Nanaimo news

• Railroaders across B.C. continue 11-week strike as union rejects CPKC offer

  15-08-2026 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Labour disruption continues for CPKC’s signal and communications department across Canada as union members overwhelmingly reject the railway company’s latest contract offer.
  Eleven weeks have passed since the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Canadian Signals and Communications Systems Council No. 11 began striking between Vancouver and Montreal over concerns about CPKC’s wages, employee expenses, on-call obligations and demanding schedules.
  This action beg
  
  Read more

• Former WHL, OHL players can join legal action regarding abuse claims

  25-08-2026 20:08 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  New developments in litigation will allow former junior hockey players who competed in the Western Hockey League or Ontario Hockey League a new avenue to seek compensation for alleged bullying, harassment or abuse experienced during their tenure in the Canadian Hockey League.Skaters who have played in those leagues at any time since May 8, 1975 and say they’ve experienced abuse are eligible to join a court created opt-in process. Those wishing to join the process have until April 6, 2027 a
  
  Read more

• Two families displaced by North Cowichan duplex fire

  25-08-2026 19:46 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  On Aug. 22, at approximately 4:45 p.m., North Cowichan firefighters responded to a house fire on Drombeg Place, just off of Auchinachie Road.
  North Cowichan Fire Chief Ron French said there were around 25 members on scene, with three apparatuses from the south end, and one from Maple Bay.The fire left both sides of the duplex a total loss.
  The fire progressed quickly, French said, due to wind that afternoon, though firefighters acted quickly to contain it the blaze.
  “The crew did a great j
  
  Read more

• Taking outhouse to another level: Man rides toilet on Okanagan lake

  25-08-2026 19:42 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Fun in the water and on the toilet.
  ​That was the scene for a Kelowna man who was enjoying Okanagan Lake over the weekend when he spotted another man riding an E-Foil with a toilet attached to it.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Okanagan Efoils (@okanaganefoils)​An Instagram post from Okanagan E-Foils shows the incident on the west side of the lake near the W.R. Bennett Bridge, captioned “What a weird thing to see from your boat…”
  ​The funny, unusu
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• After blowout win and loss to Rams, VI Raiders prep for Okanagan Sun rematch

  25-08-2026 19:39 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  With a 77-0 blowout win, followed by a 31-12 loss to the top-ranked Langley Rams, the Vancouver Island Raiders are prepping for a rematch with the Okanagan Sun.
  The Raiders, currently third in the B.C. Football Conference, play the second place Sun Saturday, Aug. 29 on the road. Okanagan handed Vancouver Island a 45-17 loss in the first regular season game of 2026.
  The Raiders started the Saturday, Aug. 22 game against the first place Rams, at Q’unq’inuqwstuxw Stadium, well enough, s
  
  Read more

• Trial of B.C. police officer accused of sexual assault pushed to 2027

  25-08-2026 19:17 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The trial of a Central Saanich police officer accused of sexual assault has been delayed until February as lawyers determine the admissibility of evidence ahead of the trial.
  On Monday, Aug 24, Const. Ryan Johnston of the Central Saanich Police Service (CSPS) was supposed to stand trial, however, the hearing was mostly in camera as lawyers and the justice considered a future hearing to determine the admissibility of publicly unknown evidence.
  In December 2024, the Vancouver Police Department ann
  
  Read more

• Man seriously injured in late-night stabbing in Vancouver Island city

  25-08-2026 19:04 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A man was stabbed during a fight involving several people in downtown Victoria.
  Victoria Police Department (VicPD) said they responded to multiple reports of the incident late Sunday evening (Aug. 23), shortly before midnight, in the 1000-block of Johnson Street.
  However, when police arrived at the scene, the people involved had left the area.
  “Officers located evidence at the scene consistent with a violent altercation, including damage to a nearby business and blood,” said a statem
  
  Read more

• PSL launch signals sweater weather, but drought more likely behind Victoria’s early leaf fall

  25-08-2026 19:03 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  While pumpkin spice season is at hand for some coffee drinkers, it’s still too early for the leaf colour changes spotted across the South Island landscape.
  Foliage changes early in some areas may be an indication of the stress trees are facing, primarily due to heat and drought, in Greater Victoria.Scorch or early browning of leaves is easy to spot, says Matthew Coady, an arborist and area manager of Western Operations for Davey Tree Canada.Leaves are green because of chlorophyll, which ab
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Lightning-caused fires continue to reveal themselves on South Island

  25-08-2026 15:58 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A trio of small wildfires is burning in the wooded areas of the South Coast – each deemed .009 hectares and attributed to lightning.
  A fire near Lens Creek, about 70 km northwest of Sooke, deemed spreading or anticipated to spread beyond the current perimeter, was discovered Monday (Aug. 24) according to BC Wildfire Service and likely caused by lightning in the storm that passed through Sunday.The other two fires are also associated with the same storm. A fire at Granite Main is deemed &ld
  
  Read more

• Rising temperature could increase activity at Bald Range blaze by Summerland

  25-08-2026 14:56 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  While BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said it could take advantage of lower temperatures over the weekend, rising heat would increase activity on the western flank of the Bald Range wildfire on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
  The west flank of the fire, north of Isintok Lake, has been the most active portion of late, and with highs of 31 C and 33 C on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, and an increase in winds, that fire activity could increase.
  As of Tuesday morning, six evacuation orders and 10 evacuation aler
  
  Read more

• Lantzville mountain biker to rep the Maple Leaf at world championships in Italy

  25-08-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Nanaimo area mountain biker has been selected to represent Team Canada at the world championships this week.
  Lantzville resident Piper Graaten, 16, will rep the Maple Leaf at the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val Di Sole, Italy from Wednesday-Sunday, Aug. 26-30, on the strength of her performance at the 2026 Canadian Downhill Mountain Bike Championships at Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops in late July – she took third in the expert women U19 division with a time of 5:33.99.
  
  Read more

• Evacuation alerts lifted in Peachland amid Bald Range wildfire in Summerland

  25-08-2026 14:23 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Less than an hour after lifting all evacuation alerts at the Quilpituk Creek wildfire, the Central Okanagan EOC announced the same for all properties in Peachland and Electoral Area West due to the Bald Range wildfire.
  “Although the Bald Range wildfire remains classified as out of control, BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) has concluded that the threat to these communities has passed,” said the EOC in an Aug. 24 press release.
  According to the EOC, BCWS will continue mop up operations along
  
  Read more

• 1982 Wells Gray Park murderer denied parole again

  25-08-2026 02:18 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The B.C. man who killed six members of a vacationing family in 1982 has once again been denied parole.
  David Ennis, formerly David Shearing, was denied full parole for the fourth time by the Parole Board of Canada. The decision was made on Aug. 19 and stated that Ennis’ risk of reoffending remains elevated.
  Ennis is serving a life sentence for six counts of second-degree murder for the killing of West Kelowna residents Bob and Jackie Johnson, their daughters Janet, 13, and Karen, 11, and J
  
  Read more

• Greater Victoria vets warn of increased bat activity

  25-08-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Veterinarians are reminding the public that there is a high level of bat activity on Vancouver Island, which can present a risk of rabies to people and pets.
  According to a social media post from the Peninsula Veterinary Hospital in Sidney, a bat crashed into one of their employees while she was walking her dog in Brentwood Bay last week, contacting her skin close to her head and neck. They say she was assessed and started on rabies post-exposure treatments.
  They say the ER physician noted a spi
  
  Read more

• Findlay shuffles B.C. Conservative critic roles after Milobar, Paton departures

  25-08-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay is forced to shuffle critic roles after two MLAs with major portfolios quit the party, and a third stepped down to allow her to run in a byelection.
  Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew will take over the Finance critic role from Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar, who quit on Aug. 14.
  Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman will take the Agriculture portfolio from Delta South MLA Ian Paton, who announced on Monday (Aug. 24) that he too is leaving the party to sit
  
  Read more

• Evacuation orders, alerts downgraded for Ainslie Creek wildfire west of Coquihalla

  24-08-2026 23:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) has downgraded some properties on evacuation order to alert, and some on evacuation alert to all clear, due to decreased threat from the Ainslie Creek wildfire.
  The fire, still burning out of control between Highway 1 in the Fraser Canyon, Highway 8, and Highway 5, showed minimal growth over the past 24 hours. As of noon on Monday (Aug. 24) it was estimated at 67,722 hectares; only 15 hectares larger than on Sunday.
  An evacuation order covering 61 add
  
  Read more

• Inside Victoria’s century-old legislative library preserving B.C.’s history

  24-08-2026 22:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Tucked away from public view, beyond the limits of the B.C. legislature’s guided tours, lies one of the province’s best-kept hidden gems.
  Making your way through the maze-like halls of the government building, you can eventually find the legislative library.
  As visitors enter the premises, they are met by architecture that blends the grandeur of Versailles with the elegance of Oxford’s historic reading rooms, featuring towering scagliola columns, Carrara marble walls imported f
  
  Read more

• Victoria cycling grandmothers tackle 20th 5-week fundraising ride for peers in Africa

  24-08-2026 20:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Small swarms of cycling women bedecked in bright green, orange and yellow jerseys are among the 73 cyclists in the five-week Victoria Grandmothers 20th annual cycle tour.Most days one group or another can be seen across Greater Victoria – riding the trails to the Roost, ’round the coast, or out to Sooke Potholes. Among them is first-time participant Christine Gotzman, who has always loved riding, an activity that makes her feel ageless.“I’m simply enjoying the moment, the
  
  Read more

• PHOTOS: B.C.’s buffest flex their skills at strongman provincials in Abbotsford

  24-08-2026 20:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Mountains of muscle were on display at B.C. Strongman Provincials, which took over a corner of the Sevenoaks Shopping Centre parking lot on Aug. 15.
  Frank Lalonde, who was one of the event organizers, said the competition was a big success and led to many athletes setting new personal records.
  The competitors went toe-to-toe across five events, which included squats, stone to shoulder, overhead press, deadlifts, and shield carry.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Brandon Tucker | Event
  
  Read more

• No kidding: ‘Goatscaping’ herd take bite out of wildfire risk in B.C. city

  24-08-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  When you think of goats, you might picture cute, four-legged mischief-makers capable of eating just about anything in their path – from underwear left hanging on a clothesline to, according to one person, an entire couch.
  Fire service volunteers probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind.
  While tales of goats devouring unusual objects may be more myth than fact, there’s no denying their appetite can serve a useful purpose. The critters enjoy nothing more than munching t
  
  Read more

• Suspected lightning-caused wildfire under control in Sooke Hills

  24-08-2026 19:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A small wildfire suspected to have been caused by a lightning strike is burning in Sooke Hills.
  Discovered Sunday, Aug. 23, the fire is located at Empress Mountain, within the Sea to Sea Regional Park.
  An update from the BC Wildfire Service Monday morning (Aug. 24), listed the fire as under control. The fire is not projected to spread beyond its current perimeter.
  BC Wildfire crews are responding to the wildfire listed as 0.009 hectares in size, with support from aviation crews.
  Smoke may be vis
  
  Read more

• Okanagan man’s death near Kamloops still a mystery one year later

  24-08-2026 19:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The murder of a Vernon Secondary School graduate on the outskirts of Kamloops remains a mystery one year later.
  At approximately 4 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, Kamloops RCMP responded to a vehicle fire on Tranquille-Criss Creek Road, where the body of 25-year-old Kamloops resident Dillen Bain was located deceased inside the vehicle.Bain was a 2018 VSS grad.
  The vehicle, a black 2019 Volkswagen Golf, is believed to have been intentionally set on fire along the service road.
  Prior to the fire, t
  
  Read more

• DEVELOPMENT OF A PEST MANAGEMENT PLAN: Reference No. TMW-0004-27-32

  24-08-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  As per the Integrated Pest Management Act of British Columbia, Section 61(1) this is a public notification that:
  TELUS Communications Inc./Terrion is renewing an Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPMP) under the BC Integrated Pest Management Act and Regulation. TELUS manages property in the Province of BC which includes communications towers, network buildings and rights-of-way for above and below ground operations. The plan is described to ensure effective and safe control for invasive weeds and
  
  Read more

• Nanaimo South Wellington Community Centre opens to public

  24-08-2026 18:14 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The South Wellington Community Centre officially opened its doors, marking an end to a decade-long process which involved saving the building from demolition.On Wednesday, Aug. 19, the ribbon was cut, opening the centre, which also features a community park including a playground, sport court with basketball hoops and a play field.
  Originally, the site had been home to the South Wellington School, which had operated from 1969 until its closure in 2013.
  During the opening, Nanaimo-Lantzville MLA
  
  Read more

• Ian Paton leaves B.C. Conservatives, plans to form new party with Peter Milobar

  24-08-2026 18:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Delta South MLA Ian Paton is leaving the Conservative Party of B.C. to sit as an Independent and intends to form a new party with Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar in the coming weeks.
  Milobar will be the new party’s interim leader.
  The pair appeared together on the front steps of the B.C. legislature Monday morning (Aug. 24) to announce their intentions, shortly after Paton informed B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay he would leave her party.
  Paton says he is dissatisfied with h
  
  Read more

• Ian Paton leaves B.C. Conservatives, plans to form new party

  24-08-2026 18:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Delta South MLA Ian Paton is leaving the Conservative Party of B.C. to sit as an Independent.Paton made the announcement on the front steps of the B.C. Legislature Monday morning (Aug. 24).
  He said he was authorized advisory role in agriculture to give up his seat for new B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
  Paton was at least one of three MLAs who said no when asked to step down from their seat to allow Findlay to run.
  The morning after that news broke, Paton, in a statement released b
  
  Read more

• 1 evacuation alert rescinded after change in Brunswick Complex fire activity

  24-08-2026 17:04 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  An evacuation alert for Area B in the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) has been rescinded.
  The regional district announced that the alert for Sawmill Creek to Dogwood Valley first issued on Aug. 1 was cancelled after a change in wildfire activity in the area.
  Other evacuation orders and alerts from the FVRD related to the Brunswick Complex remain in effect. The regional district’s Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) continues to operate.The Brunswick Complex, which includes the 67,722-h
  
  Read more

• UPDATE: 5 wildfires remain out-of-control between Coquihalla, Highway 5A, Highway 3

  24-08-2026 15:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE 9:40 a.m.
  A new fire has sparked west of Highway 5A.
  The latest blaze, located by Bates Creek, is 0.009 hectares in size and out-of-control. It is suspected to be lightning-caused.
  The other fires in the area have not been updated by BC Wildfire Service yet on Monday.
  Original
  A thunderstorm over the weekend caused multiple wildfires to spark close to Tulameen and the surrounding area.
  As of Monday morning (Aug. 24), there are four out-of-control wildfires between the Coquihalla Highway,
  
  Read more

• 4 wildfires remain out-of-control between Coquihalla, Highway 5A, Highway 3

  24-08-2026 15:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A thunderstorm over the weekend caused multiple wildfires to spark close to Tulameen and the surrounding area.
  As of Monday morning (Aug. 24), there are four out-of-control wildfires between the Coquihalla Highway, Highway 3, and Highway 5A, with three of them west of Tulameen.
  Of those, the largest one is along Lawless Creek Forest Service Road, close to Lower Mount Rabbit. In its last update, which came at 5:16 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23, the fire was listed at 12.17 hectares in size.
  A little no
  
  Read more

• Victoria police seek missing ‘vulnerable’ teen who may be Vancouver-bound

  24-08-2026 15:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Victoria Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating 16-year-old Alanna, who was reported missing by her family Sunday (Aug. 23).Alanna is considered vulnerable, and police are concerned for her wellbeing.The teen is described as 5’4″ with a medium build and long, thick black hair. She last seen wearing a black hoodie with white lettering on the sleeve, grey pants and carrying a black bag.
  Police have information that Alanna may have travelled to Vancouver and are
  
  Read more

Follow @news_nanaimo on Twitter!