Nanaimo news

• Site E, Homathko dam proposals divide B.C. First Nations, confound Site C critics

  19-06-2026 23:53 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C.’s decision to revisit long-dormant plans for two massive hydroelectric projects is already exposing division between First Nations, environmentalists and trade unions.
  This mixed bag will likely present a complex set of challenges for the province’s New Democrat government to navigate if officials decide to proceed with the developments, as all three of these core NDP constituencies vie for influence.
  So far, the government is proceeding cautiously.
  On Monday (June 15), Adrian D
  
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• Canada Shore to begin filming in Kelowna’s McKinley Landing this month

  20-06-2026 01:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Fans of the TV series Canada Shore can be on the lookout for stars from the show, as its second season is set to begin filming in Kelowna later this month.
  ​A notice for filming was sent to Kelowna residents, letting people know that the cast will be moving into a new house in McKinley Landing, where a majority of the season will be filmed.
  ​Canada Shore is a spin-off series of the popular TV series Jersey Shore, which blew up in popularity in 2009 and is still producing new seasons
  
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• TransLink reports highest ridership since 2020 for Canada-Qatar match

  20-06-2026 00:48 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  TransLink saw its highest ridership Thursday since early 2020.
  There were 1.36 million boardings across the TransLink network on June 18, which was the day of the Canada-Qatar World Cup match at BC Place. A typical day would see 1.19 million boardings.
  TransLink says ridership growth was “especially strong” in Richmond, Burnaby and the Tri-Cities.
  The top 10 stations – excluding downtown stations and FIFA Fan Festival shuttle stations – were Bridgeport, Brentwood, Oakridg
  
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• Vernon woman charged with murdering her mother

  20-06-2026 00:41 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A case of alleged matricide has entered provincial court in Vernon this week.
  Tandra Conn has been charged with first-degree murder in relation to the death of her mother, Martha Conn, in Vernon on June 20, 2025.
  Tandra was charged on Wednesday, June 17. The 53-year-old remains in custody.
  The Morning Star witnessed police at Brookside Gardens Estates on June 21, 2025, the day after the alleged murder. On June 23, Vernon North Okanagan RCMP said officers were called to a family disturbance that
  
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• Vancouver Island firefighters warn against use of bark mulch in gardens

  20-06-2026 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Parksville Fire Department was called to a fire that broke out in the garden area in front of Orca Place on Friday afternoon, June 19, at approximately 1:30 p.m.
  Fire crews arriving at the scene quickly doused the flames and conducted preventative measures around the area.
  Assistant Fire Chief Cam Cruickshank said it was a bark mulch fire caused by spontaneous combustion. He said they don’t recommend people use bark mulch in their gardens.
  “They’re beautiful to look at but they
  
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• Nanaimo’s water supply is looking good, so far, as summer kicks in

  20-06-2026 00:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo’s water supply is looking “fairly good” as the summer season begins, according to Nanaimo senior staff.
  Speaking to Nanaimo’s governance and priorities committee during a meeting in May, Mike Squire, the city’s manager of water resources, said there has been lots of news during the spring that the snowpacks in the mountains on Vancouver Island, which many communities depend on to replenish their water supplies for the dry summer months, were at record lows t
  
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• B.C. nurses vote 67% to reject recently negotiated tentative collective agreement

  20-06-2026 00:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C.’s nurses have voted to reject the tentative deal negotiated between their union and the B.C. government on May 22.
  The union’s president said the vote — 67 per cent of members rejected the deal — shows the “frustration” members have with pressures facing the profession.
  “For many nurses, this vote was about more than the terms of a collective agreement,” BCNU President Adriane Gear said in a Friday afternoon (June 19) news release. “It i
  
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• PHOTOS: B.C. photographer captures rare moment of herons raised by eagle

  20-06-2026 00:02 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Herons and eagles are natural enemies, but in Chilliwack they evidently put their differences aside, according to a local photographer.
  Ian McAlpine shared his “once in a lifetime” story on social media after seeing young herons being raised by an eagle.
  He was walking along the Vedder Rotary Trail in Chilliwack with fellow photographers Mercedes Bustamante and Lynn Kroetch, when “eagle-eyed” Bustamante spotted a young heron in an eagle nest on May 21, McAlpine said.
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• WORLD CUP PHOTOS: B.C. celebrates Canada’s historic 6-0 win over Qatar

  19-06-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Canada’s FIFA World Cup 2026 team made history on Thursday, June 18 – and people were celebrating across B.C. as Canada trounced Qatar 6-0 in action at BC Place.
  The win gave Canada its first-ever World Cup victory.
  Jonathan David scored three times for Canada, which became the first squad outside Europe and South America to score six goals in a World Cup match.
  Thursday’s massive win puts Canada at the top of Group B with four points, tied with Switzerland but boasting a bette
  
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• Premier meets with North Cowichan leaders after call for help on homelessness, addiction

  19-06-2026 23:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas followed up on his June 12 letter to Premier David Eby asking for help with the homelessness, addiction, and the mental health crisis in his community with a face-to-face meeting.
  “His office got back to us quickly which was great,” said Douglas, noting that he and North Cowichan CAO Ted Swabey met with Eby and Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Christie Boyle on June 18 in Vancouver.
  “We’re definitely hopeful,” Douglas said o
  
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• Victoria to Port Hardy cycling relay raises more than $270K

  19-06-2026 22:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A team of nine cyclists raised a record $272,843 for the Island Kids Cancer Association (IKCA). The 2026 End2End cycling relay wrapped up at Victoria’s Trek Bicycle Store on Thursday (June 18) after a non-stop journey to Port Hardy and back.
  The fundraising total more than doubled the $110,000 raised during last year’s event.
  The nine-person team included Jen Millar, Sara Park, Ed Bain, Jeff King, Saskia Bjornson, Ryan Clarke, Morgan Harker, Kevin Nunn and Sophia Pugh.
  View this post
  
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• Victoria sees largest increase in available rentals in Canada’s top 10 markets

  19-06-2026 22:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Victoria remains one of Canada’s most sought-after rental markets, despite signs that renters are becoming more selective in their housing searches.
  According to RentCafe Canada’s Renter Interest report for the first quarter of 2026, Victoria ranked sixth nationally for renter interest, maintaining its position from the previous quarter.
  The report found available rental listings in Victoria increased 63 per cent year over year, the largest increase among the country’s top 10 r
  
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• North Oyster resident donates $50K for nerve treatment research

  19-06-2026 21:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Spasticity is not a word that is common for most people, but North Oyster resident Murray McNab has a handle on it.
  So much so, that McNab and his wife Betty donated $50,000 to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation in support of the research conducted by doctor Paul Winston and the team at the Victoria Peripheral Nerve and Spasticity Clinic.
  Spasticity is an involuntary muscle stiffness and tightness that prevents normal movement.
  It occurs when damage to the brain or spinal cord disrupts how signal
  
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• Monster sturgeon landed by Chilliwack fishing guide weighs estimated 1,200 pounds

  19-06-2026 21:49 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A monster of a fish reeled in on the Fraser River was a record-breaking catch for the Chilliwack-based fishing guide company that landed it.
  The white sturgeon measured 11-foot-8.2-inches in length with a 60-inch girth, weighing an estimated 1,100 to 1,200 pounds.
  It was caught on June 4 in the Chilliwack area.
  Kevin Estrada, founder of Sturgeon Slayers, said this fish surpassed their previous record where his guiding group landed an 11-foot-6.5-inch white sturgeon with a 55-inch girth in 2021.
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP looking for assistance to identify poncho man

  19-06-2026 21:08 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Nanaimo RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying an individual from his distinctive choice of clothing.
  On the evening of Monday, June 8, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the man entered the University Village Liquor Store and allegedly attempted to purchase alcohol using a stolen credit card.
  Unbeknownst to him, the card had already been cancelled, and the transaction was declined.
  The individual then left, empty handed, while still in possession of the cancelled credit c
  
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• Upcoming documentary puts spotlight on Kelowna’s unhoused population

  19-06-2026 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Kelowna documentary focusing on the experiences on the life experiences of unhoused people will be releasing for free.
  No Fixed Address: The White Cart Memorial will be releasing to the public on June 22. The documentary is a joint production between the BC Centre for Palliative Care and the Kelowna Homelessness Research Centre.
  The 45-minute documentary explores the connection between grief and homelessness. According to a Kelowna-based study by the filmmakers, 45 per cent of participants mad
  
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• Headline history: Nanaimo Pride’s first sanctioned parade in 2016

  19-06-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo’s Pride week may be over, but the fight and advocacy for equal rights never ends.
  On June 12, 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations took to the streets in the first sanctioned Pride parade, organized by the Nanaimo Pride Society, and featured as a front page photo on the June 14 issue of the News Bulletin.
  While Nanaimo Pride marches date back as far as 1997, when activists took to the sidewalk and seawall without the city’s permission and permitting, it wouldn’t be until 2016 when
  
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• Kelowna RCMP seize $285K in drugs, guns, jewelry after multiple search warrants

  19-06-2026 20:04 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A two-day initiative by the Kelowna RCMP saw three individuals arrested and nearly $300,000 in items seized.
  On June 2 and 3, officers executed search warrants at five properties in Kelowna and West Kelowna following a months-long investigation focused on disrupting and dismantling a drug trafficking network in the community.
  As a result, Mounties seized roughly five kilograms of suspected illicit drugs, $55,000 cash, approximately $230,000 worth of jewellery and fashion items, as well as four v
  
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• The View Restaurant at Dorchester Hotel is hosting final season’s Sunday Jazz Brunch

  19-06-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Sunday Jazz Brunch is concluding in Nanaimo with one final event.
  On Sunday, June 21 at The View Restaurant at Dorchester Hotel, from 11 a.m to 2 p.m., jazz aficionados will gather for a final celebration of the joys of jazz music, before the season comes to a close.
  Wayne Wilkins, organizer and coordinator of the event, said that the brunch is a chance for people to come out at a time of day when they usually do not come out for live music.
  “We have a couple of great sets of music, mostly
  
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• Scientist warns of potential impacts of super El Niño on Vancouver Island

  19-06-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Scientists warn that the upcoming El Niño is expected to bring milder temperatures to Vancouver Island this winter, potentially resulting in increased wildfire risk and coastal flooding.
  El Niño is a phenomenon where the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean along the equator, stretching from South America most of the way across the Pacific Ocean, get warmer than usual, by up to several degrees.
  While El Niños hit the world every couple of years, the World Meteorological Organ
  
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• Province approves underground expansion at Northwest B.C.’s Red Chris mine

  19-06-2026 19:23 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C. has approved a major expansion for Northwest B.C.’s Red Chris Mine, allowing the open-pit mine to be extended underground and prolonging operations to at least 2038.
  The approval is the second assessment undertaken through an agreement with the Thaltan Nation.
  Red Chris is a copper and gold mine 18 kilometres southwest of Iskut owned by the Newmont Corporation, and is on both federal and provincial priority project lists.
  The province expects the expansion to add 1,800 jobs during pea
  
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• Driver hits tree after allegedly fleeing Vancouver police through parkade

  19-06-2026 19:09 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A man was taken into custody after allegedly fleeing from police in Vancouver through an underground parking garage.
  Around 4:20 p.m. on Thursday (June 18), Vancouver police attempted to stop a driver after officers “pinged” the car as having inactive insurance and the vehicle was being operated by an allegedly prohibited driver.
  A release from police says that officers attempted to stop the vehicle near Howe and Robson streets, “but the driver fled through an underground parki
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP seeks help from the public in locating missing man

  19-06-2026 18:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Nanaimo RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in locating 67-year-old Jeffery Hagg, who was reported missing on Thursday, June 4.
  At the time he was reported missing, Hagg missed a scheduled medical appointment and, as a result, there is concern for his well-being.
  Hagg is described as Caucasian, 178 cm in height, 73 kg in weight, with white hair and brown eyes.
  He also has a prosthetic leg.
  Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Jeffery Hagg is asked to call the Nan
  
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• WORLD CUP DAILY, June 19: Historic 6-0 win for Canada sets up huge match next Wednesday

  19-06-2026 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Daily FIFA World Cup match updates and news for Black Press Media publications.
  History was made in Vancouver on Thursday afternoon (June 18), with another huge match coming next Wednesday.
  Canada was relentless and dominant at BC Place Stadium in a 6-0 win over Qatar in Group B action, giving the Maple Leaf nation its first-ever World Cup victory in the men’s soccer tournament.
  Jonathan David scored three times for Canada, which became the first squad outside Europe and South America to s
  
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• Parents ask City of Nanaimo to increase traffic safety at their school

  19-06-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Installing much-needed marked crosswalks, or any other traffic-calming strategies, at Nanaimo’s Syuw̓én̓ct Elementary School won’t happen until at least the fall.
  Parents Jackie Detering and Kellie Simpatico spoke at the city’s finance and audit committee meeting on Wednesday, June 17, stating that the school, which was previously called Coal Tyee Elementary School, has no crosswalks of any kind for students and families to come and go safely at the facility.
  T
  
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• Kamloops man to celebrate 29th birthday 10 years after near-fatal attack

  19-06-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  He’s happy, curious, and a fighter.
  Jessie Simpson from Kamloops had his whole life change 10 years ago.
  A walk home from a party to celebrate high school graduation in the early hours of June 19, 2016 saw the young man attacked by Kristopher Tiechrieb after cutting through the the property owner’s backyard.
  Teichrieb used a metal baseball bat to beat the then 18-year-old, sending Simpson into a coma doctors weren’t sure he would ever wake up from. Teichrieb pleaded guilty to a
  
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• ‘Wildest dreams’: Victoria soccer fans rejoice after Canada’s historic World Cup win

  19-06-2026 05:56 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Victoria was alive with excitement on Thursday as Canada won its first-ever World Cup game.
  Just off Johnson Street in Market Square, over 1,000 rowdy fans watched the country’s FIFA squad make history with a 6-0 victory against Qatar.
  “I think we proved a lot of doubters wrong,” said Canada supporter Roman Zaliskyy. “Personally, I couldn’t have dreamed of such a big win. I knew we had it in us, but that was beyond my wildest dreams.”
  The crowd’s cheers
  
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• WORLD CUP: Canada overpowers Qatar with massive 6-0 victory

  19-06-2026 02:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  5:01 p.m.
  Let the celebrations begin, Vancouver! The host nation wraps up its first-ever victory on the World Cup stage with a massive 6-0 win. Switzerland awaits…A bit of chaos down on Granville pic.twitter.com/7xVIkYRAsA
  — Lauren Collins (@laurenpcollins1) June 19, 2026
  4:53 p.m.
  Total domination!! David completes his hat trick and makes it 6-0 for Canada in the 92nd minute, making it the largest margin of victory for any CONCACAF team at the World Cup. The last time a World Cup h
  
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• Lantzville under new water restrictions

  19-06-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The District of Lantzville are under new water restrictions.
  In a release posted onto the District of Lantzville’s website, it states that as of Thursday, June 17, the district has moved towards Stage 4 water restrictions.
  The restrictions ban sprinkling – with lawn watering not being permitted. Also not permitted are the usage of pop-up spray, rotors and sprinklers. Hand-watering trees, shrubs, vegetables, as well as micro/drip irrigation, will only be permitted between 7 to 10 a.m.
  
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• ‘I love Vernon’: Prime Minister tells visiting family

  19-06-2026 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Vernon financial advisor had a chance meeting with someone who knows a thing or two about economics.
  Kirbey Lockhart and his wife, Heidi, were out east to Montreal on a trip. Their daughter Courtney and her partner, Scott, live in Ottawa, so the Lockharts went to visit the kids.
  In Ottawa, the family decided to visit the National Art Gallery (NAG) on Monday morning, June 8. It was Courtney who reminded all that new Governor-General Louise Arbour was being sworn in.
  “The three of us had j
  
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