Nanaimo news

• QUIZ: December is about more than Christmas

  07-12-2025 13:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The signs of the festive season are prominent in December, with lights, decorations, visits with Santa and other Christmas-themed messages.
  However, there is more to the month of December than the Christmas celebration.
  There are observances, celebrations and days of historical importance throughout the month.
  How much do you know about the non-Christmas elements of December?
  Put your knowledge to the test with these 10 questions.
  Good luck.READ MORE: QUIZ: The quest for information
  READ MORE: Q
  
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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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• 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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• UBCM asks province to amend legislation to ban hybrid wolf-dogs

  08-12-2025 21:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Union of BC Municipalities has endorsed a resolution that calls on the provincial government to “immediately” amend either the Controlled Alien Species Regulation or the Wildlife Act to prohibit the breeding and keeping of wolf-dog hybrids.
  Resolution NR76, passed during UBCM’s quarterly meeting on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14, noted that exotic animals and their hybrids are not domesticated and “suffer physically and psychologically when bred, kept, displayed and sold in capt
  
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• Island hockey player joins Ukraine for high stakes U20 World Championship bid

  08-12-2025 21:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Mykola Kosarev’s adjustment to North American hockey will pause briefly, but for good reason.
  The 18-year-old Royals’ defenceman is off to Slovenia to represent Ukraine in Group A of the 2026 Division I U20 World Hockey Championship.
  View this post on InstagramA post shared by Victoria Royals (@victoriaroyals)Kosarev, a first-year blueliner with Victoria, will join his home nation for the tournament running Dec. 7 to 13.
  It marks a return to international duty for the left-shot defen
  
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• Injured biker rescued after 5-plus hour rescue operation on Island trail

  08-12-2025 20:59 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Comox Valley Search and Rescue (CVSAR) was busy on Dec. 6, rescuing a mountain biker in an operation that took over five hours.
  CVSAR got the call late in the morning from BCEHS to assist with a medical incident on the Blockhead Trail in Campbell River.
  According to trailforks.com, a trail database, Blockhead is a 1.1-km trail with a difficulty rating of black diamond (or very difficult) and is mostly downhill.
  “The call involved a mountain biker who was injured on the trail and requir
  
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• Montana movie filmed in small B.C. town

  08-12-2025 20:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Hollywood has put some roadblocks in Enderby.
  Filming for a movie is underway in downtown Enderby Monday, Dec. 8.
  Called Billings, the film is based on Billings, Montana and reportedly stars Alexander Ludwig.Produced by Enderby Entertainment – the company founded by Enderby native Rick Dugdale – filming is underway at Enderby’s library.
  Portions of Cliff Avenue and Belvedere Street are closed to vehicle traffic.
  Intersections at Belvedere/Mill and Cliff/Vernon will generally be
  
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• Pattullo Bridge renamed Stal̕əw̓asəm, replacement span to open soon

  08-12-2025 19:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The new Pattullo Bridge will have a name in the Indigenous halkomelem (hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓) language when it opens in coming weeks, with the bridge deck connected and final paving underway.
  The Surrey-New Westminster span is now known as Stal̕əw̓asəm, in recognition of “First Nations’ deep historical and current connections to the area,” according to B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Transit.
  The new name — prono
  
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• Trio of cougars reported near Brentwood Bay, police warn residents

  08-12-2025 19:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Central Saanich police issued a cougar-sighting alert on the morning of Dec. 7 after a group of three cougars was reported in the 7300-block of West Saanich Road. No conflicts with people have been reported.
  The province advises residents to stay calm and keep the animal in sight if they encounter a cougar. Avoid running or turning your back on the animal—back away slowly and give the animal space to escape.
  Children should be picked up immediately, as sudden movement or noise can provoke
  
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• Dom Dolla, Fisher to headline 2026 FVDED music fest in Surrey

  08-12-2025 18:41 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Dom Dolla, Fisher, Disco Lines, Griz and dozens of other dance music artists will pump up the volume at next summer’s FVDED in the Park festival in Surrey.
  Holland Park will again host the two-day concert on the weekend of July 3-4, 2026.
  Surrey’s largest annual ticketed music festival, FVDED typically attracts close to 25,000 people daily.
  Vancouver-based Blueprint announced the 2026 fest lineup on social media Sunday (Dec. 7), ahead of dates for “presale” ticket sales (
  
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• 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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• Call for Christmas cards to brighten the holidays for Kamloops attack victim

  08-12-2025 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Store bought, homemade, musical, colourful, sweet or funny, Kamloops mom Sue Simpson is calling for Christmas cards again to brighten the season for her adult son Jessie.
  Jessie was attacked in 2016 with a baseball bat and left in a coma. Nearly a year after the attack, Jessie woke up and has since defied the odds in his recovery.
  Simpson said, however, the past year has been a challenging one and she doesn’t know how many more holiday seasons they have left together.
  “I don’t
  
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• B.C. woman mistakenly calls 911 to order pizza, gets visit from police

  08-12-2025 16:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A woman mistakenly called 911 while trying to order a pizza in Mission last week.
  According to Mission RCMP’s weekly “Community Connection” crime recap, the woman became “rather upset” when the 911 call-taker couldn’t help with her request and informed her that police would stop by to check on her.
  “911 is a simple, easy to remember number. In fact, it’s so easy to dial, that from time-to-time, people dial it by mistake,” RCMP said.
  The woman
  
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• Winter blows in with travel warnings for multiple B.C. regions

  08-12-2025 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Several weather warnings are in effect this morning for highway travel as wet and windy conditions move across B.C.
  Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for Highway 1, between Eagle Pass and Rogers Pass, with 20 to 30 centimetres of snow expected. Snowfall is expected to intensify by the afternoon and taper off overnight. Furthermore, overnights winds of up to 60 km/h are expected.Five highway alerts have been issued due to strong winds that include the Sea to Sky Highway, the Okanag
  
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• Vancouver Island show will leave audiences howling – and that’s not up for debate

  08-12-2025 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Do billionaires have it harder than millionaires? Was Darth Vader a bad father? Or how about (gulp), Should Canada become the 51st state?
  All of these topics and more have at one time been the topic of debate on what is arguably the most original and funniest comedy program that the CBC has ever produced.
  The Debaters is a program that pits very funny comedians against one another in a toe-to-toe battle of laughs and logic. It’s part stand-up, part improv, and all side-splittingly hilariou
  
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• B.C. woman details assault in West Bank while protecting Palestinian civilians

  08-12-2025 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A Nelson, B.C., woman says she was assaulted by Israeli settlers while defending Palestinians in the West Bank.
  The woman and three other Italian men were allegedly attacked Nov. 30 in the village Duyuk, where they were serving as unarmed civilian protection for Palestinians against Israeli settlers.
  The woman, who is recovering in the capital of Ramallah, spoke to the Nelson Star on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal while she remains in the region.
  She said the group had just fall
  
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• More cardiology services being considered on south Island as central Island waits

  08-12-2025 14:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Island Health has confirmed it is working on concept plans to open a room for pacemaker insertion in Victoria that has the capacity to function as a cath lab, although cath lab service is not its intention.
  During a board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 3, Marko Peljhan, Island Health’s vice-president of acute clinical operations and provincial programs, addressed an inquiry about a new “cath lab procedure room” at Royal Jubilee Hospital included in a draft report by KPMG. While the
  
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• You need winter tires in B.C. and here’s why: Road Safety at Work

  08-12-2025 14:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Winter tires are worth every penny when it comes to safety on the roads.
  That is the message Road Safety at Work was trying to get out at a tire demonstration on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the Justice Institute of BC, (JIBC), track on the Pitt Meadows Regional Airport grounds.
  For the demonstration the agency pitted all-season mud and slush tires with good treads against dedicated brand new winter tires.
  There were four different exercises JIBC driving instructor Dan Guilfoyle put the tires through d
  
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• B.C. man charged with money laundering after Alberta man loses nearly $600K online

  08-12-2025 13:19 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Police in Alberta have charged a Delta man with money laundering after a Lethbridge man was defrauded of nearly $600,000 in an investment scam.
  According to a press release from the Lethbridge Police Service, a 59-year-old man reported on Nov. 30, 2024 that he had been the victim of a scam after conversing with someone online about investment opportunities and providing them with significant funds.
  The police service’s Economic Crimes Unit investigated and determined that between June and
  
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• VIU Mariners hockey team finishes first half in first place

  08-12-2025 05:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The VIU Mariners go into the holiday break atop the standings, but also well aware that hockey season always gets harder in the second half.
  Vancouver Island University’s hockey club won its final regular season game of 2025, blowing out the Okanagan Lakers by an 8-2 score this past Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Nanaimo Ice Centre.
  The game was relatively close for two periods, 3-1 going into the third, but the Mariners’ waves of pressure eventually started paying off.
  “It wears on
  
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• Nanaimo Concert Band adds Christmas music to the season

  08-12-2025 04:10 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Nanaimo Concert Band brought wind, brass and percussion to the audience’s Christmas favourites. The band held its annual Christmas concert on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Beban Park Social Centre.
  The concert doubled as a charity drive for the Salvation Army and concert-goers filled the kettle with cash and filled the non-profit’s van with non-perishable food items.
  Maj. Robin Borrows of the Salvation Army said the musicians and the audience members were definitely helping people in th
  
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