Nanaimo news

• Nanaimo will contribute $75,000 towards an affordable housing pilot project

  22-07-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The city will contribute $75,000 to the Nanaimo Prosperity Corporation as part of an effort to increase the number of affordable-housing units in the municipality, but some council members have expressed reservations.
  At the council meeting on Monday, July 20, Coun. Tyler Brown said he strongly opposes committing the funding to an initiative which would see up to 400 non-market housing units sold at 40 per cent below market value within the next two years as part of a pilot project.
  He said he a
  
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• Search and rescue teams come together to lift injured hiker from Juan de Fuca Trail

  24-07-2026 18:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Teamwork proved key as a series of search and rescue teams came together to get a hiker off the Juan de Fuca Trail Sunday (July 19).The Juan de Fuca SAR team was called out that afternoon to help someone with an ankle injury. That crew called on its cohorts at Metchosin, BC Emergency Health Services, and North Shore Rescue’s long-line team for extraction due to the extremely difficult terrain.The injured person was lifted from the bush safely.
  “We would like to wish our hiker a smoot
  
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• Former Comox Valley resident accused of crypto fraud

  24-07-2026 18:13 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A former Comox Valley resident and business owner has been accused of almost $5 million in cryptocurrency fraud by the BC Securities Commission (BCSC).
  BCSC alleges that Connor Sinclair Gardiner-Ingram committed $4.6 million in fraud by convincing dozens to invest in cryptocurrency trading bots on the premise that after a specific time period the investor would receive profits.
  A crypto trading bot is an automated software program that buys and sells cryptocurrency on a trader’s behalf at
  
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• Victoria police chief says there’s hope despite ongoing social order issues

  24-07-2026 18:11 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Victoria Police Department so far sees an 8.7 per cent increase in calls compared to this time last year –responding to 27,053 so far in 2026 – but it’s not a clear sign of increased crime, the police chief told council in an update Thursday (July 23).
  The increase in calls for service can also be attributed to a rise in responsiveness, more proactive policing and an increase in resident and business owner willingness to call in, Chief Fiona Wilson said during the morning commi
  
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• 11 accounted for after fiery seaplane crash between Vancouver Island, Washington

  24-07-2026 18:06 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  All 10 passengers and a pilot are accounted for after a Kenmore Air seaplane crashed roughly 55 kilometres north-northeast of Victoria.
  The incident occurred Thursday evening (July 23) around 5:15 p.m., in Shallow Bay near Sucia Island, Wash.
  The flight had departed from Seattle and was bound for San Juan Island’s Roche Harbor.
  Emergency responders, including the United States Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, plus Canadian and U.S. emergency personnel, responded immediately to the scene.
  According
  
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• 2 Southern Vancouver Island wildfires listed as being held

  24-07-2026 16:52 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A small wildfire in Goldstream Provincial Park is being held.
  The fire was discovered Thursday (July 23) evening and is reported to be 0.009 hectares in size. Its location is near the Skirt Mountain Trail within the park, northeast of the Goldstream Provincial Park Prospector Campground.
  Initially classified as ‘out of control’, the BC Wildfire Service listed the fire as ‘being held’ Friday morning (July 24) at 7:15 a.m. The fire is expected, based on fuel and weather con
  
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• PHOTOS: BC Summer Games officially underway following opening ceremony in Kelowna

  24-07-2026 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Heavy smoke in the Okanagan Valley may have postponed all outdoor sports during Day 1 of the 2026 BC Summer Games in Kelowna, but that didn’t stop the opening ceremony from taking place at Prospera Place Thursday evening (July 23).
  ​Roughly 5,000 people, including more than 3,000 athletes, jammed into the downtown arena to get a glimpse of the cauldron being lit, officially marking the kickoff to the 2026 BC Summer Games, which is set to host 19 different sports between July 23-26.
  &
  
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• Historic plane grounded in Kelowna after test flight, won’t attend Abbotsford Airshow

  24-07-2026 15:53 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The 2026 Abbotsford Airshow will be without the Odyssey DC-3 after a component issue was discovered during a routine post-flight inspection in Kelowna.
  ​The aircraft flew around the world as part of Expo ‘86 and was in the process of being restored to make an appearance in Abbotsford 40 years later.
  ​The 90-year-old plane returned to the Kelowna skies on July 22 for two confidence flights, but afterwards was ultimately grounded following the inspection.
  ​“While we s
  
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• B.C. man joins cast of Crave’s newest reality dating show

  24-07-2026 15:26 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Kelowna man will be looking for love on Crave’s new reality series Temptations Under the Sun: Cyprus.
  ​Twenty-two-year-old Kaelen Berg will join 16 other Canadians for a 10-episode series filled with temptation, twists and turns, surprises and challenges.
  ​Intimacy Expert Shan Boodram will host the show, which Crave calls a strategic game of desire that crowns one duo as Canada’s Most Seductive Couple.
  ​Berg is entering the show as a bartender and student, hoping
  
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• Nanaimo groups want Townsite Chinese Cemetery restored

  24-07-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Jerry Hong wants to see some major restoration work at the city-owned Townsite Chinese Cemetery, located on Townsite Road.
  Hong, president of the Nanaimo Chinese Cultural Society and a former city councillor, said the cemetery, built in 1924, is a rare and visible link with the rich history and heritage of the city’s Chinese population.
  But he said the cemetery, with its brightly painted entry gates, has fallen into disrepair over the years, and much work needs to be completed to make it i
  
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• Evacuation order issued for properties south of Hell’s Gate due to Brunswick Complex fires

  24-07-2026 14:24 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Due to the Brunswick Complex wildfires, the Fraser Valley Regional District upgraded an evacuation alert to an evacuation order on Thursday night (July 23) for properties south of Hells Gate to north of Alexandra Lodge.
  The order only applies to properties within the FVRD electoral area.
  Spuzzum First Nation has also upgraded an evacuation alert to an evacuation order for the Yelakin IR 4 and 4A, Long Tunnel IR 5 and 5A reserve lands.
  FVRD evacuation orders remain in effect for properties in Bos
  
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• Crime rate decreases for 2nd year in a row in Canada

  24-07-2026 02:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Canada’s crime rate was down again in 2025, a trend nationally across almost all provinces and territories.
  Statistics Canada released the 2025 police-reported crime statistics Wednesday (July 22), showing a decline in the crime severity index nationally and in most provinces and territories. The crime rate measures the number of crimes per 100,000 people, while the crime severity index measures the rate based on the severity of the crimes.1 province, 1 territory report and increase in cri
  
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• Athletes ride Ellison Lake on day 1 of the Kelowna 2026 BC Summer Games

  24-07-2026 02:08 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Kelowna is a busy place as youth athletes compete at the 2026 B.C. Summer Games.While many athletes had day one, July 23, to get in one last practice, youth participating in artistic swimming, basketball, canoe/kayak, sailing, ultimate, and towed water sports started the competition.Salmon Arm’s Tenley Davis is a towed water sport athlete and competed in tricks on the first day.Davis explained the athletes get two ride-bys to show off their tricks. Athletes are also allowed two falls and a
  
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• BC Fruit Growers seek support as Vernon water dries up

  24-07-2026 01:54 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As the drought continues and water sources dry up, local farmers are calling for a more coordinated approach to ensuring their crops, and livelihoods, don’t die.
  The BC Fruit Growers’ Association (BCFGA) is calling on Greater Vernon Water and the Regional District of North Okanagan to halt the current approach to agricultural water shut-offs and immediately establish a coordinated management plan with growers and senior government.
  In the middle of the growing season (as of July 13),
  
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• Hwy. 1 through Fraser Canyon, Hwy. 3 east of Hope remain closed due to fires

  24-07-2026 01:14 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Wildfires in the Southern Interior are severely impacting area highways, with two major routes closed to traffic.
  Drivers travelling east of Hope are advised that Highway 3 (Hope-Princeton Highway) is closed between the Hope Slide/Sunshine Valley area and eight kilometres west of Manning Park Lodge.
  Overhead signs and portable message boards are in place to alert travellers to the closure, which will remain in place until it is safe to reopen the corridor.
  Highway 1 is closed near Boston Bar bec
  
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• TELUS Living Nanaimo opens in downtown Nanaimo

  24-07-2026 01:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Another 195 rental-housing units have been added to Nanaimo’s growing downtown core.
  After approximately three years of construction, TELUS, a major Canadian telecommunications and technology company, held the grand opening of its Telus Living Nanaimo building, located at 235 Wallace St., on Thursday, July 23.
  The structure is a multi-storey, mixed-use building that is adding much-needed housing units in downtown Nanaimo.
  “The Nanaimo development represents exactly what TELUS Living
  
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• PHOTOS: BC Summer Games kicks off in Kelowna

  24-07-2026 00:28 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The 2026 BC Summer Games have begun.
  Over 3,000 athletes, coaches and officials are in town as the Summer Games had its first day of competitions in Kelowna.
  The games take place from July 22 to 26, with youth athletes from across B.C. competing in 19 categories of sport.On Thursday, July 24, the first competitions were held.Kayakers took to Parkinson Recreation Centre in the morning to play a Kayak Polo tournament.
  Later in the day, basketball teams played a tournament at Okanagan Mission Secon
  
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• Eby talks about carrying a ‘big stick’ in tariff negotiations, while Carney keeps cards close

  24-07-2026 00:17 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Despite talk of unity in the face of U.S. tariff threats, when Canada’s premiers and prime minister met in Charlottetown, P.E.I., this week, the divisions in strategy were on full display.
  Prime Minister Mark Carney, meanwhile, kept his cards close to his chest, saying that “everything’s on the table if there’s no agreement,” but deflecting every question asking what that means.
  He even refuted the notion that he is optimistic about getting a deal done before U.S. P
  
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• Upper ridge leads to record-breaking high temperature in Nanaimo

  23-07-2026 23:34 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  It felt hot enough in Nanaimo to fry an egg on a sidewalk yesterday as the thermometer mercury rose to a record high.
  In a Thursday, July 23 communiqué, Environment Canada said Nanaimo broke a 32-year-old daily temperature record with a high of 34.6 C on Wednesday, July 22 – the previous high of 33.3 C set on the same day in 1994.
  Nanaimo had been under a heat warning and Janelle Gergely, Environment Canada meteorologist, said the mercury was highest at 12 p.m. with an upper ridge l
  
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• It’s National Vanilla Ice Cream Day

  23-07-2026 23:06 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The clothing being worn in the accompanying historic photo suggests it’s not yet summertime in Vernon. Or maybe it’s the fall. The caption for the undated photo courtesy of the Museum and Archives of Vernon says the picture as taken after school.
  Whatever, whenever the photo was snapped, Bert (Herberta) Ward and Gwen Davies are enjoying vanilla ice cream cones.
  We bring this fact up because today, July 23, is National Vanilla Ice Cream Day.
  And, with temperatures expected to reach 38
  
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• Dangerous logjam prompts safety warning on Cowichan River

  23-07-2026 23:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Cowichan Search and Rescue officials are warning the public to be aware of a large logjam on the Cowichan River below Sandy Pool.
  According to CSAR, the logjam has grown significantly over the spring and now poses a “significant hazard to tubers and all river users if they miss the Sandy Pool take-out.”
  CSAR president Trevor Paterson said the hazard is less than one kilometre downstream of Sandy Pool.“The Cowichan River is beautiful because we have all these gorgeous trees alon
  
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• Extreme heat leads to 2nd consecutive day of record electricity usage: BC Hydro

  23-07-2026 22:36 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  BC Hydro says customers have once again broken an all-time record of summer peak electricity usage – one day after breaking the previous record.Preliminary data, BC Hydro said, shows between 5 and 6 p.m. – the hour customers use the most electricity – reached 8,870 megawatts on Wednesday evening. The record comes amid a heatwave across much of B.C.It comes just a day after the previous record was broken.On Tuesday, peak usage hit 8,715 megawatts. That broke an August 2025 recor
  
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• Wildfire smoke postpones all outdoor BC Summer Games events in Kelowna

  23-07-2026 22:12 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  On the first day of the 2026 BC Summer Games in Kelowna, wildfire smoke has postponed all outdoor events.
  As of the afternoon of Thursday, July 23, the outdoor sports have been postponed for the rest of the day due to the smoke.
  “Due to poor levels of air quality in the Central Okanagan and the Southern Interior, all outdoor sports are suspending practices and competition as of this afternoon,” reads a BC Summer Games press release.
  Currently, the Central Okanagan is under an orange-
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP arrest suspect in an alleged steam room sexual assault of youth

  23-07-2026 22:02 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo RCMP have arrested a suspect in connection with an alleged sexual assault that took place at the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre’s steam room.
  On July 16, police received a report that a 17-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted by an unknown man in the centre’s steam room.
  Following an investigation, officers identified and arrested a 43-year-old man the following day.
  The suspect was released on conditions pending further investigation.
  “Nanaimo RCMP prioritized this invest
  
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• Clinton business steps up to feed fire fighters

  23-07-2026 22:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  For six days last week, Clinton’s Stagecoach Cafe ensured that BC Wildfire crew members fighting the Fiftynine Creek and Pear Lake Wildfires didn’t go hungry.While BCWS arranged for a cooking crew to come down to Clinton, the Stagecoach Cafe filled the gap, providing the firefighters with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Maria Kosovic, who co-owns the Stagecoach with her son Nicholas, said they wanted to give back to the town and the firefighters who are currently protecting it.“I
  
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• Victoria Police withdraw from Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit

  23-07-2026 21:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Victoria police will once again handle homicide investigations within Victoria and Esquimalt after deciding to withdraw from the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit.
  The change, announced the morning of July 23, means the Victoria Police Department will resume responsibility for investigating homicides in its jurisdiction.
  VicPD said the decision follows an ongoing review that considered crime rates, resource efficiencies and opportunities for internal development.
  The department thanke
  
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• Port Alberni man charged with impaired driving causing death near Fanny Bay

  23-07-2026 20:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The BC Prosecution Service has approved three charges a year after a fatal collision on Highway 19A near Fanny Bay.
  On June 24, Barry Munroe, 61, of Port Alberni, was charged with impaired driving causing death, driving with a blood alcohol content over 0.8 mg per cent causing death, and obstruction of a peace officer.
  On July 31, 2025, a pickup that was towing a recreational vehicle trailer collided with multiple vehicles and resulted in the death of a man who was standing on the side of the ro
  
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• Vancouver-based indie rock performer Destroyer coming to Nanaimo

  23-07-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Vancouver-based indie rock performer Destroyer is coming to The Vault Cafe in Nanaimo for two days.The artist, which is the project of Dan Bejar, will be playing on Thursday, July 23, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show at 8 p.m.Bejar is known for his sharp, evocative lyrics and shape-shifting approach to the genre, according to a release from The Vault Cafe release.According to the release, these rare and intimate performances will spotlight the lyrical craft and magnetic presence that ha
  
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• Man dies in Lumby tractor fire

  23-07-2026 20:21 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  An out-of-control grass fire took the life of a man on a farm near Lumby Wednesday.
  Vernon North Okanagan RCMP were called to a rural property in the 1300 block of Trinity Valley Road July 22 around 2:25 p.m. for a report of an out-of-control fire.BC Wildfire Services (BCWS) quickly deployed helicopters to the property and neighbours were able to keep the fire from reaching the residence until the Lumby Fire Department arrived.
  The fire grew to 6.75 hectares before crews got a handle on it overn
  
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• ‘None Came Back’ exhibit preserves lost chapter of Chemainus history

  23-07-2026 20:09 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Richard Yano stood alongside his granddaughters Saturday as they helped cut the ribbon on None Came Back, a new exhibition at the Chemainus Valley Museum preserving the stories of the town’s Japanese Canadian community.For Yano, whose family’s history is featured prominently in the exhibition, the moment was both deeply personal and long overdue.The Chemainus Valley Museum officially opened None Came Back on Saturday, documenting the lives of more than 300 Japanese Canadian residents
  
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