Nanaimo news

• Surrey Schools seeks $5.5B from B.C. to address future growth, overcrowding

  24-06-2026 19:01 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Surrey Schools is asking the province for billions of dollars to help accommodate the district’s student population growth.
  At its final meeting of the 2025-26 school year, held June 10, the Surrey school board approved its 2027-28 Five-Year Capital Plan.
  The plan requests $5.49 billion from the Ministry of Education and Child Care for 76 major capital projects aimed at addressing overcrowding and future enrolment growth.
  Included in this plan were requests for 29 new schools, 19 school ad
  
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• WORLD CUP: Canada battles Switzerland for top spot in Group B

  24-06-2026 21:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  12:24 p.m.
  Injured Ismaël Kone gives encouragement to Canadian players at water break.
  12:22 p.m.
  Going into the hydration break, Canada-Switzerland deadlocked at 0-0.
  12:14 p.m.
  By the way, for those just tuning in to the game, Canada is in white kit, not red.
  12:13 p.m.
  Cyle Larin misses chance, but eventually declared offside.
  12:10 p.m.
  Maxime Crepeau makes great save for Canada, stopping Swiss.
  12:06 p.m.
  Live from Surrey.Another SRO crowd at Surrey Soccer Fan Zone forvsmatch, a massiv
  
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• Ultimate Father’s Day: 2 holes-in-one at B.C. course

  24-06-2026 21:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  It was a tee-riffic Father’s Day for two Vernon golfers.
  It’s a Father’s Day tradition for Matthew Roth and his dad Brian to have a round of golf.
  It was Brian’s first round of the year on Sunday, June 21, and Matthew had only played nine holes, as they took to the Hillview Golf Course.
  “The round started off a little shaky, being that neither of us golf that often. We tee up on the fourth at the meadows and dad takes a perfect swing on the Callaway with his nine ir
  
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• Lumby murder suspect’s trial evidence ‘an insult to to logic,’ says Crown lawyer

  24-06-2026 20:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Crown prosecutor in a high-profile North Okanagan murder case says the evidence is “overwhelming” that the accused, Vitali Stefanski, stabbed his ex-wife Tatjana Stefanski to death, and that his intent to kill her was equally clear from the evidence jurors have witnessed over the past month.
  Vitali’s second-degree murder trial saw closing arguments from the Crown Tuesday, with prosecutor Laura Drake urging jurors to weigh the evidence fairly and with the use of logic, common
  
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• Lumby murder suspect’s trial evidence ‘an insult to logic,’ says Crown lawyer

  24-06-2026 20:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Crown prosecutor in a high-profile North Okanagan murder case says the evidence is “overwhelming” that the accused, Vitali Stefanski, stabbed his ex-wife Tatjana Stefanski to death, and that his intent to kill her was equally clear from the evidence jurors have witnessed over the past month.
  Vitali’s second-degree murder trial saw closing arguments from the Crown Tuesday, with prosecutor Laura Drake urging jurors to weigh the evidence fairly and with the use of logic, common
  
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• Anti-gang police seize $1.5M in cash, drugs in Lower Mainland bust

  24-06-2026 20:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C.’s anti-gang police says an investigation led by the North District Team has led to $1.5 million in cash, drugs and firearms seized in the Lower Mainland.
  The investigation began in December 2024 and continued through to early 2026, according to a news release Wednesday (June 24) from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. During the investigation, police seized multiple kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine in what is alleged to be an inter-provincial drug-trafficking scheme
  
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• On-demand STI testing now available at Cowichan hospital

  24-06-2026 20:31 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Island Health has announced that on-demand testing for sexually transmitted infections is now available at Cowichan District Hospital.
  Clients can be tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, syphilis, and HIV by booking an appointment onlineor dropping in at the lab as no appointment is needed.
  A nurse will contact patients should the results be positive or uncertain and those who test negative won’t be contacted. Patients can also call their regular health-care provider or access
  
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• Brent Kulai

  24-06-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In Loving Memory ~
  January 24, 1952 – June 16, 2026He is survived by his wife Lisa (Kylynn, Richard); his children Niki (Tony), Mike (Deanna), Lindsey (Rick); his brother Larry (Bernadette); sister Janelle; his grandchildren Rylie, Dakota, Desirae and Mia; nieces, nephew and friends and predeceased by his father William Kulai and mother Bertha Kulai.
  Celebration of Life will be held at the Black Bear Pub June 27, 2026 from 3:00pm-5:00pm.
  
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• CVRD approves Mill Bay’s 150-acre, 1,000-home Stonebridge development

  24-06-2026 20:29 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The 150-acre Stonebridge development project in Mill Bay has received final approval from the Cowichan Valley Regional District board, clearing the way for site preparation and infrastructure work to begin immediately.
  The project is a partnership between Limona Construction Ltd. and Merdyn Group,
  Stonebridge is a master-planned community that will span more than 150 acres, and is expected to deliver nearly 1,000 new homes across a broad range of housing that will include rental apartments, seni
  
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• What’s On, June 24

  24-06-2026 20:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  MUSIC
  Beastie, Sticky Keys and Christina Rzepa will be performing at the Globe Live Studio on June 24 at 6 p.m. in a Pride-themed Indie/alt/artpunk show. Beastie is touring in celebration of Pride month. Tickets are avaliable at www.theglobelivestudio.com
  End of School punk/metal show will be taking place at the Globe Live Studio on June 25 at 5 p.m. It will be an all-ages show with a lineup of local artists. Tickets are avaliable at www.theglobelivestudio.com.
  Bandidos will be performing at the
  
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• Wild and precious life: four marmots released on Mount Washington

  24-06-2026 20:01 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Marmot Recovery Foundation and marmot enthusiasts ventured up to Mount Washington on June 23 to participate in releasing marmots into the wild.
  The one female and three male marmots were raised as a part of a breeding program to help this critically endangered species unique to Vancouver Island.
  In fact, Marmota vancouverensis is the only mammal endemic to the island, and in 2003, there were fewer than 30 left in the wild. Due to the hard work of the Marmot Recovery Foundation, its partners,
  
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• Vancouver Island beach visitors warned to give ‘abandoned’ seal pups space

  24-06-2026 19:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Pupping season has arrived in Greater Victoria.
  Beginning in June and peaking in July and August, female harbour seals will be coming ashore to birth and nurse the next generation of ‘rock sausages’.
  During this time, folks may come across the odd lone pup on the region’s beaches, which at first glance may look abandoned.
  But experts are reminding people that a lone pup is not necessarily one left to fend for itself.
  “Harbour seal mothers often leave their pups resting sa
  
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• UVic researcher speaks on MAID after Parliament committee recommendation

  24-06-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Since the landmark Carter V. Canada decision in 2015, Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) for those experiencing mental illness and suicidal tendencies has been a hot-button topic on Parliament Hill – resulting in a number of reports, studies and debates among politicians, psychologists, physicians and academics.
  On June 17, the Special Joint Committee of Medical Assistance in Dying tabled their last report, recommending that the federal government exclude people whose sole underlying condi
  
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• Suspect charged in relation to Thursday night assaults in downtown Victoria

  24-06-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Victoria Police Department says a 31-year-old man is in custody and facing several criminal charges after reports of two separate attacks in downtown Victoria on the evening of June 18.
  The first attack occurred around 10 p.m. in the 1100-block of Douglas Street when the caller reported that he had been struck and robbed of cash and other belongings.
  The second occurred at around 11 p.m., where police say the complainant reported that a man had forced open their vehicle door on Fort Street,
  
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• Syilx Okanagan file emergency order for Canada to save southern B.C. caribou

  24-06-2026 19:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A B.C. First Nation is petitioning the federal government to act swiftly to protect a prized and threatened caribou species that continues to fall off the map near Revelstoke and Nakusp.
  On May 28, the Syilx Okanagan Nation announced it had filed for an emergency order under Section 80 of Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) to press Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to conserve federally threatened southern mountain caribou.
  The Nation says continued logging of critical old-grow
  
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• Rangers reward Langford goaltender Dylan Garand with 2-year extension

  24-06-2026 19:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Dylan Garand’s long-awaited NHL breakthrough has earned him a new contract.
  The former Juan de Fuca Minor Hockey Association product has signed a two-year contract extension with the New York Rangers after making his NHL debut during the 2025-26 season.
  He appeared in three games with the Original Six franchise, posting a 2-0-1 record, a 1.62 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage.
  According to PuckPedia, the first season of Garand’s new deal is a two-way contract carrying
  
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• Nanaimo breaks 34-year-old temperature record at the start of summer

  24-06-2026 19:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A 34-year-old temperature record fell in the Nanaimo area amidst the heat yesterday.
  According to an Environment Canada weather summary, the mercury in the thermometer hit 32.2 C at the monitoring station at Nanaimo Airport on Tuesday, June 23, which broke a previous record of 31.1 C set on the same day in 1992.
  Jennifer Kowal, Environment Canada operational meteorologist, told the News Bulletin conditions were ideal for high temperatures.
  “We’ve just had a persistent area of high pr
  
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• Over a half-tonne of opium seized at Tsawwassen inspection facility

  24-06-2026 19:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  More than half a tonne of opium was seized from a marine container at Canada Border Services Agency’s Tsawwassen Container Examination Facility.
  CBSA announced the seizure in a press release issued Tuesday (June 23), though the contraband was found over five months prior.
  According to the release, the container was referred for examination by border services officers on Jan. 14 based on information provided by the CBSA’s National Targeting Centre, Pacific Regional Intelligence Sectio
  
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• CRD issues blue-green algae alert for popular Greater Victoria swimming lake

  24-06-2026 19:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In the ebb and flow of blue-green algae in regional lakes, Thetis is the latest to detect the toxin, according to the Capital Regional District, which routinely tests water quality.
  The CRD, in consultation with Island Health, advises that a blue-green algae advisory is in place for the main beach at Lower Thetis Lake in Thetis Lake Regional Park.
  An advisory remains in place for Beaver Lake in Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park.
  Visitors are advised to avoid contact with blue-green algae and to keep
  
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• World’s largest EV battery repurposing facility opens in Surrey

  24-06-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Moment Energy now operates what the company calls the world’s largest EV battery repurposing facility at a Bridgeview industrial building.
  The new facility, dubbed Megafactory 1, transforms retired EV batteries into “cost-effective, rapidly deployable energy storage systems that support critical infrastructure, including data centres, hospitals, factories and microgrids,” the company boasts.
  At 12850 112B Ave., a ribbon-cutting event Tuesday (June 23) celebrated work to bring d
  
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• Victoria breaks 2nd consecutive daily temperature record, rain on the way

  24-06-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Victoria’s Gonzales Point scored a second consecutive daily temperature record on Tuesday.The high of 30.4 C recorded on June 23 defeated the 2017 record of 26.6 C, according to preliminary data from Environment and Climate Change Canada.The day before, the same weather station in Victoria recorded a daily high temperature record of 27 C to trump the 1961 record of 25.As is often the case, mid Island came in even hotter on Tuesday with several communities breaking records, including Duncan
  
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• Richard Damien George Stevenson

  24-06-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Gone Fishing 1945-2026
  Rick left us Saturday, May 30th, to go to that big fishing hole in the sky. He will be sorely missed by his Wife, Janet and his hunting and fishing buddy, Barry Calvin. Rick was predeceased by his Parents, Jack and Alice Stevenson, Brother Alec and Sister Sharon. He was a Nanaimo boy at heart and enjoyed participating in many sports while a youth. Later he focused on competitive shooting, especially Skeet and Sporting Clays. He spent many years fishing and hunting with his
  
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• Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla named CHL second-team all-star

  24-06-2026 18:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Tij Iginla has been recognized as one of the best junior hockey players from the 2025-26 season.
  On Wednesday, June 24, the Kelowna Rockets forward was named a second-team all-star by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which is made of the WHL, OHL, and OMJHL.
  The Utah Mammoth prospect from Lake Country led the CHL in points per game (1.88) as he collected 90 points (41 points, 49 assists) in 48 games played.
  He was named a second-team all-star along with Markus Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers), Nikita
  
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• Kelowna sprinter set to represent Canada at 2026 Commonwealth Games

  24-06-2026 17:52 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Kelowna’s Jerome Blake will compete in his first Commonwealth Games this summer.
  On Wednesday, June 24, the 30-year-old sprinter was named by Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) and Athletics Canada to the roster, along with 50 other athletes, for the 2026 games, taking place in Glasgow, Scotland.
  Blake will be sprinting in the 4×100 metre relay with his teammates who he won gold with at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, and Brendon Rodney. He’ll also b
  
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• Nanaimo neighbourhood associations list their priority requests

  24-06-2026 17:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The upcoming major sewer project that will see several kilometres of Hammond Bay Road torn up provides a unique opportunity for the City of Nanaimo to invest in much-needed pedestrian, cyclist, and transit-user infrastructure on the road, according to neighbours.
  That was one of the priority requests offered by the Linley Valley-Stephenson Point Neighbourhood Association to the city at the municipality’s fourth annual neighbourhood-association engagement event that was held in April, discu
  
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• WORLD CUP DAILY, June 24: Canada continues march to Round of 32 vs. Switzerland, noon today

  24-06-2026 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Daily FIFA World Cup soccer match updates and news for Black Press Media publications.
  There are six matches today to avoid “fixing” on the final day of play for Groups A, B and C, with two at a time at noon, then 3 and 6 p.m.
  Canada will clinch top spot in Group B with a win or tie vs. Switzerland today, noon start in Vancouver.
  The march to the match promises another flag-waving celebration outside BC Place Stadium, to be filled with 52,000 soccer fans for the afternoon clash.
  The
  
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• Nanaimo looks to cap off-street parking requirements for some developments

  24-06-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The City of Nanaimo is moving forward with plans to lower to eliminate off-street parking requirements for commercial and residential developments.
  Council endorsed an update to the city’s off-street parking-bylaw regulations at its meeting on Monday, June 22, intended to help manage population growth, support housing affordability by reducing or removing requirements and costs for developers of providing off-street parking, and increase supports for a sustainable-transportation network.
  I
  
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• Defence argues mental illness in long-running Kelowna homicide trial

  24-06-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Five years after Darren Middleton died of blunt force trauma to the head, suffered a severed penis, missing his testicles, and was found in a bathroom of the home in Rutland, the second-degree murder trial for the woman accused of his death is one step closer to being completed.
  Gabriella Sears was first arrested and charged on the morning of June 17, 2021, with the killing of 49-year-old Middleton.
  Sears had confessed to police that she had killed Middleton following her arrest, but after a voi
  
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• Despite recent modest increase in visits, cross-border traffic still down from 2024

  24-06-2026 05:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Southbound trips across the border are still far below 2024 levels in B.C., despite a recent modest increase reported by Statistics Canada.
  When the federal agency reported a 9.5 per cent increase in Canadian-resident return trips in May of this year, it was seen in some news reports as an easing of the travel reluctance that was trigggered when U.S. president Donald Trump launched a trade war and suggested Canada should become the 51st state.
  However, a review of cross-border travel statistics
  
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• ‘Just disappointing’: Island World Cup fans lament England-Ghana tie

  24-06-2026 02:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  While most of the country was getting ready to cheer on Canada in their game against Switzerland, a small crowd of die-hard soccer fans were busy supporting an entirely different team.
  On June 23, the Penny Farthing Pub in Oak Bay was swarming with England followers, all wearing white as the nation’s FIFA squad took on Ghana at 1 p.m.
  Coming hot off a 4-2 win in what was predicted to be a tough match against Croatia, hopes were high among the roughly 20 supporters that England would have n
  
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