding Graduating Female Athlete.
  ​On the international stage, Field represented the Senior National Team fo
  
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• Nanaimo student faces charge after allegedly discharging bear spray at another student

  15-10-2026 19:02 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A student at Wellington Secondary School has been charged with assault with a weapon after allegedly discharging bear spray at another student on school grounds.
  Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, a spokesman for Nanaimo RCMP, said the incident took place at approximately noon on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and the student that was sprayed did not require medical assistance.
  The student who is alleged to have sprayed him will have a court date pending to answer to the change.
  “Both youths are 15-y
  
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• ‘I have done nothing’: North Saanich planner and mayoral candidate refutes firing

  15-10-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  “There were no grounds to terminate me,” says a North Saanich director of planning fired by the district this week in the wake of an internal investigation.
  Council announced Tuesday (Oct. 13) it was firing Felice Mazzoni, hired for the role in 2023, after an independent investigator determined a “breakdown in trust” caused staff work issues district-wide.
  North Saanich said the district received multiple complaints regarding Mazzoni – who is also running for mayor
  
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• Vancouver Island Symphony kicks off new season with Arabian Nights concert

  15-10-2026 18:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Vancouver Island Symphony will be beginning a new season with a concert based on the Middle Eastern folktales known as One Thousand and One Nights.
  Arabian Nights, the opening concert for Vancouver Island Symphony’s 32nd season, will be happening at the Port Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 17, with a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m., and the concert itself at 7:30 p.m.
  Guest conducting the concert will be Jonathan Girard, director of orchestras at the University of British Columbia and artistic dir
  
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• Kelsey Pringle steps up for Conservatives in Nanaimo-Lantzville

  15-10-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Kelsey Pringle knew she had to do something to improve B.C.’s health-care system after her husband had a heart attack.
  Pringle, the candidate for the Conservative Party of B.C. in Nanaimo-Lantzville, said that despite the fact that it was urgent that her husband receive the help he needed in Victoria because the local health system was unable to provide it, he was kept two days in Nanaimo before finally being transported there for treatment.
  She said that, to top it off, there is no post-h
  
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• Help your dog have a better Halloween

  15-10-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Halloween can be exciting for us, but for some dogs, it can be a surprisingly stressful evening.
  The doorbell keeps ringing. People who normally look familiar are suddenly wearing masks and costumes. Children are running up to the house, there are unusual noises outside, and there is a constant stream of activity that your dog doesn’t normally experience.
  Some dogs take it all in stride. Others need more support.
  The best thing you can do is think about your dog’s individual needs an
  
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• Eby defends his record, Doerkson tries to gain trust during B.C. election debate

  15-10-2026 05:59 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Right off the top during the first and only televised leaders’ debate before British Columbia’s provincial election, NDP Leader David Eby was forced to defend his early election call.
  He says the NDP’s one-vote majority simply wasn’t cutting it, forcing his colleagues — some sick with cancer, others new parents — to vote from hospital beds just to keep the government from falling.
  “This was not a government that was able to deliver the big swings that yo
  
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• Tumbler Ridge shooting accused co-conspirator denied bail: U.S. judge

  15-10-2026 02:46 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The alleged Washington State co-conspirator in the fatal mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge has been denied bail.
  Accused James Cody Bryant, a Bellingham resident, was in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington courthouse in Seattle Tuesday (Oct. 13) for a detention hearing. Judge Mary Alice Theiler ordered Bryant to be detained and remanded in custody. Bryant is next scheduled for a preliminary examination on Oct. 20 at 1 p.m.
  Bryant was arrested Oct. 7 in Bellingham, Wash. and ch
  
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