Nanaimo news

• Police watchdog probes July arrest involving police dog and man in traffic

  08-12-2025 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The provincial police watchdog is awaiting more information, but finds a July arrest in Saanich warrants investigation.
  Officers with the Saanich Police Department responded to multiple 911 calls on July 15 around 7:30 p.m. about a man on foot threatening drivers and acting erratically in traffic in the 4500 block of Granville Avenue, according to the he Independent Investigations Office (IIO).
  Multiple officers responded and took a man into custody with the use of a police service dog. No other
  
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• Nanaimo woman who was reported missing was found dead

  09-12-2025 17:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A missing person case turned into a homicide case and Nanaimo RCMP are now asking for any tips from the public that could help with the investigation.
  According to a press release Tuesday, Dec. 9, Sherry Shelley, who was 65, was found dead Nov. 14 following a vehicle fire in a wooded area along College Drive near the Nanaimo Parkway. She had previously been reported missing.
  “The Nanaimo serious crime unit [is] investigating Ms. Shelley’s death as a homicide and have been working dil
  
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• Juan de Fuca rescue team carries injured surfer from Sombrio Beach

  09-12-2025 17:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A South Island rescue team is reminding surfers of the dangers at local beaches after one person was severely injured last weekend.“While the surf can be compelling, Sombrio Beach has large, submerged rocks and boulders that pose significant hazards, especially during heavier conditions,” Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue said on social media.The local team was tasked with getting a surfer with a severe lower-body injury from the rocky shores Friday (Dec. 5).“We’d like to th
  
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• Inquest to be held in shooting death of neurodivergent B.C. teen

  09-12-2025 17:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The B.C. Coroners Service (BCCS) has announced they will hold an inquest in the shooting death of Clayton Heights teen Chase de Balinhard.
  In a Dec. 8 press release, BCCS announced the inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Chase de Balinhard will be held in the new year.
  “A presiding coroner and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding this death,” Holly Tally, BCCS communications manager wrote in the release. “The
  
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• Grads reflect on B.C. opportunities as ground shifts for international students

  09-12-2025 16:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  One ruined piece of meat showed Steven Mathews that studying and working in Nelson was the right career move.
  Mathews was a student in the kitchen at Selkirk College’s culinary management program when he accidentally wrecked specialty meat he was using in a recipe.
  At a school or kitchen in India, where he was grew up and received a bachelor’s degree in hotel management before enrolling in Selkirk in 2022, Mathews says he would have been scolded or failed for the mistake.
  But Mathews
  
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• Rainfall warning, high streamflow advisory in effect for Fraser Valley

  09-12-2025 16:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A rainfall warning is in effect for the Fraser Valley with between 60 and 80 mm of rain forecast for the region starting tonight.
  According to Environment Canada, periods of heavy rain are expected from Tuesday evening (Dec. 9) through Wednesday evening (Dec. 10).
  The warning includes the Fraser Valley, including Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Agassiz and Hope.
  “An atmospheric river will arrive on the south coast of B.C. bringing heavy rain tonight through Wednesday. Warm air with the sy
  
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• B.C. actor jumps from vacation to debut role as ‘chief elf’ in Netflix holiday film

  09-12-2025 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Langford’s Dominic Fox was on vacation when he received the call to audition for the My Secret Santa film for Netflix, which is currently ranking in the Top 10 movies on Netflix Canada.
  Fox, who started his acting career at the age of 11, graduated from the Victoria Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2024.
  This rising local talent is spreading festive cheer this season, making waves both locally and on the big screen as he builds an impressive early career portfolio with his first ever feature fi
  
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• Seed planted in Abbotsford for creation of B.C.’s first memorial forest

  09-12-2025 15:38 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The City of Abbotsford is planning to create the first “memorial forest” in B.C. to commemorate loved ones who have passed.
  A proposal comes before city council on Tuesday afternoon (Dec. 9) to designate Hughes Park at 1395 Clearbrook Rd. for the program.
  The park is currently the site of a baseball diamond, but a staff report to council states the last booking for the park was in April 2017.
  The report indicates there are currently 11 trees on site – mainly spruce and Douglas
  
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• Vancouver Island’s Monique Coffey features for Canada in rugby SVNS stops

  09-12-2025 15:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A top Vancouver Island rugby sevens player got to showcase her skills on a big world stage this month.
  Monique Coffey, a member of the Comox Valley Kickers and a coach at the Comox Valley Rapids, featured in the Cape Town Sevens, turning out for Canada.
  Coffey was selected by Canada for its 2025-2026 SVNS (formerly known as the World Rugby Sevens Series) in late November to compete in the first two stops, Dubai, UAE (Nov. 29 to 30) and Cape Town, South Africa (Dec. 6 to 7).
  In Dubai, Coffey came
  
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• ‘Last Logging Show’ earns B.C. author national non-fiction writing award

  09-12-2025 15:01 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A book that aims to show both sides of the logging industry and the conflict that ensues from it has now won an award.
  Aaron Williams is an author and also a third-generation British Columbia logger who returned to the forests of Haida Gwaii to witness what he calls a way of life in the “grip of change.”
  Wilfrid Laurier University has named Williams the winner of its 2025 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction for his book The Last Logging Show: A Forestry Family at the End of
  
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• RDN to look at building code changes to make it easier to physically move homes

  09-12-2025 14:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Regional District of Nanaimo staff will examine rule changes for people who physically move their homes to another lot.
  At the RDN’s electoral area services committee meeting Thursday, Dec. 4, Vanessa Craig, Gabriola Island area director, gave notice of motion to amend building bylaws for “moved-on homes,” asking staff to review fees and policies.
  Craig said under current requirements, moved homes must appraise at minimum 100 per cent of the average assessed value of improvemen
  
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• Kelowna’s Big White named best international ski resort for families

  09-12-2025 13:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Big White Ski Resort is a popular choice for families.
  The resort was recently voted the winner of Best International Ski Resort for Families in the 2025 Out and About with Kids Readers’ Choice Awards.
  This is Big White’s first win in the category since 2024, with more than 40,000 Australian families taking part in the voting.
  In an effort to make Big White even more family friendly, it is preparing to open phase two of its Kids’ Centre expansion in the Village Centre Mall for
  
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• Gibson earns 25th career shutout as Red Wings blank Canucks 4-0

  09-12-2025 06:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Goalie John Gibson made 39 saves for his 25th career shutout, leading the visiting Detroit Red Wings to a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks in NHL action Monday at Rogers Arena.
  James van Riemsdyk, Andrew Copp, Nate Danielson and Dylan Larkin scored for the Wings (16-11-3). Kevin Lankinen took the goaltending loss for the Canucks (11-16-3), stopping 10 of 13 shots before being relieved by Nikita Tolopilo, who stopped all six shots he saw in the final period.
  The Canucks carried the play for muc
  
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• Choir planning ‘really big’ sing-along Messiah in Nanaimo

  09-12-2025 04:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A Christmas concert this coming weekend will be a really big one.
  The Malaspina Choir’s Really Big Sing-Along Messiah is back, and will be at the Port Theatre this Sunday, Dec. 14.
  The choir has presented more than a dozen sing-alongs to Handel’s Messiah in the past, and a couple of years ago it moved from a church to the Port Theatre to accommodate more than 500 singers joining the Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra and featured soloists.
  “Of course, we cannot rival the recent tally of
  
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• Nanaimo youths hoping to collect Coats for Christmas

  09-12-2025 02:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Nanaimo youths will be again collecting warm clothes to try to help people in need of warmth in Nanaimo.
  Volunteer Nanaimo’s YouthNetwork is holding its annual charity drive, Coats for Christmas, this Saturday, Dec. 13, at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The initiative is held in partnership with the Salvation Army Nanaimo, which handles distribution of the items.
  The Coats for Christmas event’s youth lead, Chimera Carew, said thousands of items were collected last year and t
  
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• Sturko hasn’t ruled out B.C. Conservative return, bid for party leadership

  09-12-2025 02:32 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Elenore Sturko, MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale, has not ruled out a run for the leadership of the B.C. Conservative Party—and she’d consider rejoining the party, if invited back.
  Sturko, former Conservative and now independent MLA, left the party after butting heads with former Conservative Party leader John Rustad. With the party caucus recently removing Rustad as leader, that leaves the path open for Sturko to find her way back to the party – or even to run for leader.
  “I th
  
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• Island group raises $53K to support Syrian-Palestinian family to Canada

  09-12-2025 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Farouk Mitha has been part of a multifaith listening circle for the past year. The group, made up of Jews, Muslims, Christians and secular members, meets regularly to discuss and share perspectives on a range of topics.
  After the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, where a series of coordinated strikes carried out by Hamas during a Jewish holiday killed 1,210 people, the group’s conversations reached a crossroads.
  In the wake of these events, shocked by the brutality of the attacks, the members began di
  
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• B.C. considering changing Indigenous rights law after DRIPA court ruling

  09-12-2025 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  B.C. Premier David Eby says legislative amendments are in the works after a court judgment invalidated part of a provincial law because it fails to adequately align with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
  Eby warns the judgment could put the courts in the “driver’s seat” for determining what must be included in provincial legislation.
  “It will take some time for us to come up with the appropriate amendments, but clearly amendments are needed,
  
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• VIDEO: Free community Tuba Christmas concert goes on despite rain

  09-12-2025 01:09 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Chilliwack’s second annual Tuba Christmas brought some holiday cheer to an otherwise dreary Saturday.
  About two dozen tuba and euphonium players gathered in District 1881 to play an hour of Christmas music.
  Organizers set up tents to keep the musicians mostly dry as they worked through their set.
  The free concert is one of several events planned downtown this holiday season. It was first brought to life by organizer Zach Power last year, with an open call to musician is the community to co
  
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• Three students, school bus driver sent to hospital after bus crash in Hope

  09-12-2025 01:08 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A school bus driver and three students have been taken to the Fraser Canyon Hospital for observation after the bus hit two parked cars in Hope.
  Hope RCMP were on scene Monday, Dec. 8, after 3 p.m. after a school bus, transporting students from Silver Creek Elementary School (SCES) to Coquihalla Elementary School, hit a black car and a red car parked on 4th Avenue.
  “We are grateful to share that there are no reports of serious injuries,” said Balan Moorthy, Fraser-Cascade School Distr
  
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• Budding idea planted in bid to save Victoria’s slashed hanging basket budget

  09-12-2025 00:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  One city council member hopes the public will turn out to save the slashed flowering basket program in Victoria.
  In a budget-saving move, the city cut the program in half for 2026, focusing on high tourism areas. It was a topic up for discussion during 2025 budget talks, and agreed to in the draft budget for next year during a November committee meeting.
  “While the proposed changes were made in open discussion, public consultation and opportunity for input at an open forum had not occurred
  
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• Whitecaps player moves post-Cup, FIFA World Cup news in Vancouver

  09-12-2025 00:41 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Metro Vancouver-area soccer fans had plenty to chew on last weekend with Whitecaps FC losing the MLS Cup to Inter Miami and 2026 FIFA World Cup matches announced for BC Place Stadium next summer.
  The Whitecaps battled viliantly Saturday (Dec. 6) but fell 3-1 in Florida to the Lionel Messi-led Miami squad at Chase Stadium.
  It’s a very short break for the Whitecaps who have a “report date” of Jan. 13 for the next MLS season, which kicks off at home Feb. 21 against Real Salt Lake.
  
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• A Christmas Carol adapted into a live radio play in Nanaimo

  09-12-2025 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A holiday radio play this week will bring a new local adaptation to a Christmas classic.
  The Artists’ Collective Theatre presents A Christmas Carol as a live radio play on Friday, Dec. 12, at St. Andrew’s United Church.
  The adaptation, written by Amanda Cutting, will be performed “with classic radio flair, nostalgic jingles and fund throwback references to beloved Nanaimo businesses of the 1940s and ’50s,” noted a press release.
  The show stars Andrew Speirs as Scroo
  
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• Former Victoria Royals pair land World Junior roster shots with Canada

  09-12-2025 00:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  It’s the most wonderful time of the year for hockey fans, and two former Victoria Royals are right in the thick of it.
  Cole Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff have cracked Canada’s preliminary roster for the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championships.
  View this post on InstagramA post shared by North Dakota Men's Hockey (@undmhockey)Canada head coach Dale Hunter said the tone for the tournament is already set.
  “I’m thrilled for the opportunity to coach this exceptional group of youn
  
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• Suspicious item shuts down Courtenay bridge for over an hour Saturday

  09-12-2025 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Comox Valley RCMP say the discovery of an unusual ‘construction-demolition-type item’ led to the shut-down of Courtenay’s Fifth Street bridge on December 7.
  Staff Sgt. Troy Beauregard says the item was discovered by someone passing under the bridge shortly before 3 p.m.
  ”Members attended, we were able to obtain some photographs of the device and it was concerning enough, we were able to forward those along to our explosives demolition unit in Surrey,” Beauregard say
  
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• Cowichan hockey team warns of email scam targeting potential BCHL food vendors

  08-12-2025 23:37 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Cowichan Valley Capitals’ front-office staff are warning area vendors about a scam where thieves are pretending to be them.
  “We’ve been made aware of a scam email going around of people pretending to be our business operations department asking for vendors. Please do NOT reply!” wrote the team on Facebook.
  Capitals business and sales direstor Melanie Molleken said the team will only send emails coming from @cowichancapitals.com and if you receive an email and you thin
  
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• Lawyer appointed for former Victoria masseur found guilty of sexual assault

  08-12-2025 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A former masseur who was found guilty of sexually assaulting five women at a Victoria spa will have a lawyer appointed to him as he attempts to appeal his conviction.
  Ajesh Jacob was tried on nine counts of sexual assault after multiple clients at Big Feet, a downtown reflexology studio, claimed he had sexually touched them without their permission. He was found guilty on five counts in December 2024 and subsequently sentenced to jail time of two years less a day and another three years of proba
  
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• Heroes with fur: Goodest boys and girls urged to donate to B.C. pet blood bank

  08-12-2025 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Not all heroes wear capes.
  Some have fur.
  ‘Tis the season of giving, and there’s alwasy a need for blood — including dog and cat blood, which a Surrey veterinary hospital is encouraging pet guardians throughout the Lower Mainland to consider.
  While many humans donate their own blood whenever possible, they might not realize that their pets may one day, need the same, noted Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital veterinarian Dr. Sheila Hoe.
  As a specialist hospital, they oft
  
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• RCMP seek witnesses after pedestrian hit on TCH in Shawnigan

  08-12-2025 22:06 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Shawnigan Lake RCMP is seeking dashcam footage after a female pedestrian was struck on the Trans-Canada Highway, north of Cowichan Bay Road, on Nov. 21.
  Shortly after 11 p.m., the RCMP was called to a report of a woman allegedly struck by a vehicle in the 4100 block of the TCH. Police attended with Emergency Health Services.
  The driver of the vehicle involved remained at the scene of the collision and cooperated with the investigation.
  Criminality is not suspected at this time, however the pedes
  
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• Officers at road checks find very few impaired drivers on Nanaimo’s streets

  08-12-2025 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Sober drivers sailed through police road checks during an anti-impaired driving campaign by Nanaimo RCMP on the weekend.
  The Light Up the Night campaign, a national initiative targeting impaired drivers, was carried out Saturday, Dec. 6, and ran into the early morning hours Sunday, Dec. 7, and by the end of the night about 500 drivers of all ages in Nanaimo were asked if they’d had anything to drink that evening.
  Road checks were set up at various locations, but regardless of the time or l
  
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