Nanaimo news

• Pauline Koga

  28-11-2025 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  July 14,1939 ~ November 20 2025
  In loving memory ~
  With sadness Pauline passed away at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital from cancer with family members by her side. She was 86 years old, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and a friend to many.
  She was predeceased by her parents, Yvette and Sylvio Louisseize, sisters Marcelle Guay, Jeannine Therrien, brother Jean Louisseize of Rockland Ontario along with Don Walker of Edmonton – her previous husband.
  Pauline is survived by her husband Hir
  
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• VIDEO: Aviation enthusiasts treated to Mosquito engine run in Kelowna

  17-01-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The public was invited to hear the engine run of a great piece of Canadian history on Jan. 16.
  At the KF Centre for Excellence in Kelowna, a Mosquito bomber plane has been restored and her engines turned on to wow aviation enthusiasts in attendance.
  The plane is one of more than 7,000 built to fight in the Second World War, but is one of an estiamted five worldwide that is still airworthy.@kf_aerospace Centre for Excellence held a live engine run of a Mosquito plane on Jan. 16. The plane is just
  
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• Court says feds’ use of Emergencies Act ‘unreasonable’ as Ottawa loses appeal

  17-01-2026 01:23 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Federal Court of Appeal says former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government “did not have reasonable grounds to believe that a national emergency existed” when it invoked the Emergencies Act during the 2022 Freedom Convoy.
  The decision upholds a 2024 ruling by the federal courts in which Justice Richard Mosley found that the reasons provided to declare a public order emergency did not satisfy the requirements of the Emergencies Act, and that some temporary measures infri
  
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• Experts point to climate change as root cause of Victoria’s January blossoms

  17-01-2026 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Its early blooming season has long been something Victoria has long liked to flaunt before its neighbours in less mild climates across the province and the country.
  But avid walkers in and around B.C.’s capital region have noticed spring blossoms showing up this year in volumes that are considered untimely even below the 49th parallel.
  And the pictures of early flowers that have been circulating on social media since late December might not be something people should necessarily be boastin
  
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• B.C.’s sport fishing industry balks at salmon re-allocation that could put it last

  17-01-2026 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  B.C.’s recreational and sportfishing community is up in arms over a potential change to how the province allocates Pacific salmon stock, which proposes eliminating the principle that salmon are a public resource.
  British Columbia’s salmon allocation policy (SAP) was created in 1999 to guide the allocation and priority of allowable Pacific salmon harvest among First Nations, as well as commercial and recreational harvest groups.
  However, in 2018, the B.C. Supreme Court determined that
  
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• Political commentator Caroline Elliott enters B.C. Conservative leadership contest

  16-01-2026 23:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Caroline Elliott, a conservative commentator and former vice-president of the B.C. United Party, officially declared her candidacy for B.C. Conservative leadership in a social media video on Friday (Jan. 16).
  She criticized the current government’s “radical reconciliation” agenda and attacked “race-based hiring policies.”
  “For years, I’ve stood up for our natural resources, called out the denigration of our history, and pushed back against ideology in ou
  
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• Four sex assault charges laid against Maple Ridge city councillor

  16-01-2026 23:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Maple Ridge city councillor Ahmed Yousef now faces four charges of sex assault, added to charges of common assault and firearms offences announced last year.
  On Jan. 15, in Port Coquitlam provincial court, the new charges were sworn against Ahmed Antar Yousef Mohamed. Three of the charges involve one complainant, and one charge is in relation to a different complainant.
  His first appearance on these matters is scheduled for Feb. 12, in Port Coquitlam provincial court.
  There is a ban on publishin
  
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• 300,000 records being auctioned off from iconic B.C. store in vinyl free-for-all

  16-01-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Record collectors came to Langley for a chance to buy some of the approximately 300,000 records from the closed Krazy Bob’s Emporium record store.
  Bob consigned the stock from his Langley City store for sale with Able Auctions which held an auction at its Murrayville location on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
  “We had people that spent all day in here looking at all the records, because there were so many,” said Able manager Sam Garandza.
  The auction wasn’t for the sale of individual r
  
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• Woman pleads guilty to 3 child sexual abuse charges in Abbotsford

  16-01-2026 22:01 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A woman who had been facing 13 charges in Abbotsford – including for sexual offences against a child and the possession of child sexual abuse material – recently pleaded guilty to three of those offences.
  Siobhan Kirby, 35, pleaded guilty in December to making, publishing or possessing child sexual abuse material; sexual exploitation; and telecommunication to lure a child under the age of 18.
  The other 10 charges, which are expected to be stayed at sentencing, included sexual assault
  
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• Surrey Union of Drug Users slams B.C. government’s decision to end decriminalization

  16-01-2026 21:51 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Surrey Union of Drug Users (SUDU) is “disappointed but not surprised” by Wednesday’s announcement from the B.C. Ministry of Health to end the decriminalization pilot.
  “We shame the government for choosing to further isolate drug users and increase the likelihood of drug poisoning in the community,” SUDU said in a press release Friday (Jan. 16).
  Decriminalization began in January of 2023, allowing people to possess small amounts of illicit drugs in certain places
  
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• ‘Policy kills’: Drug users advocacy group slams B.C. government reversal

  16-01-2026 21:51 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Surrey Union of Drug Users (SUDU) is “disappointed but not surprised” by Wednesday’s announcement from the B.C. Ministry of Health to end the decriminalization pilot.
  “We shame the government for choosing to further isolate drug users and increase the likelihood of drug poisoning in the community,” SUDU said in a press release Friday (Jan. 16).
  Decriminalization began in January of 2023, allowing people to possess small amounts of illicit drugs in certain places
  
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• Abbotsford keeps title of B.C.’s cheapest city to rent in

  16-01-2026 21:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Abbotsford finished 2025 in the same way it started – being the cheapest city to rent an apartment in all of B.C.
  The latest report from Rentals.ca determined that the average asking price in Abbotsford was $1,847 in December, remaining almost identical to the number reported in November.
  This was enough to keep the title of the most affordable city in the province, which is an accolade Abbotsford successfully held for the entirety of 2025.
  However, unlike the increasingly dropping housing
  
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• Shawnigan RCMP seeks help identifying break-in suspect

  16-01-2026 20:54 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Shawnigan Lake RCMP are seeking public help to identify a residential break-and-enter suspect.
  Police were called to a home on Peterbrook Road on Jan. 13 after a report that it had been broken into.
  “Upon review of video surveillance, the suspect was seen entering the property at approximately 12:20 p.m. on the same day,” said BC RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alex Bérubé.
  The suspect is described as a 30- to 40-year-old man with a brown beard and a medium build, standing a
  
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• Maple Ridge teen dies in fall from chairlift

  16-01-2026 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A teen from Maple Ridge died after falling from a chairlift while skiing.
  West Vancouver Police report they “saddened to confirm that a fatality occurred on Cypress Mountain Resort yesterday evening.”
  Emergency Services were called at approximately 7:27 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15, after reports of someone in medical distress after a fall from a chairlift. The 18-year-old man from Maple Ridge was pronounced dead at the scene.
  “All available evidence points to this being a tragic
  
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• Maple Ridge teen dead after fall from chairlift on B.C. ski hill

  16-01-2026 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A teen from Maple Ridge died after falling from a chairlift while skiing.
  West Vancouver Police report they “saddened to confirm that a fatality occurred on Cypress Mountain Resort yesterday evening.”
  Emergency Services were called at approximately 7:27 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15, after reports of someone in medical distress after a fall from a chairlift. The 18-year-old man from Maple Ridge was pronounced dead at the scene.
  “All available evidence points to this being a tragic
  
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• Headline History: Plans failed to fly for a 120-room hotel at Nanaimo Airport

  16-01-2026 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  It’s hard to imagine a hotel could be built for $10 million today, but 27 years ago that was the estimate for a hotel planned at Nanaimo Airport.
  In an article from the March 18, 1999, edition of the News Bulletin, construction of a $10 million, full-facility hotel looked like it was a pretty sure thing with shovels expected to turn the sod in the spring of 2000 and the airport confirming plans for a “100-plus room development, to be managed by a ‘known,’ but as-yet unnam
  
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• ‘Overwhelming, Heartbreaking’: Okanagan Humane Society overburdened by dog surrenders

  16-01-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Okanagan Humane Society (OHS) is facing an ‘unprecedented crisis’ two weeks into the new year, stretching its resources very thin.
  Just 15 days into the new year, OHS has taken in 42 dogs and puppies so far on top of their steady intake of kittens and cats.
  “We’ve started the year off with a bang,” said OHS executive director Romany Runnalls. “The need is immediate, overwhelming, and heartbreaking.”
  OHS has seen some of the most distressing cases in
  
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• Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar makes bid for B.C. Conservative leadership

  16-01-2026 19:02 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Peter Milobar, the former Kamloops mayor and current MLA for Kamloops Centre, is entering the race to be the next leader of the B.C. Conservative Party.
  Milobar was first elected in 2017 for the B.C. Liberal Party. After that party changed its name to B.C. United, then withdrew from the 2024 provincial election, Milobar switched sides and joined the Conservatives.
  He currently serves as the party’s finance critic, a role he held for United as well. He has also held the position of oppositi
  
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• Mayor pleads for federal extension of EI program for displaced Crofton mill workers

  16-01-2026 18:41 via nanaimobulletin.com
  North Cowichan’s mayor wants the federal government to extend its temporary Employment Insurance program to include workers at the Crofton pulp mill who will be working until mid-April.
  In letters to Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu and Jeff Kibble, MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, Rob Douglas said the temporary EI measures that Ottawa introduced last summer in response to major economic conditions across the country, including mill closures, are set to expire on April 11.
  That&r
  
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• Vancouver’s Sarah Nurse returns from injury ahead of game against former team

  16-01-2026 18:33 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Star forward Sarah Nurse of the Vancouver Goldeneyes is back after suffering an upper-body injury during the first game of the season.Nurse had been on long-term injured reserve since suffering an upper-body injury during the first game of the season on Nov. 21. The announcement was made Thursday (Jan. 16) ahead of Saturday’s game, where Vancouver will take on Nurse’s former team, the Toronto Sceptres.
  Vancouver is scheduled to play Toronto at 12 p.m. PT/ 3 p.m. ET at the Scotiabank
  
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• Now 4 Bruno Mars concerts at BC Place Stadium, setting venue record

  16-01-2026 17:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Taylor Swift-level ticket demand means Bruno Mars will now be playing four concerts at B.C.’s largest stadium this fall, setting a record for most shows at BC Place on a single tour.
  His lengthy tour of North America and Europe was set to end Oct. 15 at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Live Nation Entertainment announced Jan. 8.
  But strong ticket demand during an “artist presale” Wednesday led to the announcement of a second concert for Mars at the 54,000-seat stadium, quickly fo
  
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• Wounded Warriors running from Sooke to Sidney to prepare for Island journey

  16-01-2026 17:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A series of events raises funds and awareness of the annual Wounded Warriors run that sees eight first responders traverse down Vancouver Island over eight days.A Victoria gala adds glam on Jan. 31. Ahead of that, the second annual country concert (Jan 24) holds special space for organizer Pat Bryant, in his second year on the run team.But none is more important to the longtime Central Saanich cop than the one-day run from Sooke to Sidney, which helps solidify the bonds of a team that will run t
  
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• VIDEO: Street crime, disorder prompts watchful eye over downtown Kelowna

  16-01-2026 16:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Downtown Kelowna streets are growing quieter as businesses face a surge in crime that owners say is driving customers away and putting staff at risk.
  Diners, shoe stores, book shops and even chocolate makers are just some of the downtown businesses that have been affected by crime and disorder, as people are becoming “more and more brazen,” according to one area representative.
  Todd Daniels, owner of Gallery Streetwear on Bernard Avenue, had his storefront broken into Jan. 2, and som
  
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• Interior Health pulls plug on bedside hospital TVs; tablets available

  16-01-2026 15:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Interior Health Authority (IHA) has signed off on providing bedside televisions.
  Vernon resident Pam Duffield-Harding and her mom, 94, found out the hard way.
  In a letter to The Morning Star written Jan. 10, Duffield-Harding was visiting her mom, who had been at Vernon Jubilee Hospital for four weeks. She discovered the same day that VJH was no longer providing TV services bedside or at lounges within the facility.
  IHA ended providing HealthHub bedside entertainment services and/or TV rental
  
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• NOTICE OF ZONING AMENDMENT: APPLICATION NO. PL2024-150

  16-01-2026 15:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  NOTICE OF ZONING AMENDMENT APPLICATION NO. PL2024-150
  Lot D, Horne Lake Road and Highway 19 PID 030-474-906 Electoral Area H
  The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is in receipt of a zoning amendment application for the property shown in the location map below.PURPOSE OF PROPOSED BYLAW
  The applicant proposes to rezone the subject property from Rural Residential 1 (RRl) Zone, Subdivision District ‘D’, to the proposed Rural Residential 1.5 (RRl.5) sub zone, Subdivision District ‘
  
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• Feedback wanted for proposed playground in Cedar

  16-01-2026 14:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Thoughts from the public are sought as Regional District of Nanaimo continues with plans to bolster recreation in the Cedar area.
  The RDN has been working with its Cedar area (Area A) parks, recreation and culture committee, the community and Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district on improving amenities, including a proposed playground near the Cedar Skate Park, according to a press release.The Cedar Community Park improvements project includes a number of features. Work on a bike pump track, coming
  
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• Canucks dumped 4-1 by Blue Jackets as losing skid reaches 9 games

  16-01-2026 05:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The skid continues for the Vancouver Canucks.
  The Canucks dropped their ninth straight game, falling 4-1 to the host Columbus Blue Jackets in NHL action Thursday at Nationwide Arena.
  Charlie Coyle, Kirill Marchenko, Zach Werenski and Kent Johnson scored for the Blue Jackets (21-19-7). Elvis Merzlikins earned the win in goal, stopping 30 shots.
  Brock Boeser scored the lone goal for Vancouver (16-25-5), his first marker since Nov. 28. Kevin Lankinen took the loss in net, making 32 saves.
  Coyle got
  
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• Nanaimo repeat offender back in custody after incident at coffee shop

  16-01-2026 04:13 via globalnews.ca
  Nanaimo RCMP confirmed that 40-year-old Aiden Tye of Nanaimo was charged with assault with a weapon, mischief, indecent act, indecent exhibition, and breach of a probation order.
  
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• $10K fine upheld against Edgewood ostrich farm

  16-01-2026 03:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  After losing all of their animals, Universal Ostrich Farm must also pay a $10,000 fine.
  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued the fine and violation to the Edgewood farm after it failed to report an outbreak in the approximately 400 bird herd in December of 2024.
  The entire flock was ultimately killed due to the outbreak, but the farm contested the violation notice and attached fine with the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal.
  Tribunal chairperson Emily Crocco upheld the decision in
  
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• Seair Seaplanes adding $0.15 to tickets for kelp restoration

  16-01-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Seair Seaplanes announced it will increase the cost of tickets by $0.15 to help fund re-building kelp forests, with a matching contribution by the company.
  In a press release on Jan. 5, the company stated that this will be through a partnership with veritree, which is expected to lead project design, site selection, kelp propagation, scientific monitoring and transparent reporting.
  “Kelp forests play a critical role in the health and resilience of our coastlines, yet they’re one of t
  
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