• More than $15,000 in fines issued for unauthorized entry to Clinton

    More than $15,000 in fines issued for unauthorized entry to Clinton
    More than $15,000 in fines have been handed out to people who have entered the Village of Clinton without authorization while the community is under evacuation order, with more fines expected.
    The information was in a statement from the Village on Monday (Aug. 10), which also addressed concerns about looting and about people spotted around properties via home security systems and doorbell cameras.
    The Village has been under evacuation order since July 24 because of the Pear Lake wildfire, which
  • UPDATE: Orange, yellow air quality warnings remain for Okanagan, Thompson, Eastern Fraser Valley

    UPDATE: Orange, yellow air quality warnings remain for Okanagan, Thompson, Eastern Fraser Valley
    Wildfire smoke continues to be prevalent in multiple parts of B.C.
    On Friday, Aug. 14, Environment Canada issued orange and yellow air quality warnings due to wildfire smoke.
    Currently, 100 Mile House and the South Okanagan from Summerland to Osoyoos are under orange warnings, meaning conditions are expected to last longer than 48 hours.However, Environment Canada said conditions are expected to improve.
    “Cooler, wetter, convective conditions have led to clearing in many regions and improv
  • Maple Ridge RCMP shot the right bear

    Maple Ridge RCMP shot the right bear
    The bear that mauled a three-year-old girl in Maple Ridge has been killed.
    The B.C. Conservation Officers Service has corrected its earlier assessment, and determined Maple Ridge RCMP did indeed shoot the right bear in the immediate aftermath of the attack last Sunday, Aug. 9.
    The toddler was attacked at about 11:30 a.m., while playing on the deck of her family home in the 12300 block of 240 Street. A parent intervened and drove the bear off, but the girl was airlifted to hospital and treated fo
  • Railroaders across B.C. continue 11-week strike as union rejects CPKC offer

    Railroaders across B.C. continue 11-week strike as union rejects CPKC offer
    Labour disruption continues for CPKC’s signal and communications department across Canada as union members overwhelmingly reject the railway company’s latest contract offer.
    Eleven weeks have passed since the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Canadian Signals and Communications Systems Council No. 11 began striking between Vancouver and Montreal over concerns about CPKC’s wages, employee expenses, on-call obligations and demanding schedules.
    This action beg
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  • Peachland gets to go home amid active wildfire

    Peachland gets to go home amid active wildfire
    Some residents get to go home tonight north of the Bald Range wildfire.
    At 6 p.m. Friday, evacuation orders for all properties in the Peachland and Electoral Area West areas will be downgraded to evacuation alerts.
    But residents are reminded the Bald Range Wildfire remains active and they should continue to monitor and subscribe for notifications at coemergency.ca/subscribe.For properties in the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen and Summerland areas affected by the Bald Range Wildlfire,
  • Many Clinton and area residents given go-ahead to go home Saturday

    Many Clinton and area residents given go-ahead to go home Saturday
    Residents of the entire Village of Clinton, and many of the residents in Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) Area “E,” will be able to return home on Saturday, Aug. 15, as several evacuation orders issued in response to the Pear Lake wildfire are being downgraded to evacuation alert as of 8 a.m. Saturday.
    The announcement was made during an online public information session on Friday (Aug. 14) co-hosted by the TNRD and the Village of Clinton.
    The Pear Lake fire near Clinton was
  • BC Ferries backlog seeps into Saturday for drivers headed to Victoria, Nanaimo

    BC Ferries backlog seeps into Saturday for drivers headed to Victoria, Nanaimo
    Drivers looking to get to Vancouver Island via BC Ferries on Friday (Aug. 14) face a potential wait until Saturday.Drivers face an eight-sailing wait as boats coming to Greater Victoria at Swartz Bay from Tsawwassen are full right through to the 6 a.m. ferry, as far ahead as the “current conditions” at the ferry service site looks.Drivers heading for Duke Point face a similar situation with the boats full up to and including Saturday’s 10:15 a.m. departure.Those heading off Isl
  • Light-industrial subdivision proposed for Nanaimo’s East Wellington Road

    Light-industrial subdivision proposed for Nanaimo’s East Wellington Road
    A proposal for a light-industrial subdivision on 25 hectares of land on East Wellington Road will go to a public hearing.
    City council gave the first two readings for a zoning amendment to allow the project on two adjacent properties, located at 2080 and 2160 East Wellington Rd., to move forward at its meeting on Monday, July 27.
    The large, undeveloped properties are on the north side of East Wellington Road, southwest of the Nanaimo Parkway.
    Mark Holland, from the Westplan Consulting Group, spo
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  • Central Saanich incident prompts fine from WorkSafe BC

    Central Saanich incident prompts fine from WorkSafe BC
    Over July, WorkSafeBC handed out just over $33,150 in fines to three Vancouver Island contractors for a number of incidents, including one that left a worker seriously injured after being struck by an excavator.
    On July 28, Arise Roofing was handed a $2,732.94 fine after inspectors found three workers, one of whom was a representative of the company, were on a sloped roof with no fall protection, exposing the workers to fall risks of up to 7.6 metres, in Central Saanich.
    WorkSafe BC says Arise f
  • 1 person taken to hospital after bear attack prompts closure of Vancouver Island park

    1 person taken to hospital after bear attack prompts closure of Vancouver Island park
    Residents and visitors are being asked to stay away from Stoney Hill Regional Park after a bear attack on Friday morning.
    According to Cowichan Valley Regional District, BC Conservation and BC RCMP requested the temporary closure of the park for the safety of visitors.
    BC Conservation, RCMP and CVRD Parks staff are actively responding to the incident and assessing the area, reads a post on the CVRD’s Facebook page.
    Visitors are being asked to obey all signage and stay away from this park u
  • UPDATE: Summerland’s Bald Range evacuation order partially downgraded to alert

    UPDATE: Summerland’s Bald Range evacuation order partially downgraded to alert
    UPDATE (12:25 p.m.)The Bald Range Wildfire evacuation order for residents of the Trout Creek neighbourhood of Summerland, for properties east of Highway 97, has been reduced to an evacuation alert.The order remains in place for the rest of the community and for all properties west of Highway 97 in Trout Creek.The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen’s Emergency Operations Centre dashboard at emergency.rdos.bc.ca has a searchable map to determine whether your property in the RDOS or Su
  • UPDATE: Crews make ‘good progress’ on Summerland wildfire after favourable overnight conditions

    UPDATE: Crews make ‘good progress’ on Summerland wildfire after favourable overnight conditions
    UPDATE (11:50 A.M.)
    Favourable overnight conditions allowed crews to make “good progress” on the southern flank of the Bald Range wildfire in Summerland, the BC Wildfire Service said.
    Six helicopters supported firefighters in battling the blaze, with structure protection personnel and apparatus also continuing operations on the ground.
    There was no growth on the fire overnight. It is 19,149 hectares in size and remains out of control.
    Favourable conditions also aided crews in helping
  • Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar quits B.C. Conservative caucus

    Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar quits B.C. Conservative caucus
    Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar announced on social media on Friday that he is leaving the B.C. Conservative caucus, saying he no longer shares the party’s values under new Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
    “I completely respect the vote of the membership, and that Kerry-Lynne Findlay has earned the right as leader to shape the party as she sees fit,” he wrote. “It has, however, become clear to me over the last few months that my values don’t align with this new directi
  • Netflix’s ‘Crew Girl’ puts Vancouver Island in the spotlight

    Netflix’s ‘Crew Girl’ puts Vancouver Island in the spotlight
    Greater Victoria will take centre stage this fall as Netflix’s new teen drama Crew Girl brings the region’s most iconic spots to audiences around the globe.
    With the trailer released Aug. 12, keen-eyed viewers may have already noticed some familiar places.
    The eight-episode series, which premieres on Sept. 10, follows Teagan Tao (Miku Martineau), “a gifted 16-year-old single sculler whose promising future is derailed by a family scandal.”
    After moving to the East Coast wi
  • Eby shuffles cabinet after Bailey cancer diagnosis, Osborne to Finance, Kahlon to Health

    Eby shuffles cabinet after Bailey cancer diagnosis, Osborne to Finance, Kahlon to Health
    Premier David Eby is shuffling his cabinet after Finance Minister Brenda Bailey’s cancer diagnosis.
    Bailey’s cancer is treatable, she says, and her prognosis is “very good.”
    Health Minister Josie Osborne will take over for Bailey, with Jobs and Economic Development Minister Ravi Kahlon taking over at Health.
    More to come.
  • Central Saanich stats prove girls belong in baseball

    Central Saanich stats prove girls belong in baseball
    Pretty confident they’ve already proven girls belong in baseball, the leaders at Central Saanich Little League look to recruit others and build on the future.On the heels of a successful first season, the female program for young players is hosting a winter open house and free spring break clinic that pushed the numbers up enough to host two teams this season.On Wednesday (Aug. 19) evening, they hope to see Diamond 5 at Centennial Park filled with keeners – experienced or not. Girls
  • Headline history: Canadian police information system links computers across country

    Headline history: Canadian police information system links computers across country
    Since being established in 1973, the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) has only grown, linking police, and Canadians, across the country.
    In an article about the system, published in the News Bulletin on Aug. 12, 1999, it was praised for being used to return elderly and lost individuals to their families, a part of its function of sharing information between police agencies.
    Some of this information includes data on all persons who are of “special interest,” including missing
  • Meteor shower offers highlight during Jordan River rescue mission

    Meteor shower offers highlight during Jordan River rescue mission
    Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue is praising a well-prepared family after spending an evening watching falling stars with a patient.The SAR team was called out Wednesday for a person who broke their leg falling from a swing in Jordan River.“The subject and her family were on vacation, and we were pleased to see the group had packed all the essentials despite not traveling far from their accommodation,” the team said in an online update. “One of the highlights of the call —
  • Metchosin Fire warns of wildfire risk after multiple small trail fires

    Metchosin Fire warns of wildfire risk after multiple small trail fires
    Metchosin Fire crews are responding to multiple small fires in the trail system off Neild Road as dry conditions continue to increase wildfire risks across the region.
    The exact causes of the fires have not been confirmed, but potential human ignition sources include discarded cigarettes, improperly extinguished fires, and hot or sparking equipment, such as ATVs and dirt bikes, according to the Metchosin Fire Department.
    The department is reminding residents that recreational use of ATVs and oth
  • Four new wildfires north of Gold River

    Four new wildfires north of Gold River
    Four wildfires each measuring approximately 0.009 hectares have been discovered north of Gold River on Aug. 13.
    The wildfires are in proximity to one another, with one located between Gold Muchalat Park and Strathcona Park. The other 3 wildfires are located north of Gold Muchulat Park.
    All four wildfires are currently listed as “out of control” on BC Wildfire Service. The cause of the fires is currently under investigation.
    There is one other fire on Vancouver Island that was discove
  • Northern B.C. driving study aims to improve wildfire evacuations

    Northern B.C. driving study aims to improve wildfire evacuations
    A University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) PhD candidate is studying local driving behaviour to help improve wildfire evacuation planning.
    According to a press release by UNBC, Alireza Noory, a natural resources and environmental studies (NRES) doctoral student, is studying how those driving decisions could help improve wildfire evacuation planning in northern B.C. and beyond.
    “Using behaviour collected from local drivers can make evacuation forecasts more realistic and help local ag
  • UPDATE: Phased re-entry to begin for evacuees of Quilpituk Creek wildfire near West Kelowna

    UPDATE: Phased re-entry to begin for evacuees of Quilpituk Creek wildfire near West Kelowna
    UPDATE 8:20 a.m.
    Westside Road residents can rejoice as some evacuation orders and alerts have been lifted at the Quilpituk Creek wildfire.
    On Friday morning, the Central Okanagan EOC announced that the evacuation orders for all properties from Cinnabar Creek to Westshore Estates have been downgraded to an evacuation alert, and the evacuation alerts for properties south of Cinnabar Creek in the Wilson’s Landing area have been lifted.
    For those who are able to return home but are on evacuat
  • B.C.’s RCMP’s top cop relieved of duties after ‘allegations’ dating back to 2016

    B.C.’s RCMP’s top cop relieved of duties after ‘allegations’ dating back to 2016
    B.C.’s top Mountie has been relieved of his duties, the federal RCMP announced Thursday (Aug. 13).
    RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said that Dwayne McDonald, who had been the B.C. RCMP’s commanding officer, is out of the role following “allegations” dating back to 2016. Police said the allegations were between 2016 and 2018.
    “These allegations were recently brought to the attention of the RCMP. Investigations are ongoing,” Duheme said in the statement.“We
  • Evacuated Peachland advocate warns wildfires expose water risks from logging

    Evacuated Peachland advocate warns wildfires expose water risks from logging
    As an advocate for protecting the Peachland watershed water supply, Taryn Skalbania is used to publicly challenging the provincial government’s policies and guidelines governing logging in the forestry sector.
    But another challenge confronted her with the rapid growth of the Bald Range wildfire, as she faced an evacuation order at 3 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8, from her Princeton Avenue hobby farm just inside the eastern municipal boundary of Peachland.
    “We had already decided not to l
  • ‘We’re in the process of recovery’: OKIB Chief on Bradley Creek blaze

    ‘We’re in the process of recovery’: OKIB Chief on Bradley Creek blaze
    ‘I don’t want to say it’s going to be easy because it’s not going to be.”
    That’s what Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) Chief Dan Wilson said on Thursday night (Aug. 13) in an update posted to social media in regards to recovery from the Bradley Creek wildfire, which remains classified as being held.
    The blaze has been classified as being held by BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) since Saturday, Aug. 8, however, continued work is being done on the blaze and to make sure it
  • Quilpituk Creek wildfire on Westside Road held, assessments remain underway

    Quilpituk Creek wildfire  on Westside Road held, assessments remain underway
    The Quilpituk Creek wildfire remains held on Friday morning (Aug. 14), as evacuees wait for word that they can return home.
    On Thursday morning, BC Wildfire Service changed the status of the 1,275.7-hectare blaze to being held, which means that “based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.”
    At the same time, the Central Okanagan Emergency Management Emergency OC deployed “a rapid damage assess
  • Quilpituk Creek wildfire being held, assessments remain underway

    Quilpituk Creek wildfire being held, assessments remain underway
    The Quilpituk Creek wildfire remains held on Friday morning (Aug. 14), as evacuees wait for word that they can return home.
    On Thursday morning, BC Wildfire Service changed the status of the 1,275.7-hectare blaze to being held, which means that “based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.”
    At the same time, the Central Okanagan Emergency Management EOC deployed “a rapid damage assessment team
  • Hundreds of firefighters battling Bald Range blaze near Summerland

    Hundreds of firefighters battling Bald Range blaze near Summerland
    Clearer skies and windy conditions increased fire behaviour at the Bald Range wildfire west of Summerland on Thursday, Aug. 13.
    As of Friday morning, Aug. 14, all evacuation orders and alerts remain in place. On Thursday night, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) provided an update on the staged re-entry process for evacuees.
    In its Thursday night update, BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said the fire displayed Rank 3 and 4 in some places, including the Shingle Creek area to the west.
  • Julie Sperber selected as new CEO of the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce.

    Julie Sperber selected as new CEO of the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce.
    Julie Sperber has been chosen as the new CEO of the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce.
    Sperber, current president and CEO of the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance, will be taking over from interim CEO Liette Masse, who has been in the leadership role since late 2025.
    In a press release, the chamber said Sperber brings extensive experience in organizational development, regional-economic development, partnership building and community engagement to her new role.
    “Julie is a thoughtful, s
  • Streaking B.C. Lions win 3rd in a row, dump Stampeders 30-26 in Calgary

    Streaking B.C. Lions win 3rd in a row, dump Stampeders 30-26 in Calgary
    The B.C. Lions are streaking.
    Overcoming a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers, the Lions won their third straight game, beating the host Calgary Stampeders 30-26 in CFL action Thursday night at McMahon Stadium.
    For the victors (4-5) quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for 301 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Keon Hatcher. Rourke also scrambled for a rushing TD. Running back Zander Horvath continued his run of stellar play, rumbling for 102 yards and a touchdown. Kicker Sean Whyte added a field goal a

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