Nanaimo news

• NIWRA: How bear aware are we on Vancouver Island?

  12-07-2026 03:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Vancouver Island black bears eat both meat and plants, and their sense of smell and hearing is far superior to that of humans. If a hungry bear smells food waste in a barbecue or trash container or a vehicle, it will go after it. Bears are natural scavengers and have good memories, so they will return to locations where they have found food before.
  Bears must eat amounts of food, so they don’t starve during the winter months and to produce offspring (cubs are born in January or February in
  
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• ’Significant’ wildfire events likely in B.C. later this week: officials

  14-07-2026 22:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. wildfire officials presented a grim forecast on Tuesday (July 14).
  Despite B.C. experiencing a relatively light wildfire season so far, extremely dry forest fuels and a high likelihood of lightning without rain mean fresh fires are expected in the coming days.
  Dry lightning and wind are forecast across most of B.C. starting Wednesday afternoon and expected to continue into Thursday and Friday. Southern parts of the province will see the highest risk.
  “This is absolutely the time to be
  
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• Pacific Arts Market in Nanaimo, an art gallery and active community space

  14-07-2026 22:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Art is gracing the new Soundworks building in downtown Nanaimo.
  Pacific Arts Market gallery held its grand opening Saturday, July 11 on Wallace Street, at the site of the old A&B Sound store.
  Previously operating out of Vancouver, Crystal Cornthwaite, owner, said she was happy to find an “amazing space” downtown and the focus is on local art.
  “It’s mainly from around Nanaimo, but also all of B.C. … We’ve got photography, painting. We’ve also got loc
  
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• Lantzville council moves to borrow $3 million for Dickinson Road

  14-07-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Lantzville council has approved three readings for a proposed bylaw that would allow the district to borrow about $3 million for improvements onto Dickinson Road – but two of the three reading votes were close.
  According to a report to council by Julia Seppola, director of financial services and Prab Lashar, chief administrative officer, the bylaw is set to borrow the funds for rehabilitation and reconstruction of Dickinson Road from Shook Road to Lantzville Road.
  Staff recommended the bor
  
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• Sooke pilot dies in helicopter crash while battling Colorado wildfire

  14-07-2026 19:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A veteran firefighting pilot from Sooke has died after the helicopter he was flying crashed into a Colorado reservoir while battling a wildfire.
  The Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office identified the pilot as Nicholas Dale, 56, of Sooke. Dale was flying a Kaman K-1200 K-MAX helicopter conducting aerial suppression work on the Gold Mountain Fire when it crashed into Silver Jack Reservoir shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday, July 12.
  Dale was the aircraft’s only occupant. His body was recovered f
  
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• Man arrested in Kamloops for violent offences in Cranbrook, Chilliwack

  14-07-2026 18:49 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Police have arrested a man in Kamloops for serious violent offences that took place in Chilliwack and Cranbrook.
  Zachary Ortloff, 24, was arrested on two warrants, on June 24 at about 11:30 a.m.
  Kamloops RCMP stated that an officer with their Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) “observed, identified and confirmed” it was Ortloff, and he was arrested safely by officers.
  The warrants were related to serious violent offences which included aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and assault ca
  
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• Medical emergency turns BC Ferries vessel back to Victoria, delays sailings

  14-07-2026 18:47 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A medical emergency onboard a BC Ferries vessel is impacting sailings Tuesday morning (July 14).
  BC Ferries said a Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen vessel is returning to dock due to a medical emergency.
  Currently, the 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. sailings from Swartz Bay are expected to be delayed as a result.
  “We will keep you informed as more information becomes available,” said a BC Ferries advisory. “As soon as the matter is resolved, the vessel will resume service.”
  
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• Canadian, world music icons headline Islands Folk Festival in Cowichan

  14-07-2026 18:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Islands Folk Festival celebrates 42 years at Providence Farm from July 24 to 26, this year featuring performances from Canadian and world music icons.
  “After 42 years, we all feel incredibly fortunate to be the stewards of what is surely becoming one of Canada’s great long-running festivals,” said artistic director Jack Connolly. “With that comes a responsibility to keep it viable, fresh, and to keep improving the audience experience while creating a place where people ca
  
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• Public art in Nanaimo helps reduce vandalism and other crimes

  14-07-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Public art does more than just add beauty and colour to the city.
  Jaime-Brett Sine, the city’s cultural coordinator, told council at its meeting on July 6 that a study by the Philadelphia Arts Program showed a reduction of crime of up to 42 per cent surrounding new public art in urban areas.
  “That includes from vandalism and tagging to violent offences, so we know (public art) makes a significant difference,” she said.
  “When a space looks intentionally cared for, people b
  
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• WORLD CUP DAILY, July 14: Semi-finals start today

  14-07-2026 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Daily FIFA World Cup soccer match updates and news for Black Press Media publications.
  The semi-finals start today with France taking on Spain in Dallas at 12 p.m. PT.
  Spain has the upper hand, having won seven of their last ten encounters, including a 2-1 win in the 2024 EURO semi-finals and a 5-4 victory at the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League semi-finals.
  However, France has won 17 of its last 20 World Cup matches.
  DID YOU KNOW?
  “Kylian Mbappé scored the winner when France defeated Sp
  
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• Campfire ban lands Thursday for much of Vancouver Island

  14-07-2026 15:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A fire ban comes in place for much of Vancouver Island and the south coast starting Thursday (July 16) at noon.
  Category 1, 2 and 3 open fires will be prohibited through much of the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdiction, with exceptions for campfires in parts of the North Island and Sunshine Coast.
  “Conditions are continually monitored, and restrictions are implemented where they are needed most to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires and help protect communities, responders and our forest
  
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• Dog poo DNA matching keeps pet owners honest at Langford condo building

  14-07-2026 14:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Errant dog poop on the grounds of City Gate by High Street is a rarity, as the Langford building management is among the residences in Greater Victoria that uses DNA to hold dog owners accountable.They’re sadly common images across the region – a sneaky pile left behind when no one is looking, or a bag snagged on the bushes after a summer fling is revealed as leaves fall in autumn.But in the building where Marie Allen and Daisy live, the grounds are fairly safe – residents ther
  
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• Longtime sponsor hopes to finish at 40th Nanaimo Silly Boat Regatta

  14-07-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Splitsville Bowl team hopes to build on their 2025 performance at the 40th Silly Boat Regatta.
  The fundraiser, benefiting Nanaimo Child Development Centre, is on Sunday, July 19 at Maffeo Sutton Park and last year, the team’s boat fell apart, leaving April Marr, Splitsville’s event sales manager, as the lone paddler – she was able to finish the heat, but out of contention.
  Splitsville Bowl has been a sponsor of the Silly Boat Regatta for 25 years and decided to give the rac
  
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• AI control: Victoria councillors put data centres on the agenda

  14-07-2026 01:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A pair of Victoria councillors hope to inspire data centre talk at the Capital Regional District level.CRD directors, and Victoria councillors, Jeremy Caradonna and Coun. Dave Thompson will ask the regional environmental committee that meets Wednesday (July 15) to have staff research on AI data centres, their potential environmental, utility and land-use impacts in this region, and potential policy options for regulating data centres in the Capital Region.
  “When it comes to AI data centres
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP seeks help identify alleged assaulter

  14-07-2026 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Nanaimo RCMP is seeking witnesses following an alleged assault of a woman jogging.
  The incident occurred at approximately 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, on Second Street near Pine Street.
  The woman, age 21, told police that while out for a run, an unknown man riding a bicycle approached her from behind and allegedly grabbed her buttocks.
  The suspect then rode off.
  He is described as Caucasian, approximately 35-years old and about 6’3” tall.
  The suspect has a slim build, short brow
  
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• Mosaic changing how it approaches recreation on Vancouver Island forest lands

  14-07-2026 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Mosaic Forest Management, owner of 550,000 hectares of Vancouver Island’s forest, is revisiting how it will allow access to its lands for recreation.
  After receiving over 7,600 responses to its 2025 survey, and undergoing an internal evaluation of how the forestry company manages recreation on its lands, the Mosaic team has concluded that recreation “has outgrown the program built to manage it.”
  “The challenge is bigger than any single gate or policy, and there are opport
  
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• VIDEO: B.C. cathedral bells still ringing strong after 90 years of history

  14-07-2026 01:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The bells of Victoria’s Christ Church Cathedral rang for an extended period on the morning of July 12 as the cathedral marked the 90th anniversary of its first ringing.
  Beginning at 9:30 a.m., members of the Cathedral Guild of Ringers performed a quarter peal — a 45-minute change-ringing performance involving 1,260 unique bell sequences.The 10 ringers – each assigned to a specific bell – used the same technique believed to have been used during the original performance wh
  
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• Security increased after vandalism incident at B.C. sand sculpture competition

  14-07-2026 01:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Parksville Beach Festival is increasing security on-site after suspected vandalism to several sculptures at the Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition over the weekend.
  Cheryl Dill, president of the Parksville Beach Festival Society, said the number of security guards has been doubled, as well as patrols by an additional company.
  “We have increased security and feel confident in the improvements so far,” Dill told the PQB News. “The cameras in the community park have been ver
  
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• B.C. Nurses’ Union to pause picket lines as mediation begins

  14-07-2026 00:58 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In a gesture of “good faith,” the B.C. Nurses’ Union has agreed to pause picket lines as it enters mediated talks with the Health Employers’ Association of B.C., the union announced on Monday, July 13.
  Picket lines will be paused at the end of the day on Tuesday.
  Nurses’ union president Adriane Gear issued a statement saying the union is entering mediation with “cautious optimism” that it can reach terms to resolve members’ complaints on staff safe
  
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• Sean Edward McKierahan

  14-07-2026 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  Sean Edward McKierahan passed away on June 29, 2026 at Nanaimo Regional Hospital at the age of 75. He leaves behind Kathy, his wife of 48 years, his sons, Connor and Ian (Andrea), grandchildren, Tegan, Hanna, Maddie and Ben, his brother Angus, brother-in- law Bob (Margaret) and their families.
  Sean always described himself as an educator. Over the course of his career, he taught at the elementary, secondary, and university levels before finishing his career as Assistant Superi
  
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• B.C. grants environmental assessment for sand mine near Prince George

  14-07-2026 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. has issued an environmental assessment certificate for a new open-pit silica sand mine north of Prince George.
  The Vitreo Minerals-owned Angus Project, roughly 60 kilometres north of Prince George and 10 kilometres east of Bear Lake, is expected to generate $300 million in investment, creating 150 jobs during construction and 140 during operations.
  The type of sand produced by this mine is used in hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, to prop open the fractures created in
  
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• Nurses picket outside NRGH calling for improved nurse retention and workplace safety

  13-07-2026 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Health-care workers took to the picket line on Monday outside Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, as the B.C. Nurses’ Union have expanded protests to different hospitals across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
  The B.C. Nurses’ Union began a strike on July 2, with 98.2 per cent of more than 50,000 nurses voting in favour of job action. The main call from the union is for the provincial government to bring “a meaningful general wage increase and solutions that improve nurs
  
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• Nanaimo council won’t support campaign to keep Snowbirds in the air

  13-07-2026 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Supporting the continuation of Canada’s iconic Snowbirds demonstration squadron is not on the radar of Nanaimo’s city council.
  Council voted at its meeting on July 6 against supporting a national campaign to keep the Snowbird squadron, which tours North America to demonstrate the skill and teamwork of the Royal Canadian Air Force, in the air when the squadron is grounded after this year’s flying season.
  Canada’s Defence Minister David McGuinty announced in May that the Sn
  
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• B.C. nurses expand strike to Vancouver Island as bargaining stalls

  13-07-2026 21:10 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Picket lines expanded to Vancouver Island on July 12 as the British Columbia Nurses’ Union (BCNU) intensified job action after bargaining with health employers reached another impasse.
  Union members began picketing outside Victoria General Hospital early Sunday morning, with additional job action planned at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and Royal Jubilee Hospital.
  In an address to a large crowd of nurses waving flags and ringing bells outside the hospital, union president Adriane Gear
  
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• Opening weekend draws more than 8,600 visitors to Parksville Beach Festival

  13-07-2026 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The 2026 Parksville Beach Festival is off to a strong start with thousands of visitors taking in the April Wine concert and Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition July 10 to July 12.
  8,629 visitors watched 30 world-class sculptors transform 255 cubic yards of sand into works of art during the competition, according to a news release by Parksville Beach Festival Society.
  On Saturday evening, more than 2,300 music fans filled the Parksville Outdoor Theatre for a performance by Canadian rock lege
  
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• Specialty ‘custom cutters’ added to BC Timber Sales program

  13-07-2026 20:41 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C.’s Forests ministry is expanding a program that allows value-added manufacturers to access BC Timber Sales logs to include specialty “custom cutters” who supply unique wood products to buyers around the world.
  These manufacturers supply wood for everything from specialty windows and doors to Japanese temples. But unlike other value-added manufacturers that use BC Timber Sales logs, these businesses don’t have their own mills.
  There are about 40 custom cutter companies
  
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• Port Alberni port authority hopes to attract more cruise ship business

  13-07-2026 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Port Alberni Port Authority wants to expand its cruise ship business following the first cruise ship visit to the city’s deepsea port since 2019.
  The World, a 165-unit residential cruise ship, spent two nights June 20-21 berthed at the PAPA wharf across from the Maritime Discovery Centre, and travellers aboard the luxury vessel had the opportunity to explore the city.
  “It was incredible to see the community come together to welcome visitors back to our waterfront,” said Mik
  
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• Baynes Sound observatory upgrade supports B.C. shellfish industry

  13-07-2026 19:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Baynes Sound shellfish industry generates approximately $180 million in economic activity for the province, providing year-round jobs to rural and Indigenous communities and food security for the region.
  Thanks to upgrades made at Ocean Network Canada’s (ONC) Baynes Sound ocean observatory, the shellfish industry will be benefit from more comprehensive monitoring of the effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia (decrease in oxygen). Warming temperatures and increased carbon dioxide in
  
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• Baynes Sound observatory upgrade supports BC shellfish industry

  13-07-2026 19:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Baynes Sound shellfish industry generates approximately $180 million in economic activity for the province, providing year-round jobs to rural and Indigenous communities and food security for the region.
  Thanks to upgrades made at Ocean Network Canada’s (ONC) Baynes Sound ocean observatory, the shellfish industry will be benefit from more comprehensive monitoring of the effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia (decrease in oxygen). Warming temperatures and increased carbon dioxide in
  
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• PHOTOS: More than 80K paint B.C.’s capital all colours of the rainbow for Pride

  13-07-2026 18:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  While people around the world adorned themselves in their national colours to support their World Cup teams over the past few weeks, residents of Victoria and beyond chose to drape themselves in rainbow colours to celebrate and support this year’s Pride parade.
  Held on the sunny morning of July 12, the parade drew more than 80,000 spectators to the streets of the capital city, where they cheered on more than 140 entries and hundreds of marchers along the 2.4-kilometre route.
  Hosted by the
  
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