Nanaimo news

• Murder conviction, sentencing stands in Surrey 6 slayings

  28-08-2026 00:57 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  One of the men convicted in the 2007 Surrey Six slayings will remain behind bars and continue his life sentences.On Aug. 27 in Vancouver, Justice Martha Devlin delivered her reasons for judgment against Cody Rae Haevischer’s application to have the judge declare a judicial stay of proceedings on the grounds of abuse of process.Six people were shot dead in Suite 1505 of the Balmoral Tower in Whalley on Oct. 19, 2007. The Crown’s theory was that the killings were payback for an unpaid
  
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• Headline history: Harmac’s workers saved the mill from closure in 2008

  28-08-2026 19:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  It’s been 18 years since Nanaimo’s Harmac Pacific pulp mill shut down operations in May, 2008, after its parent company, Oregon-based Pope & Talbot, went bankrupt.
  In recognition that Harmac had proven to be a profitable enterprise, its workers began a successful search to find private investors to align with them and take over the mill.
  More than 200 Harmac employees contributed $25,000 each to help form a 25 per cent ownership stake through a new employee-ownership model along
  
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• Major work completed on dropping interprovincial trade barriers in Canada

  28-08-2026 19:04 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Canada’s provinces and territories have agreed to take some major steps to reduce barriers to internal trade as the standoff with the United States over tariffs continues.
  “At a time when unjustified U.S. tariffs and global trade uncertainty are creating challenges for businesses and workers across Canada, reducing trade barriers within our own country has never been more important,” said Adrian Dix, B.C.’s acting jobs minister, in a Friday statement.
  The biggest part of
  
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• Major progress made on dropping interprovincial trade barriers in Canada

  28-08-2026 19:04 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Canada’s provinces and territories have agreed to take some major steps to reduce barriers to internal trade as the standoff with the United States over tariffs continues.
  “At a time when unjustified U.S. tariffs and global trade uncertainty are creating challenges for businesses and workers across Canada, reducing trade barriers within our own country has never been more important,” said Adrian Dix, B.C.’s acting jobs minister, in a Friday statement.
  The biggest part of
  
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• Nanaimo’s Sounds of Summer concert music series holding tailgate party

  28-08-2026 19:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Sounds of Summer concert music series in Nanaimo is being described as an absolute success and the series is wrapping up with a tailgate party set for this weekend.
  Presented by the Old City Quarter Association, it delivered a free concert every Saturday throughout July and August this year, as well as a paid kickoff event. The concerts took place at St. Andrew’s United Church, as well as throughout the Old City Quarter.
  Angie Jones, event coordinator, producer and administrator with St. A
  
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• ‘Book Lady’ Dolly Parton’s literacy legacy chugs along in B.C. capital

  28-08-2026 18:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Outside their regular “9 to 5s,” two Greater Victoria moms are pouring cups full of ambition into ensuring the magic of music legend Dolly Parton lives on across the region.
  For around four years, Saanich resident Denise Baillet and Victoria’s Kirsten Amadu have been the driving force behind Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Greater Victoria, which sends eligible children one free book per month, up until they turn five.
  So far, the Greater Victoria branch has helped
  
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• Surrey Six convict sentenced to 2 years for contempt of court

  28-08-2026 18:11 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  One of the men convicted in the 2007 Surrey Six slayings has been sentenced to two years in jail for contempt of court, which will be served concurrently with his life sentences.On Aug. 27 in Vancouver, Justice Martha Devlin delivered her reasons for judgment against Cody Rae Haevischer.
  Six people were shot dead in Suite 1505 of the Balmoral Tower in Whalley on Oct. 19, 2007. The Crown’s theory was that the killings were payback for an unpaid debt between rival gangs. Christopher Mohan an
  
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• Prince Rupert Port launches $750M export hub

  28-08-2026 18:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  CANXPORT officially opened in Prince Rupert on Friday, Aug. 28, marking the first major project to come online in a planned $3-billion expansion of the city’s port gateway.
  The $750-million logistics facility is intended to send more Canadian products to global markets, adding a major export component to the Port of Prince Rupert’s established role as an import gateway from Asia.
  “The opening represents more than the completion of another terminal project,” said Prince Ru
  
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• Bald Range wildfire near Summerland being held

  28-08-2026 14:31 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A sign of relief to much of the South Okanagan as the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland is now being held.
  According to BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), this means “that it is projected, based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.” The fire was changed to being held on Thursday, Aug. 27, just after 7 p.m.
  At this time, however, six evacuation orders and three evacuation alerts remain in place.
  Before b
  
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• Harmac not directly impacted by American tariffs

  28-08-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  It’s a dynamic moment in time for Nanaimo’s Harmac Pacific pulp mill and the whole coastal forest industry, according to CEO Paul Sandler.
  Sadler said that the new American 50 per cent tariffs that are penalizing value-added and processed wood products exported to the U.S. from Canada are not directly impacting Harmac’s operations at this time, but the tariffs’ likely repercussions on the coastal saw and lumber mills, which are already beleaguered, and the essential wood
  
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• Bans lifted on off-road vehicles in select B.C. fire centres

  28-08-2026 06:53 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Off-road vehicle prohibitions will be rescinded on Crown land in select B.C. fire centres Friday at 12 p.m. Pacific time, Aug. 28.
  The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says restrictions on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), motorcycles, and off-road side-by-side vehicles will be lifted throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre, 100 Mile House Forest District, and Southeast Fire Centre.
  Partial prohibitions will also be rescinded in the Coastal Fire Centre.
  “Recent precipitation across much of the southern I
  
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• Summerland Mayor, MLA, Minister encourage tourists visit, support businesses after wildfire

  28-08-2026 03:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Mayor of Summerland, its MLA, and the B.C. Minister of Forests are encouraging people to visit the Okanagan to help give local businesses a boost in the wake of a devastating wildfire, and to avoid spending that money on trips across the border.Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar, Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee, and Mayor Doug Holmes spoke with reporters outside Summerland’s town hall on Aug. 27 following a tour of the community.“My ask of all of you is, this is a beautiful
  
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• ‘Our family will never be the same’: Man sentenced to life for B.C. murder

  28-08-2026 02:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A man convicted of second-degree murder in the hatchet attack that killed a 70-year-old man was sentenced Aug. 27 to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 11 years.
  Justice Veronica Jackson sentenced Michael King, 45, who walked into his roommate’s bedroom in Cook Street Village on March 6, 2023 and struck Michael Jones five or six times in the head, leaving him in a pool of his own blood in critical condition.
  Jackson told the court the attack was particularly disturbing becaus
  
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• Advocates, industry looking for answers on 2029 fish farm ban amid Ottawa’s silence

  28-08-2026 02:02 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The federal government’s extended silence over the incoming open-net pen fish farm ban, set to begin in B.C. in 2029, is triggering widespread questions about whether intentions have suddenly changed under a new prime minister.
  When Federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson was in Victoria last week, she said that while the plan to ban open-net pen fish farms in B.C. is “certainly still in place,” the government continues to engage with stakeholders to find a path forward.
  &ld
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP is asking for help locating two stolen kayaks

  28-08-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in locating two stolen kayaks.
  The kayaks were stolen from a vehicle parked in the underground parkade at 30 Cavan St. in downtown Nanaimo sometime between 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 19, and the morning of Aug. 20.
  As soon as the kayaks were discovered missing, the theft was reported to the police.
  One of the stolen kayaks is described as being short, and coloured short orange and brown, while the other one is blue and white.
  Both kayaks are value
  
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• B.C.’s state of emergency ends, but wildfire risk remains

  28-08-2026 01:36 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The province has ended its state of provincial emergency.
  The state of emergency was first declared Aug. 8 following a night of fast-moving fires, including the Bald Range wildfire that led to the evacuation of the District of Summerland. At the time, more than 20,000 people were evacuated from their homes.
  It was then extended Aug. 21 through to Aug. 29, but the province says the decision to end it early follows advice from emergency management officials.
  However, the province says the wildfire
  
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• Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman quits B.C. Conservatives, the 6th in 2 weeks

  28-08-2026 00:53 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman is the latest to leave the B.C. Conservative caucus, and he plans to sit as an Independent.
  He said in a statement Thursday (Aug. 27) that “person after person has informed me they have decided that our new leader is unelectable.”
  Kerry-Lynne Findlay was elected leader at the end of May, but does not have a seat in the legislature. Abbotsford-Mission MLA Reann Gasper has announced she would step down from her seat to allow Findlay to run in that ridi
  
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• B.C. piloting landscape-level forestry zone-based management

  28-08-2026 00:34 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. is planning to pilot a new system of forestry zones that Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says will simplify forest management.
  “This is going to help shape the future of forestry,” he said.
  The plan would create three types of zones: a conservation or protection zone that emphasizes habitat protection, a multiple-use zone focused on long-term ecosystem function but allowing different types of uses, and a working forest zone prioritizing harvesting.
  The province is working with Firs
  
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• UPDATE: 12-week strike ends for 300 Canadian railroaders as union settles with arbitration

  28-08-2026 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  After three months, labour disruptions have ended for CPKC’s signal and communications department across Canada as the union reluctantly agrees to mediation and arbitration.
  Twelve 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 started M
  
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• Gord Johns attends Comox Valley’s International Overdose Awareness Day event

  28-08-2026 00:18 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  On Aug. 27, a large crowd gathered at the Comox Valley Art Gallery Plaza to recognize International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD).
  The event was held to honour the lives of people who have died from overdose and those in our community who are still fighting addiction and stigma. The event also served to raise awareness about the toll the overdose crisis is taking on the Comox Valley, B.C. and Canada, largely due to the stigma surrounding mental health and substance use disorders.
  People with liv
  
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• UPDATE: Summerland wildfire no longer ‘of note,’ 24-hour operations not required

  28-08-2026 00:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE (3 P.M.)
  The Bald Range blaze west of Summerland has been downgraded and is no longer a “wildfire of note,” according to BC Wildfire Service (BCWS).
  BCWS crews welcomed back 100 Mexican wildland firefighters to the scene on Thursday.
  24-hour operations are no longer required with nighttime fire behaviour decreasing and “operations objectives being met,” BCWS said.
  “Ground crews and heavy equipment working at night will be folded into our daytime operations,&r
  
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• New effort underway to fill gap left by closure of VIU’s music program

  28-08-2026 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Vancouver Island University’s music program may be gone, but former department chairperson Sasha Koerbler hasn’t given up on bringing music education to interested Nanaimo residents.“In Tune with …” is a new series organized by Koerbler, featuring Canadian guest musicians, offering music clinics, masterclasses and concerts.
  Starting it off will be trumpeter Guy Few and pianist Donna Falconer, who will be delivering instruction on Saturday, Aug. 29 at St. Andrew&rsq
  
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• B.C. health officials issue reminder about vaccines ahead of new school year

  27-08-2026 23:06 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there have been 52 people who reported being sick with measles this year.
  Thirty of those – “mostly children who have not been vaccinated” – ended up sick enough that they needed to be hospitalized for a time, Henry said during a press conference in Vancouver Thursday (Aug. 27).
  “The good news is that everybody has recovered now, but we are still at risk, and we are seeing importations of measles and spread in communit
  
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• From 10% heart function to 100K stairs: A Princeton councillor’s health journey

  27-08-2026 23:02 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Before the snow sets in, a Princeton City Councillor plans to climb 100,000 stairs.
  George Elliott, a Princeton councillor since 2018, is embarking on a fitness journey to test his limits and pave a path for a healthier lifestyle.
  The diagnosisFor Elliott, the challenge is a personal one.
  The former writer for the Similkameen News Leader was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2020.
  According to John Hopkins Medicine, congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic condition where the heart m
  
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• 5 B.C. cities listed as most expensive places for daycare in Canada

  27-08-2026 21:57 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. parents are forking out big bucks for childcare, specifically for infants aged 18 months to two years.
  A recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives claims just 11 of 35 Canadian cities included have achieved $10 per day daycare or cheaper.Despite goals set by the federal government to achieve $10-a-day daycare, B.C. takes all top five spots for most expensive per-day daycare costs on average.Kelowna is far off the mark with an average of $28 for infants and $24 for presc
  
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• Two dead after head-on crash on Island Highway near Lantzville

  27-08-2026 21:16 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Two men are dead after a head-on collision on Island Highway near Lantzville early this morning.
  The incident happened in the southbound lanes of Highway 19 just after 3 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, when a blue Kia Sedona minivan and a grey Volkswagen Jetta collided head-on, near Ware Road in Lantzville.
  The two men who were in the Volkswagen died at the scene.
  The occupant of the minivan, a 16-year-old female from Nanaimo, was arrested at the scene and faces charges of impaired operation causing dea
  
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• Two dead after head-on crash on Trans-Canada Highway near Lantzville

  27-08-2026 20:59 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Two men are dead after a head-on collision on the Trans-Canada Highway near Lantzville early this morning.
  The incident happened in the southbound lanes of Highway 19 just after 3 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, when a blue Kia Sedona minivan and a grey Volkswagen Jetta collided head-on, near Ware Road in Lantzville.
  The two men who were in the Volkswagen died at the scene.
  The occupant of the minivan, a 16-year-old female from Nanaimo, was arrested at the scene and faces charges of impaired operation c
  
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• As Bradley Creek wildfire near Vernon subsides, hundreds still on evacuation order

  27-08-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  More than three weeks on, the Bradley Creek wildfire emergency is fading out.But while significant progress has been made on returning evacuees home, not all are able to do so just yet.A total of 248 homes remain on evacuation order within the Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB), the band told The Morning Star Wednesday, Aug. 26.“While evacuation orders have been lifted for areas of IR 1, the impacts of this wildfire remain significant. The remaining order reflects the areas and properties most se
  
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• B.C.’s maximum allowable rent increase capped at 2.2% for 2027

  27-08-2026 20:23 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The province has announced the maximum allowable rent increase for next year, capping it at inflation.
  The 2027 maximum allowable rent increase is 2.2 per cent, the Housing Ministry announced Thursday (Aug. 27). It takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
  Manufactured home park tenancies will also be capped at 2.2-per-cent rent increase, plus a proportional amount for the change in local government levies and regulated utility fees, the government said.
  The rent increase cap does now apply to commercial tenan
  
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• Home invasion call draws VicPD, Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team to Vic West

  27-08-2026 19:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A home invasion call to Victoria police led to a lockdown of sorts in Vic West on Wednesday (Aug. 26).Residents adjacent to the 700 block of Belton Avenue were asked to shelter in place during the call that began around 7:20 p.m. and drew VicPD and the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team.
  “A tactical response was initiated due to concerns that armed individuals may be inside the residence,” VicPD said in a news release issued the next morning. “We recognize the significant
  
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