Nanaimo news

• Second million-dollar ticket purchased in Agassiz in two months

  22-10-2026 20:09 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  What are the odds?According to the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, another million-dollar lotto ticket has been sold in Agassiz in just two months.The Oct. 20 Lotto Max numbers were 8, 15, 19, 23, 26, 28, 34 with a bonus 38. It has not been specified where within Agassiz the latest winning ticket has been purchased.
  In late September, Seble G. of Vancouver picked up a Lotto 6/49 ticket from the Canco on the corner of Highway 7 and Hot Springs Road in Agassiz.“I was at a gas station picki
  
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• RCMP investigating 2 vehicle fires at Lake Cowichan on Halloween

  03-11-2026 22:05 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  Lake Cowichan RCMP are investigating two suspicious vehicle fires that took place on Halloween.
  On Oct. 31 just before 1:30 a.m. Lake Cowichan RCMP responded to assist the Lake Cowichan Fire Department at a vehicle fire on Johnson Place in Lake Cowichan.
  A Ford F350 was damaged in the fire.
  While RCMP were investigating this incident they were called to another vehicle on fire in the 140 block of Berar Road. This time a Toyota Tacoma was the damaged vehicle.
  The incidents occurred about 2.5 kilo
  
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• Mercer International files for bankruptcy, says B.C. operations will continue as usual

  03-11-2026 22:02 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  Mercer International, which employs over 1,000 people in British Columbia, has filed for bankruptcy in the United States.
  Mercer employs about 400 people at the Celgar pulp mill in Castlegar as well as 360 people at Mercer Peace River, 70 at Mercer Forestry Services in Lumby, 95 at Mercer Okanagan in Penticton/Okanagan Falls and 80 at Mercer International in Vancouver. The company also has operations in Germany and the U.S.
  Indications of financial difficulties have been surfacing for several mo
  
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• 3 sought by RCMP in West Kelowna kidnapping investigation

  03-11-2026 22:01 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  The West Kelowna RCMP are searching for three people who are wanted in connection to an alleged kidnapping and aggravated assault investigation.The police are asking the public to keep an eye out for Crystal Richard, Briaden Rosch and Scott Chambers, who have warrants stemming from an incident that occurred in the late hours of Aug. 26 where a victim was allegedly assaulted and taken from a business located on West Kelowna’s Industrial Road.“This investigation remains active and investigator
  
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• 1 dead, 1 missing after suspected bear attack near Bella Coola

  03-11-2026 20:59 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  One person has been found dead following a suspected grizzly bear attack near Bella Coola, as search efforts continue for a second missing individual.
  According to a social media post by the BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS), officers are in Bella Coola investigating a suspected fatal bear attack in the Snooka West Trail area.
  BCCOS said the individual was located deceased in the Snooka West Trail area on Monday, Nov. 2, in the afternoon after search efforts involving the RCMP and Bella Co
  
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• Water level low in Okanagan Lake

  03-11-2026 20:18 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The water level in Okanagan Lake is considerably lower than normal this fall.
  “We’re significantly down,” said Nelson Jatel, water stewardship director with the Okanagan Basin Water Board. “We need to be talking about how we will approach 2027.”
  This year, the peak level at the lake was 341.41 metres, which is 1,066 millimetres below full pool.
  Since that time, the lake level has fallen by 76 millimetres and as of Nov. 1, was at 1,147 millimetres below full pool, according to water boa
  
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• Chihuahua with something to prove? Grizzlies want your dog in Colwood

  03-11-2026 20:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Victoria Grizzlies are preparing to unleash complete canine chaos on the ice.
  The BCHL club is searching for 10 four-legged speedsters to compete in a Pup Race during their Nov. 20 home game against the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
  While Victoria usually relies on crisp passes and structured breakouts, the team is fully expecting this intermission event to go entirely off the rails.
  “Whether you’ve got a lightning-fast lab, a speedy sausage dog, or a Chihuahua with something to prove, WE WA
  
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• ‘Heated Rivalry’ star faces questions from B.C. interviewers in The Assembly’s 2nd season

  03-11-2026 19:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Season 2 of unscripted series The Assembly launched Sunday, Nov. 1, with several Surrey/White Rock interviewers asking questions of celebrities and public figures from across Canada and the world.
  An expanded cast of more than 30 neurodivergent and autistic adults is featured on the award-winning series, an adaptation of a French show.
  Each episode sees a different high-profile person take part in an ask-anything interview with unpredictable and direct questions.First up this fall is Heated Riva
  
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• Guardian angels serve home-cooked meals to Campbell River’s less fortunate

  03-11-2026 19:04 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Barb Lippke knows struggle.“I grew up witnessing, and around, a lot of people who struggled with addiction and I have someone that I love that’s really close to me that struggles with addiction,” said the former support worker, who has worked in emergency shelters, transitional housing, and supportive living housing.
  Now four years sober herself, Lippke is finding healing in helping Campbell River’s less fortunate.
  “I like being able to create a safe space and a non-judgmental space. I
  
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• Nanaimo’s Poetry Trail to be launched this fall

  03-11-2026 18:55 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Poetic prompts have been added along city trails this fall, as part of a collaboration between Nanaimo’s poet laureate Neil Surkan and the city.
  Designed to spark reflection and creativity outdoors, the ‘Poetry Trail’ project places poetic prompts along city trails, inviting residents to engage with poetry in everyday life.
  According to the city’s website, each prompt is featured on a custom “viewfinder” that frames the surrounding landscape, encouraging visitors to pause, reflect an
  
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• Cobble Hill ceremony honours Canadian soldiers who lost their lives on home soil

  03-11-2026 18:54 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Agentle morning chill, and the crisp sound of the bagpipes filled the air on Oct. 22 as community members gathered around the Cobble Hill Cenotaph for the 12th consecutive year to participate in a vigil honouring Canadian soldiers who have lost their lives on Canadian soil in non-combat situations.Hearts were extra heavy this year, as those in attendance remembered the four young men from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry who lost their lives earlier this month dur
  
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• Busy Halloween weekend for Cowichan SAR

  03-11-2026 18:51 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  With four calls in four days, Cowichan Search and Rescue had a busy Halloween weekend.
  SAR posted to their Facebook page that they were called out to a case of lost hikers, a rescue from an off-road vehicle crash, a missing teen, and a report of a person in the water near the Cowichan Lake weir.
  It started on Oct. 29 when SAR got a call about three lost hikers near the summit of Mount Tzouhalem. The hikers had gone off the trail and were cold, wet, and unsure of their location. Members drove to
  
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• 4.2 magnitude quake rattles Juan de Fuca plate northwest of Port Hardy

  03-11-2026 18:17 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck 193 kilometres off the northwest of Port Hardy at 1:10 p.m. on Nov. 2.
  According to Earthquakes Canada, the seismic activity occurred at an underground depth of 10 kilometres along the Juan de Fuca plate, a tectonic subduction plate that moves under the North American plate. So far, there have been no reports of people feeling the shaking, and the US Tsunami Warning System did not list the event on their alert map or tracking dashboard.
  
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• Feds ‘all in’ on new Fraser River crossing, whether bridge or tunnel

  03-11-2026 18:14 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Ottawa will stand behind its $3-billion commitment towards replacing the George Massey Tunnel, whatever form that project ultimately takes.
  Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon confirmed his government’s position during a press conference in Delta on Friday, Oct. 30 to announce listing the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RPT2) port expansion as a project of national interest, a designation that will allow the government to streamline permitting and approvals, and accelerate the new facility’
  
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• An abandoned apartment building is burning in Port Alberni

  03-11-2026 18:02 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Multiple fire departments in Port Alberni responded to a fire in an abandoned apartment building on Tuesday morning.
  Just before 8 a.m. multiple calls were made to 911 about the building in the 3600-block of Fourth Avenue. Flames could be seen coming from the second floor of the former Wintergreen Apartments.
  Fourth Avenue between Burde and Bute Streets remains closed as firefighters continue to attack the fire. An excavator will be on scene to take down parts of the building and allow firefight
  
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• ‘A labour of love’: Foundation plans memorial for B.C. hockey player

  03-11-2026 17:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Former teammates, coaches and friends of Grant Gilbertson are being asked to donate their old hockey sticks to help create a memorial honouring the late Sooke player.
  The Grant Gilbertson Memorial Foundation (GGMF) is seeking 30 to 45 used sticks to build a Christmas tree-shaped sculpture. The memorial is planned for display at SEAPARC Recreation Complex during its Festival of Trees from Nov. 24 to Dec. 27, before heading to the annual memorial game honouring Gilbertson on Jan. 3 in North Saanic
  
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• Man handed 7.5 year sentence for 2017 Oak Bay machete attack

  03-11-2026 16:11 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A man who pled guilty to aggravated assault and break and enter has been handed a 7.5-year sentence for breaking into an Oak Bay home and attacking a house-sitter with a machete in 2017.
  On Sept. 28, Justice Gareth Morley handed the sentence to Kaspar Handspiker, who attacked Nermeen Alireza in the Esplanade Road home she was watching. The sentence was a joint submission from the defence and the Crown lawyers.
  “She noticed he was holding her handbag. She screamed at him to get out, and grabbed
  
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• Author digs into scandalous royal connection kept secret by Shuswap grandmother

  03-11-2026 15:36 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Sometimes attics reveal family “treasures,” but few are as intriguing as the secrets hidden by the late Evelyn Codd, her daughter Joyce Hearn and their predecessors.
  They were the keepers of the family’s stunning secret that, if revealed, would have rocked the Government of England in the 19th century.
  According to family lore passed down through generations, Ann Thomas was the hidden sister of Queen Victoria. Her existence, and the scandal surrounding her, was said to have been deliberate
  
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• Saanich kid’s book idea balloons to raise funds for groundbreaking cancer research

  03-11-2026 14:44 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  When they say laughter is the best medicine, it’s not likely to come from a 12-year-old with a recent history of debilitating cancer treatments.But the isolation treatment can create, and the way his community rallied to combat that feeling, are at the heart of Eamonn Millar’s foray into the publishing world, with a goal to raise funds for groundbreaking pediatric cancer research.
  It also happens to be the name of his first book.Laughter is the Best Medicine is also rooted in two solid commu
  
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• Accelerating port expansion in Delta good news for Nanaimo, says port chair

  03-11-2026 14:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The federal government’s decision on Oct. 30 to list the $5.9-billion Delta container port expansion as a project of “national interest” is a positive development for Nanaimo, according to Donna Hais, chair of the Nanaimo Port Authority.
  Hais said Delta’s port expansion project is complementary to the NPA’s approximately $120-million expansion project at the Duke Point terminal, and all the ports along B.C.’s coast are working together to increase Canada’s trade sovereignty by help
  
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• Thomas J. McGladrey

  03-11-2026 05:43 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  July 30, 1944 ~ October 24, 2026
  It is with great sadness I announce that my dear husband and best friend of 56 years passed away from bladder cancer on October 24, 2026 at the age of 82 years.
  Tom was born in Fernie, BC and came to Nanaimo at age 6. He worked as a Boilermaker #359, Field Member, and Welder for many years. Tom was predeceased by our precious son David in 1997, his parents Cy and Gladys, and brother Jack. Survived by wife Brenda and his westie Bailey.
  Will love
  
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• B.C. ostrich farm files lawsuit against CFIA, government and RCMP

  03-11-2026 01:16 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Almost one year after more than 300 ostriches were killed, the owners are suing.
  Universal Ostrich Farm and Landco Ventures filed a multi-million dollar civil claim Oct. 30 against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Attorney General of Canada and the RCMP.
  The farm’s representatives Karen Espersen and Katiey Pasitney, say the lawsuit arises from a series of aggressive and intrusive regulatory actions that culminated in an invasive 52-day occupation of the plaintiffs’ Edgewood, B.C.,
  
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• Vernon, B.C. woman leads Team Canada to gold

  03-11-2026 01:05 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Team Canada collected gold and silver this weekend with a local lady leading the charge.
  The country’s 3×3 National Teams made history at the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup 2026, with the women returning to the top of the podium following a victory over the United States, while the men captured their first-ever silver medal in El Salvador Nov. 1.
  The women opened the third day of competition with a 21-6 victory over host El Salvador.
  Vernon’s Cassandra Brown led the way with nine points and six reboun
  
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• COLUMN: Bubbles, for an intimate evening

  03-11-2026 00:26 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Just as we have expunged any thought of a semi-annual time change, I say it is time to end any notion that sparkling wine has a season. As everyday is a good day for “Bubbles.” Sparkling wine is perfect for a family celebration or an intimate evening. It is ideal alongside popcorn, a charcuterie or Sunday morning brunch. Here is a small selection of B.C. sparkling wines, both Charmat and Traditional Method that will support my belief.A Chardonnay, Pinot Noir blend, Secco is the first Charmat
  
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• Bubbles, for an intimate evening, with popcorn or Sunday brunch

  03-11-2026 00:26 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Just as we have expunged any thought of a semi-annual time change, I say it is time to end any notion that sparkling wine has a season. As everyday is a good day for “Bubbles.” Sparkling wine is perfect for a family celebration or an intimate evening. It is ideal alongside popcorn, a charcuterie or Sunday morning brunch. Here is a small selection of B.C. sparkling wines, both Charmat and Traditional Method that will support my belief.A Chardonnay, Pinot Noir blend, Secco is the first Charmat
  
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• Man, 39, charged in child sex offences case worked for Nanaimo hockey team

  03-11-2026 00:03 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Alberta RCMP say a 39-year-old man is facing multiple charges in connection with a child sexual offences investigation.
  Tyler King is charged with three counts of luring a person under 18 years, sexual exploitation of a young person and making child sexual abuse material. Dan Campbell, with the South Alberta District general investigation section, said Monday (Nov. 2).
  King, who is a Canadian citizen, was arrested at the Ontario-New York Lansdowne border crossing, just outside of Kingston, Ont.,
  
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• It’s a great pumpkin! Vancouver Island man grows 805 lb giant

  02-11-2026 22:04 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Anyone who saw Courtenay resident Ian Kitchener’s giant pumpkin would be excused for thinking that Cinderella’s coach was more fact than fairy tale.
  His colossal squash tips scales at 805 lbs—roughly the weight of four refrigerators—and Kitchener isn’t even a gardener.“My wife does the garden,” he said.
  While it could be assumed that Kitchener was born with a green (or orange) thumb, the truth is that growing an 805 lb pumpkin came from years of trial, error, and toil.
  “The first
  
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• Damage limited after fireworks accidentally spark fire at First Nation near Gold River

  02-11-2026 21:53 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  An accidental fire sparked by Halloween fireworks was put out by firefighters at the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation near Gold River.
  John Amos, Culture Coordinator for the Nation’s Welcome House, apologized to the Nation for the incident.
  “We were out there, we were prepared, I was showing the boys what to do, helping me out and whatnot and I forgot one item,” Amos said. “I usually take a bucket with me to douse the fireworks when they are done.”
  Amos said they saved the “biggest (
  
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• 15-year sentence for man guilty of 2021 Naramata manslaughter

  02-11-2026 21:31 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Ekene Anigbo has been ordered to serve 15 years less time served for the death of a Naramata woman.Anigbo appeared in B.C. Supreme Court in Kelowna the morning of Monday, Nov. 2 for sentencing after he was found guilty of manslaughter for the 2021 death of 57-year-old Kathleen Richardson.The 27-year-old stood trial for first-degree murder, but was convicted on Aug. 14 of the lesser charge of manslaughter after a lengthy trial that began in March.Justice Alison Beames found the Crown had not prov
  
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• ‘This caucus is unified’: Doerkson meets with new caucus in Victoria

  02-11-2026 21:22 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  B.C.’s new premier designate, Lorne Doerkson, said the B.C. Conservatives are united when he took the stage on Monday to speak to B.C. residents and his fellow MLAs.
  On Nov. 2, the first meeting of the majority Conservative caucus was held in Victoria following a landslide victory in the 2026 provincial election. The win was preceded by a turbulent time for the party, rife with floor-crossing, senior staff resignations, allegedly leaked back-door conversations and the resignation of then-leade
  
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