Nanaimo news

• ‘U2SLOW’, ‘GAS PIG’, ‘WT TRASH’: ICBC rejected 3,135 licence plates last year

  19-01-2023 20:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Slogans can be denied for being discriminatory or sexually suggestive, among other things
  
  Read more

• Nurses picket outside NRGH calling for improved nurse retention and workplace safety

  13-07-2026 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Health-care workers took to the picket line on Monday outside Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, as the B.C. Nurses’ Union have expanded protests to different hospitals across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
  The B.C. Nurses’ Union began a strike on July 2, with 98.2 per cent of more than 50,000 nurses voting in favour of job action. The main call from the union is for the provincial government to bring “a meaningful general wage increase and solutions that improve nurs
  
  Read more

• Nanaimo council won’t support campaign to keep Snowbirds in the air

  13-07-2026 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Supporting the continuation of Canada’s iconic Snowbirds demonstration squadron is not on the radar of Nanaimo’s city council.
  Council voted at its meeting on July 6 against supporting a national campaign to keep the Snowbird squadron, which tours North America to demonstrate the skill and teamwork of the Royal Canadian Air Force, in the air when the squadron is grounded after this year’s flying season.
  Canada’s Defence Minister David McGuinty announced in May that the Sn
  
  Read more

• B.C. nurses expand strike to Vancouver Island as bargaining stalls

  13-07-2026 21:10 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Picket lines expanded to Vancouver Island on July 12 as the British Columbia Nurses’ Union (BCNU) intensified job action after bargaining with health employers reached another impasse.
  Union members began picketing outside Victoria General Hospital early Sunday morning, with additional job action planned at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and Royal Jubilee Hospital.
  In an address to a large crowd of nurses waving flags and ringing bells outside the hospital, union president Adriane Gear
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Opening weekend draws more than 8,600 visitors to Parksville Beach Festival

  13-07-2026 20:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The 2026 Parksville Beach Festival is off to a strong start with thousands of visitors taking in the April Wine concert and Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition July 10 to July 12.
  8,629 visitors watched 30 world-class sculptors transform 255 cubic yards of sand into works of art during the competition, according to a news release by Parksville Beach Festival Society.
  On Saturday evening, more than 2,300 music fans filled the Parksville Outdoor Theatre for a performance by Canadian rock lege
  
  Read more

• Specialty ‘custom cutters’ added to BC Timber Sales program

  13-07-2026 20:41 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  B.C.’s Forests ministry is expanding a program that allows value-added manufacturers to access BC Timber Sales logs to include specialty “custom cutters” who supply unique wood products to buyers around the world.
  These manufacturers supply wood for everything from specialty windows and doors to Japanese temples. But unlike other value-added manufacturers that use BC Timber Sales logs, these businesses don’t have their own mills.
  There are about 40 custom cutter companies
  
  Read more

• Port Alberni port authority hopes to attract more cruise ship business

  13-07-2026 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Port Alberni Port Authority wants to expand its cruise ship business following the first cruise ship visit to the city’s deepsea port since 2019.
  The World, a 165-unit residential cruise ship, spent two nights June 20-21 berthed at the PAPA wharf across from the Maritime Discovery Centre, and travellers aboard the luxury vessel had the opportunity to explore the city.
  “It was incredible to see the community come together to welcome visitors back to our waterfront,” said Mik
  
  Read more

• Baynes Sound observatory upgrade supports B.C. shellfish industry

  13-07-2026 19:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Baynes Sound shellfish industry generates approximately $180 million in economic activity for the province, providing year-round jobs to rural and Indigenous communities and food security for the region.
  Thanks to upgrades made at Ocean Network Canada’s (ONC) Baynes Sound ocean observatory, the shellfish industry will be benefit from more comprehensive monitoring of the effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia (decrease in oxygen). Warming temperatures and increased carbon dioxide in
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Baynes Sound observatory upgrade supports BC shellfish industry

  13-07-2026 19:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Baynes Sound shellfish industry generates approximately $180 million in economic activity for the province, providing year-round jobs to rural and Indigenous communities and food security for the region.
  Thanks to upgrades made at Ocean Network Canada’s (ONC) Baynes Sound ocean observatory, the shellfish industry will be benefit from more comprehensive monitoring of the effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia (decrease in oxygen). Warming temperatures and increased carbon dioxide in
  
  Read more

• PHOTOS: More than 80K paint B.C.’s capital all colours of the rainbow for Pride

  13-07-2026 18:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  While people around the world adorned themselves in their national colours to support their World Cup teams over the past few weeks, residents of Victoria and beyond chose to drape themselves in rainbow colours to celebrate and support this year’s Pride parade.
  Held on the sunny morning of July 12, the parade drew more than 80,000 spectators to the streets of the capital city, where they cheered on more than 140 entries and hundreds of marchers along the 2.4-kilometre route.
  Hosted by the
  
  Read more

• Ahousaht First Nation unveils new 127-acre luxury resort

  13-07-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A new 127-acre luxury resort is welcoming guests to the serenity of Quait Bay.
  The Ahousaht First Nation has announced the official opening of Wahous Wilderness Lodge and the Nation’s ḥaw̓iiḥ are excited to be offering a rare and innovative opportunity for visitors to experience the ḥaḥuułi
  “When you come to Wahous, you are visiting our home. We will welcome you the way we have always welcomed people — with respect, with food, with stories,&rdq
  
  Read more

• Man presumed dead after falling from tube into Okanagan Lake

  13-07-2026 18:10 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  West Kelowna RCMP is investigating after a man presumably drowned during an outing on the lake.At around 11:53 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, the 45-year-old man was thrown into Okanagan Lake and did not resurface.
  Following this, a search was conducted for the man on Okanagan Lake with the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) deploying its marine and air resources to help find him.
  During the evening of July 11, the search was suspended as authorities could not establish a reliable search are
  
  Read more

• WORLD CUP DAILY, July 13: No matches Monday

  13-07-2026 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Daily FIFA World Cup soccer match updates and news for Black Press Media publications.
  It is the first time since 1990 that all four semi-finalists are prior World Cup champions.
  There are no matches until Tuesday, when France takes on Spain in the semifinals in Dallas at 12 p.m. PT.
  England will take on Argentina on Wednesday at 12 p.m.
  If England’s Harry Kane scores Wednesday, he would be tied with England’s Gary Lineker’s record of scoring in four
  successive World Cup appear
  
  Read more

• Dragon boat races at Westwood Lake in Nanaimo to benefit NRGH oncology clinic

  13-07-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Cancer treatment in Nanaimo will benefit from an upcoming dragon boat race event.
  The second iteration of the Westwood Lake Dragon Boat Regatta takes place at Westwood Lake Park from Saturday-Sunday, July 18-19 with money raised going to the oncology clinic at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, according to Tom Arnold, president of VI Paddling, event organizer.“It’s really just about supporting this important part of our sport, where particularly Nanaimo has always been a focus for b
  
  Read more

• Winners unveiled at B.C.’s international sand sculpting festival

  13-07-2026 06:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The duo of Hanneke Supply and Helena Bangert took first place in the doubles category of the 2026 Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition in Parksville on July 12.
  The three-day competition in the community park drew 30 sand sculptors from all over Canada and the world to create their best representation of the ‘Beauties and Beasts’ theme within 30 hours.
  ‘Touched by the Beast’ by Supply and Bangert is about staying connected to nature, rather than a screen.
  It features
  
  Read more

• Search halted for woman swept over Stamp Falls near Port Alberni

  13-07-2026 03:53 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The search for a woman who was swept over Stamp Falls at Stamp River Provincial Park has been put on pause.
  Searchers said after five days of searching, including an underwater search by the RCMP Dive Team, they have halted for now.
  ‘Today was an incredibly difficult day for everyone involved,” a spokesperson with Alberni Valley Rescue Squad said on July 9.
  “Most importantly our thoughts are with the family and loved ones affected by this tragedy. We cannot imagine what they ar
  
  Read more

• Nanaimo’s council defers decision to support funding for Duke Point interchange project

  12-07-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo’s city council wants more information before deciding whether it will provide a letter of support for an application for federal funding for the proposed Duke Point Interchange project.
  Council decided at its meeting on Monday, July 6 to defer the decision to provide the letter to Seacliff Properties, the proponents of the Sandstone development that would see more than 2,000 homes constructed in southern Nanaimo, despite the fact that the deadline for submitting the application, al
  
  Read more

• BC Wildfire says drone disrupted aerial operations at Brunswick Complex blaze

  12-07-2026 22:32 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Amidst firefighting efforts in the massive Brunswick Complex wildfire, BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) has put out an advisory reminding residents about the consequences of interfering with wildfire suppression efforts.
  The Brunswick Complex wildfire sits at a total 18,859 hectares as of Sunday, July 12.
  On July 11, BCWS shared on Facebook how suppression efforts have been effected from the opening of Highway 1.“We received multiple reports of drivers speeding, or stopping on the side of the hi
  
  Read more

• Suspected sand sculpture vandalism saddens Parksville Beach Fest officials

  12-07-2026 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Parksville Beach Festival Society says it is “deeply disappointed” following damage to several sculptures currently being created for this year’s Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition.
  The damage, suspected to be vandalism, has required competing sculptors to spend valuable time repairing their works rather than focusing on completing their creations, according to a news release by the society.
  The repairs are essential to ensure the sculptures can be enjoyed by visitors
  
  Read more

• Nanaimo Concert Band holding free comedy-centric concert

  12-07-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Comedic musical pieces will be front and centre at a free performance by Nanaimo Concert Band.
  The band, which has been in existence for 154 years, will be holding The Make ‘em Laugh Summer Concert on Monday, July 13 at Maffeo Sutton Park, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  Under the direction of Scott MacInnes, the band will be playing TV comedy themes, music that is for circus clowns, and humorous music from Spike Jones to Leroy Anderson.
  Barbara Tease, percussionist and band director of publicity
  
  Read more

• WORLD CUP DAILY, July 12: England and Argentina head to semi-finals

  12-07-2026 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Daily FIFA World Cup soccer match updates and news for Black Press Media publications.
  England and Argentina are heading to the semi-finals after defeating Norway and Switzerland, respectively.
  England’s Jude Bellingham scored both goals for his team, the first in the 45+2 minute and the second in the 93rd. England won 2-1 after extra time.
  Argentina also went to extra time during its match with Switzerland, as they were tied 1-1 at the end of regular time. Argentina scored two goals durin
  
  Read more

• Business Notes: Merit Home Furniture store is having a big clearance sale

  12-07-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo’s Merit Home Furniture store is having a summer-clearance sale and is offering great bargains to its customers.
  Manager Bill Manhas said the sale runs until the end of July.
  “People tend to do work around their homes and buy new furniture through the summer up until November because the weather is better for moving things around,” said Manhas, who started at the store in 1988 as a delivery person when he first arrived in Nanaimo from India, and rose through the ranks to
  
  Read more

• QUIZ: Are you ready for a summer vacation?

  12-07-2026 14:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Now that the school year is over and the hot summer weather has arrived, many Canadian families will enjoy summer vacations.
  Across the country, there is plenty to see and experience, including natural wonders, dynamic cities, unique festivals and celebrations and remote wilderness areas.
  How much do you know about Canada’s many remarkable attractions?
  Put your knowledge to the test with these 10 questions.
  Good luck.
  Loading…
  READ MORE: QUIZ: Are you ready for the Stanley Cup?
  READ
  
  Read more

• NIWRA: How bear aware are we on Vancouver Island?

  12-07-2026 03:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Vancouver Island black bears eat both meat and plants, and their sense of smell and hearing is far superior to that of humans. If a hungry bear smells food waste in a barbecue or trash container or a vehicle, it will go after it. Bears are natural scavengers and have good memories, so they will return to locations where they have found food before.
  Bears must eat amounts of food, so they don’t starve during the winter months and to produce offspring (cubs are born in January or February in
  
  Read more

• Murder charge laid after motor vehicle incident in Vanderhoof

  12-07-2026 00:48 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A man has been charged with second-degree murder following a motor vehicle incident that triggered a shelter-in-place order in Vanderhoof on July 9.
  Keegan Donald Leigh, 39, was charged on July 10, Prince George RCMP said in a release.
  Police responded to the incident in the 1500 block of Loop Road, where they located a deceased man.
  Investigators say they believe it to be an isolated incident, with the accused and the victim, 38, known to each other.
  Police say Leigh will remain in custody unti
  
  Read more

• Early-morning fire damages Nanaimo Judo Club building

  12-07-2026 00:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Nanaimo Judo Club is temporarily halting training after a structure fire damaged its dojo facility.
  Nanaimo Fire Rescue was called out to the building on the Sid Gyro Park site, at 110 Machleary St., before 5 a.m. on Saturday, July 11. Damage could be seen on parts of the building’s exterior, including part of the roof and the side of the building, as well as on the front stairs and entrance.
  Nanaimo Fire Rescue did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There is no official cau
  
  Read more

• Vancouver Island police investigating assault after man found injured in park

  11-07-2026 22:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Police are investigating an alleged assault that took place in the vicinity of Craigflower Schoolhouse and Kosapsom Park.
  The Saanich Police Department said shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday morning (July 11), they received a report of an assault in the park, near Craigflower Bridge on Admirals Road.
  “The lone adult male victim was transported to the hospital for medical assistance with non-life-threatening injuries,” said a police news release.
  “After searching Gorge park, office
  
  Read more

• Trial to start for man charged in fatal shooting at Nanaimo fast food restaurant

  11-07-2026 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The man arrested after a fatal shooting incident at a Nanaimo fast food restaurant parking lot five years ago will stand trial later this month.
  Ronald Joseph Campbell, 42 when charged in 2024, will go to trial for first-degree murder beginning Monday, July 20 at B.C. Supreme Court in Nanaimo. The incident took place at the Wendy’s at Rock City Centre on May 20, 2021, during which a man was shot and killed.
  Jury selection will take place Saturday, July 18 and the trial is scheduled to last
  
  Read more

• LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Treating census workers with respect

  11-07-2026 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Dear Nanaimo residents,
  Please be kind to census workers, they are doing their jobs trying to prevent you from being fined for not completing your census questionnaire.
  It is a legal obligation and your civic duty to complete one. When we knock on your door or call you, we are not selling anything, we are not there to pry into your affairs nor are we collecting information for our own nefarious purposes. We are working, just as you do, and imagine if you had to endure having doors slammed in you
  
  Read more

• ‘Highlight of my summer’: Chance the Rapper wows at B.C. capital festival

  11-07-2026 18:49 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  If there was any doubt that the Phillips Backyard Festival has become Victoria’s marquee summer music event, Friday (July 10) night erased it.
  A capacity crowd of roughly 5,000 packed the backyard of Phillips Brewing Co. as the annual festival opened with one of its biggest headliners yet, three-time Grammy Award winner Chance the Rapper.
  By the time his set wrapped, fans weren’t rushing for the exits, they were standing in groups, reliving what they had just watched.
  “Wow, I m
  
  Read more

Follow @news_nanaimo on Twitter!