Nanaimo news

• Small wildfire spotted in Beaufort Range near Port Alberni

  22-08-2026 03:52 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A small wildfire is burning out of control in the Beaufort Range northwest of Port Alberni. The B.C. Wildfire Service is calling the area Hal Creek.
  The fire, listed as 0.2 hectares, was spotted during the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 21 shortly after a brief thunder and lightning event. The B.C. Wildfire service is calling the fire “under investigation” while they respond.
  Firefighting ground personnel have been deployed to the scene, and at least two helicopters have been spotted by p
  
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• Innocent victim, 85, killed inside his Burnaby home by stray bullet: Police

  08-09-2026 22:23 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Homicide police say they’ve identified a group of youth believed to either be involved or have knowledge of a shooting that led to the death of an 85-year-old man.
  The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team identified Chang Yong Cho as the victim in a news release Tuesday (Sept. 8) in an effort to advance the investigation. He is believed to have been an innocent victim hit by a stray bullet while inside his Burnaby home on Aug. 30.
  This is the first news release police have issued regardi
  
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• 3 Okanagan grad students win big for wildlife contributions

  08-09-2026 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nine graduate students in B.C. have been awarded scholarships through the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF), including three students in the Okanagan.Studying at the University of B.C. Okanagan (UBCO), Madeline Frazer, Peter Baker and Kara Atkinson were each awarded $10,000 to support applied research in wildlife and habitat stewardship, management, policy and decision-making.“Their projects reflect the breadth of the challenges and opportunities in wildlife management, from spe
  
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• Former B.C. residential school to be demolished

  08-09-2026 20:53 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  WARNING: This article contains details about experiences at residential schools in B.C. and may be upsetting to readers.
  The former St. Mary’s Residential School on Lougheed Highway in Mission is expected to be demolished next year.
  According to a notice from the Stó:lō Collective shared by Tsawwassen First Nation on Saturday (Sept. 5), full deconstruction of the site is slated for 2027 with a proposed Interpretive Centre projected to open to the public in 2028.
  “Demolish
  
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• Vancouver Island coffee legend serves double-double dose of friendship

  08-09-2026 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  After serving up hundreds of thousands of cups of coffee – and likely an obscene number of “double doubles” – over nearly three decades, one woman has brewed herself into legendary status in Colwood.
  Patty Hall has spent 25 years working for coffee chain and Canadian staple Tim Hortons, with the majority of that time behind the counter at the 1820 Island Hwy. branch.
  Online reviews routinely praise Hall as “the sweetest” and “the most polite person I&rsq
  
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• Campaigners still hopeful to recall Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong

  08-09-2026 19:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Campaigners behind the paused Recall Tara Armstrong petition are still hopeful they can put the MLA “under scrutiny.”
  Instead of looking to file a formal recall petition, the group now intends to put a spotlight on Armstrong’s actions as the MLA of the Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream riding.
  “We are here because you have failed to do the job this riding elected you to do. You campaigned as a conservative on housing, affordability, and healthcare, the issues that matter mo
  
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• New BC SPCA behaviour centre opens in Cowichan

  08-09-2026 19:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A new facility designed to give some of B.C.’s most vulnerable animals a second chance opened its doors on Vancouver Island this week.
  The BC SPCA officially celebrated the grand opening of its Vancouver Island Animal Behaviour Centre, a specialized facility designed to support animals who need additional time, space and behavioural care before they are ready for adoption.
  BC SPCA CEO Craig Daniell said the centre comes at a time when more animals entering the organization’s care req
  
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• Vancouver cop who runs Surrey foundation for kids denies all fraud & theft ‘allegations’

  08-09-2026 19:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Vancouver cop, founder, and CEO of Surrey-based KidsPlay Foundation, who is now facing fraud and theft charges, denies all the “allegations” against him.Kal Dosanjh has been with Vancouver Police Department for over 25 years and has served in many roles, including as a senior detective in the financial crimes unit.
  Charges against Dosanjh were laid on Sept. 3 and the Vancouver Police Department’s (VPD) chief constable announced more details the following day.In a statement
  
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• COLUMN: Knowing how to report a wildfire is half the battle

  08-09-2026 18:57 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Journalism is a career that bleeds into every corner of your life — if you let it.With every moment you scroll through social media, there’s another story tip. The same goes for every room you stumble into with a news broadcast playing, every text message you open, every message app alert, and so on. To get away from it all, I tend to either let my phone die or get myself out of cell phone range.To achieve that this summer, we recently ended up in the Similkameen, eager to leave our
  
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• Editorial: Findlay’s B.C. Conservative Party gets thinner and thinner

  08-09-2026 18:01 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The number of B.C. Conservative MLAs is getting smaller, as members continue to step down.
  A party that was elected at 44 seats now has just 28, and theories – and likely bets – on who is next to leave swirl around the media landscape.
  The party began losing members far before the election of Kerry-Lynne Findlay as leader, but it picked up, with seven MLAs leaving just in August alone, all citing leadership concerns.
  Findlay was always a divisive choice during the leadership race, de
  
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• The fire that destroyed Nanaimo’s last Chinatown to be commemorated

  08-09-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A commemoration of the fire that destroyed Nanaimo’s last Chinatown on Pine and Hecate Streets will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12.
  Sherron Soo, chair and founder of the newly formed Nanaimo Chinese Heritage Foundation, said the heritage event will mark the 66th anniversary of the fire, which occurred on Sept. 30, 1960.
  The city’s third and fourth Chinatowns, located in the Pine and Hecate street area from 1908 until the fire, had a population of approximately 1,200 people at the heig
  
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• ‘Here to stay’: Saanich answers pickleball demand with Fowler Park soft launch

  08-09-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Fowler Park has spent nearly two decades waiting to become what many Saanich residents wanted it to be.
  When the district approved a concept plan for the park in 2008, the vision was relatively simple: one tennis court, plenty of open grass and space for the community to enjoy.
  There was, of course, one glaring omission. Pickleball had not yet become the phenomenon it is today.
  Now, 18 years after that original plan, Fowler Park is preparing for a very different future.
  The district will soft la
  
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• Derek Little the big winner at 2026 Port Alberni Salmon Derby

  08-09-2026 07:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Port Alberni fisher threw the sportfishing equivalent of a Hail Mary on the last day of the Port Alberni Salmon Derby, and it paid off. Derek Little hooked a 24.2-pound salmon off Bamfield for the biggest fish of the weekend.
  “It feels good,” Little told The Scoop on Port Alberni after he picked up his cheque and trophy. “We didn’t know where to go because it’s been tough fishing out there. We were staying down the canal (Alberni Inlet). We just decided to run ove
  
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• Nanaimo opening up second intake of interest-free loans for green retrofits of homes program

  08-09-2026 03:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The City of Nanaimo is opening up a second intake of the home energy retrofit financing program.
  Beginning Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, homeowners can apply for interest-free financing to retrofit their homes with energy-efficient options.
  Following a successful intake in the spring of 2025 that supported 14 home retrofits to improve home comfort and lower their energy bills, the city is opening the program up again for new applications.
  The program offers up to $15,000 in interest-free loans to help
  
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• ‘The comeback was on’: Young Oak Bay golfer shoots sizzling 66 to win national title

  08-09-2026 00:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Ten-year-old Liam Chang delivered the round of his life on the biggest stage of his young career.
  The Victoria Golf Club member fired a spectacular four-under-par 66 on Aug. 31 to win the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) Mini Tour nationals.
  Chang topped a 28-player field to win the boys nine-and-10 division by four strokes. He finished the two-day tournament at Tsawwassen Springs with a 36-hole total of 139, putting him safely ahead of Richmond runner-up Robin Lai at 143.
  The national title di
  
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• Nanaimo choral director highlighting health benefits of joining a choir

  08-09-2026 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A director of two Nanaimo choirs is highlighting the benefits of joining, for fun and for health.
  Fiona Blackburn, artistic director of Malaspina Choir and Island Bel Canto Singers, put out a release, encouraging participation for health benefits.
  In the release, Blackburn wrote that singing in groups lifts moods and reduces stress, promotes social bonding, improves memory, eases breathing, improves speech, aids in posture and is good for the heart and immune system. She added, singing is a life
  
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• Injured hiker airlifted from West Coast Trail near Port Renfrew

  08-09-2026 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  An injured hiker was hoisted from the West Coast Trail after a multi-agency rescue response near kilometre 72 on Friday (Sept. 4).
  The hiker had a suspected lower-limb injury near an area known as the Old Steam Donkey, according to the Alberni Valley Rescue Squad, which said the location meant “a traditional stretcher carry was not an option.”
  The Old Steam Donkey, near kilometre 72, sits just across the water from Port Renfrew, separated by Port San Juan.
  Parks Canada’s Visito
  
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• Grand Forks muralist nears 150 murals painted after Dolly Parton tribute

  07-09-2026 23:09 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Paul Archer has made Grand Forks his largest portfolio, with his most recent mural a dedication to the late Dolly Parton.
  The mural is painted on the back wall of the Misty Mountain music store. Archer said he came up with the idea after Parton’s death on Aug. 25 as a way to remember the Queen of Country music.
  “After I heard about the passing, I thought it would be necessary. She was big enough and well remembered, and positive that it would be appropriate for me to do the tribute.&
  
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• Presentation to take people on a trip down VIU’s memory lane

  07-09-2026 21:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The evolution of Malaspina College to Vancouver Island University will be explored during a presentation at Bowen Park in Nanaimo.
  In a press release, Nanaimo Historical Society said Steve Wood, a VIU student completing a bachelor of arts honours degree in history, will give the Vancouver Island University: Stories of the Early Days presentation at Bowen Park complex on Thursday, Sept. 10 beginning at 7 p.m.
  Wood interviewed staff and faculty from the early days of the post-secondary institution
  
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• OPINION: Celebrating B.C.’s workers on Labour Day

  07-09-2026 17:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  This Labour Day, British Columbians have once again witnessed the dedication of firefighters, first responders and emergency services staff who have worked tirelessly to protect people and communities during wildfire season. Working alongside them are support staff, utility workers and countless others who step up to keep communities safe and connected.Today, we take time to recognize them and all workers throughout B.C. whose dedication and skills help build, strengthen and move our province fo
  
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• Union members cogs that make the Vancouver Island University machine work

  07-09-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A bastion of education in Nanaimo operates largely on the backs of unionized workers.
  Work that CUPE Local 1858 members do at all of Vancouver Island University’s campuses, including in Nanaimo, is encompassing, Tiffany McLaughlin, local president, told the News Bulletin.
  “I don’t think there’s a single department on campus that doesn’t have a CUPE worker,” she said. “We do everything from housekeeping in student residences. I think at the end of 2023, a
  
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• Saltair sawmill putting in artificial marsh to filter runoff

  07-09-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A new chapter in the effort to better manage water around Western Forest Products’ Saltair sawmill is taking shape. The company is creating a new runoff filtering system designed to collect and control surface water from the mill and surrounding area before it can make its way beyond the site into Ladysmith Harbour.
  The rainwater and stormwater runoff interacting with fine woody materials and galvanized mill infrastructure will shortly all be directed into an almost natural setting.“
  
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• QUIZ: A celebration of labour

  07-09-2026 13:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The first Monday of September is Labour Day in Canada.
  The day is set aside each year to celebrate the achievements of working people.
  It is also seen as the end of the summer season in Canada, and many students return to school immediately after Labour Day.
  In honour of working people, here are 12 questions about labour and the way work is portrayed in popular culture.
  How many can you answer correctly?
  Good luck.Loading…
  
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• Reports indicate vehicle crashes into doors of Nanaimo Rexall store

  07-09-2026 01:03 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A motor vehicle incident has occurred at the Nanaimo Rexall near Bowen Road.
  Nanaimo Fire Rescue, RCMP and ambulance personnel have responded to the the incident, where a vehicle has reportedly driven into the front doors of a Rexall store located at the 1700 block of Dufferin Crescent.
  RCMP is currently investigating.
  More to come…
  
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• Breaking: Reports indicate vehicle crashes into doors of Nanaimo Rexall store

  07-09-2026 01:03 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A motor vehicle incident has occurred at the Nanaimo Rexall near Bowen Road.
  Nanaimo Fire Rescue, RCMP and ambulance personnel have responded to the the incident, where a vehicle has reportedly driven into the front doors of a Rexall store located at the 1700 block of Dufferin Crescent.
  RCMP is currently investigating.
  More to come…
  
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• Nanaimo Men’s Shed building dozens of tiny neighbourhood libraries around the district

  07-09-2026 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Nanaimo and District Men’s Shed are building small neighbourhood libraries for people to share books.The non-profit group, which serves to provide a safe, welcoming space for men in Nanaimo and area to meet and connect, has built several neighbourhood libraries in the community.
  Jim Delorme, president of the Nanaimo and District Men’s Shed, said that the goal is for the places to become a neighbourhood book exchange.
  “They’re mounted at a height where kids can get at
  
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• Nanaimo, Duncan and District Labour Council will hold free picnic in Ladysmith

  06-09-2026 20:29 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Nanaimo, Duncan and District Labour Council is hosting a free picnic on Labour Day.
  The picnic, which is set to take place on Monday, Sept. 7 in Ladysmith, promises food, music, and fun, with bouncy castles, as well as face painting and hot dogs.John Humphrey, president of the labour council, says that the picnic allows for workers to celebrate the contributions the working class make every day, as well as to call on governments to protect the rights that help workers negotiate fair wages, s
  
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• THORPE REPORT: Youth soccer fills the pitch

  06-09-2026 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Soccer – or association football for purists – is played year-round.There is a girls’ spring league in local schools, cup playdowns for select teams, and various camps during the spring and summer months. But fall marks the start of the traditional soccer season.Overseas, the Premier League has just kicked off. While in our part of the world, Nanaimo United Football Club is set to get underway with another busy season starting this month involving over 2,300 players at all age
  
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• 2 injured in single-vehicle highway crash near Parksville

  06-09-2026 19:54 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Two people were transported to hospital, including one by air ambulance, after a single-vehicle crash near Parksville on Sept. 6.
  BC EHS, Parksville Fire Rescue, Nanoose Bay Fire Department and RCMP all responded to the incident, according to Capt. Eric Miller with Parksville Fire Rescue.
  The northbound lanes were closed as of 9:30 a.m., according to DriveBC, with a detour in effect.
  “The vehicle was northbound on Highway 19 when it went off-road right, just past the Exit 46 northbound on-
  
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• Business Notes: Cobra & Co. Vintage opens on Nicol Street

  06-09-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Cobra & Co. Vintage has recently opened at 59 Nicol St. indowntown Nanaimo.
  The store specializes in gender-neutral and men’s vintage clothing from the 1990’s and older.
  Owner Colby Spence said they also sell toys, books, records, CDs, magazines and other nostalgic items that fit that time period.
  Cobra & Co. Vintage is not Spence’s first business venture, but it is his first vintage store.
  He has been involved in several businesses since 2001, including a skateboard cl
  
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