Nanaimo news

• UPDATE: Human-caused wildfire being held between Vernon and Falkland

  31-05-2023 16:25 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The blaze was discovered around 1:15 a.m.
  
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• Snuneymuxw purchase of River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond finalized

  16-06-2026 19:01 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The deal has been closed on Snuneymuxw First Nation’s purchase of River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond.
  On June 16, the First Nation’s economic development corporation, Petroglyph Development Group Ltd., announced in a press release that it had finalized the purchase, which makes it the fifth casino owned by the Nation.
  Others include Casino Nanaimo, Elements Casino Victoria, Chances Maple Ridge and Great Canadian Casino Vancouver, all purchased from Great Canadian Entertainment star
  
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• Vancouver Island man pleads guilty after shooting dog caught in foot-hold trap

  16-06-2026 18:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A Port Alberni man has pleaded guilty to a Criminal Code charge after killing a dog caught in a foot-hold trap.
  Michael Stini admitted to shooting and killing his neighbour’s dog, Stone, while Stone was immobilized in a foot-hold trap on Stini’s property. The offence took place on Feb. 23, 2023, and directly contradicted guidance from conservation officers to not to engage with or dispatch any animal, a press release from the BC SPCA noted.
  Stini was charged following an investigatio
  
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• Cultus Lake Waterpark incident ‘not believed to have been intentionally caused:’ RCMP

  16-06-2026 18:24 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  In the wake of the Cultus Lake Waterpark electrocution incident Monday (June 15) that injured 12 children the investigation has been been undertaken by Worksafe BC officials.
  The group of youth on a field trip suffered burns to their feet, after touching an electrified rail in the queuing area near one of the rides.
  Waterpark officials made a statement late Monday to say the park would be shut down for 48 hours for the investigation, and that they were cooperating fully with officials.
  “We
  
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• Island talent anchors stacked Colwood fight night

  16-06-2026 18:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  After spending three months training in Japan, Odin Munns is eager to show how far he has come when he returns to the ring later this month.
  The 19-year-old Island Boxing athlete is set to face Mahad Amin Ali on the 15-bout amateur card during Champ Productions Fight Night at the Q Centre in Colwood on June 20. The bout will be his first since earning a victory over Santiago Porras at the promotion’s last event in November.
  View this post on InstagramA post shared by Champ Promotions (@cha
  
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• WORLD CUP DAILY, June 16: France, Argentina among 8 teams in action Tuesday

  16-06-2026 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Daily FIFA World Cup updates and news for Black Press Media publications.
  Tournament favourite Spain couldn’t beat Cabo Verde on Monday (June 15), among Day 5 highlights at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
  The two teams were held scoreless in Atlanta in the day’s first of four matches, all ended in draws — something not seen at the World Cup since 1958.
  The population of Cabo Verde, a tiny island nation off Africa’s west coast, is just 529,000, while Spain’s hovers around 5
  
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• Nanaimo’s population reached more than 112,600 people in 2025

  16-06-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The population of Nanaimo has been estimated at 112,672 in 2025, and it is projected to reach 121,941 by 2030, according to the city’s annual state of the economy report
  Nanaimo’s economic development officer Amrit Manhas told council at a recent meeting that the city’s population continues to grow, but at a slower pace than the past five years.
  “This is partly due to broader provincial and federal policy changes around immigration,” she said.
  “Growth has slow
  
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• Canadian fighter jets to train off west coast of Vancouver Island

  16-06-2026 05:59 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Cold Lake, Alta. – Aircraft from 4 Wing Cold Lake will be conducting training in the vicinity of Comox and various locations on Vancouver Island from June 15-22, 2026.
  The CF-18 Hornet fighter jets will be operating out of 19 Wing Comox and transiting to the west coast of Vancouver Island. Most of the training will take place offshore and will include low-level flying. Residents from Tofino in the west to San Josef Bay in the north may hear or see the aircraft operating in these areas.
  As
  
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• 1 dead after car drives wrong way on northbound lanes of Coquihalla Highway

  16-06-2026 03:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE:A collision that shut down the Coquihalla Highway northbound near Comstock Road for several hours is now being reported as a fatal incident.
  According to Merritt RCMP Staff Sgt. Joshua Roda, a small car was seen travelling the wrong way down Highway 5 at about 8 a.m. Monday.
  Then, only minutes later, Merritt RCMP received a report that the car had been involved in a head-on collision with a transport van in the northbound lanes of the highway.
  The driver, and sole occupant of the small ca
  
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• Canada sees a 23% reduction in opioid deaths in 2025

  16-06-2026 02:05 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Opioid-related drug deaths in Canada declined by 23 per cent from 2024 to 2025, but remain elevated above pre-pandemic levels, according to data released by the federal government on Monday, June 15.
  Across Canada, an average of 15 people per day died as a result of using opioids illegally in 2025, for a yearly total of 5,608. Deaths had spiked from 3,598 in 2019 to a pandemic-era high of 8,040 in 2023, but have been declining steadily since.
  Officials at least partly credit increased naloxone u
  
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• $66M proposed settlement reached in B.C. birth alert class-action lawsuit

  16-06-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A proposed $66-million settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit regarding the use of birth alerts in B.C.
  The website, Birth Alerts BC Class Action, announced the proposed settlement on June 8. The Supreme Court of B.C. will decide whether or not to approve the proposed settlement at a settlement approval hearing on Dec. 4, 2021. The settlement is a compromise resolution that does not include any admissions by any party.
  If the settlement is approved, it would provide a minimum of $
  
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• Elder abuse incidents increasing in B.C., senior’s advocate says

  16-06-2026 01:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and an opportunity to raise awareness of increasing reports of abuse and neglect of older adults in B.C., says the Office of the Seniors Advocate.
  Elder abuse can take many forms, including financial, physical, emotional, psychological, sexual or other and can include mistreatment, neglect and self-neglect, according to a news release. It may be perpetrated by family members, friends, neighbours, caregivers or commercial vendors.
  “Data show that r
  
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• B.C.’s Rod Brind’Amour lifts the Stanley Cup again

  16-06-2026 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Rod Brind’Amour is bringing the Stanley Cup back to Campbell River.
  Twenty years after winning it all as a captain, the Campbell River product is a champion once again after coaching the Carolina Hurricanes to a six-game series win over the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2026 Final.
  They defeated the Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 on June 14 to seal the deal.Carolina never really looked out of place in these playoffs.
  The Hurricanes finished 16-3, the second-best postseason record since the NHL
  
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• 1 removed from BC Place during FIFA match for intoxication, refusing to leave

  15-06-2026 23:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Vancouver police say one person was removed from BC Place stadium during the Australia vs. Türkiye match on Saturday, June 13.
  Vancouver Police Department Sgt. Adam Donaldson said there were no major incidents on Saturday when Vancouver hosted its first FIFA World Cup match.
  One person was arrested at the fan festival at the PNE grounds, he said. They were found to be in breach of their court-imposed conditions unrelated to the event.
  At the stadium, one person was removed from BC Place dur
  
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• Canada to host NCAA champion UCLA Bruins in Victoria summer exhibition

  15-06-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The absolute best of American college basketball is coming north to take on Canada.
  Canada’s senior women’s national team will host the 2026 NCAA champion UCLA Bruins on July 22 at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in the return of ‘W’Hoop It Up’.
  View this post on InstagramA post shared by W’Hoop It Up (@whoopitupvictoria)Landing UCLA is a massive draw for the summer showcase, with the Bruins fresh off their first-ever Division I national championship.
  They d
  
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• Awardees, donors, partners honoured by Indigenous foundation in Nanaimo

  15-06-2026 23:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Over 60 scholarship recipients and stakeholders were honoured in a Kw’umut Lelum Foundation celebration last week.
  The Indigenous-led community organization, servicing nine First Nations on Vancouver Island, held the event at Qwam Qwum Stuwixwulh School on June 4, which “highlighted a different approach to philanthropy: one that is guided by Indigenous communities themselves and rooted in relationships, reciprocity, and collective responsibility,” a press release stated.
  Tsetsu
  
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• B.C. looking at revisiting Site E and Homathko dams

  15-06-2026 22:56 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The B.C. government is looking at the potential viability of two massive new hydroelectric projects — floating the possibility of revisiting the Site E dam on the Peace River in the Northeast and a project on the Homathko River near Bute Inlet on the Central coast.
  Adrian Dix, B.C.’s energy minister, said these types of projects are needed to back up major recent investments in renewable energy projects that rely on the weather to generate power.
  “It’s firm power that bac
  
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• Review: ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ is hilarious summer fun on Chemainus stage

  15-06-2026 22:44 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Dirty Rotten Scoundrels had the audience roaring with laughter on opening night, Friday, June 12 at the Chemainus Theatre Festival.
  Written by Jeffrey Lane, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek, this tale of two rival con artists who enter into a bet to defraud a young American woman who is visiting the French Riviera is funny, engaging, and full of twists and turns that will leave you guffawing.
  The script is clever, cheeky, and light-hearted, while the music is fun and frothy and the dance nu
  
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• Semi-truck driver fined for travelling wrong way on B.C. highway

  15-06-2026 22:15 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  West Shore RCMP intercepted a commercial transport truck driving the wrong way on the Trans Canada Highway on Saturday (June 13) morning.
  Police received multiple complaints at approximately 4:40 a.m. about a truck travelling northbound in the southbound lanes near the Helmcken Road exit.
  Officers immediately responded to the area and located the vehicle.
  Police attempted to pull the truck over, but the driver initially failed to stop. The vehicle eventually came to a halt near the Leigh Road ex
  
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• Nanaimo building under construction burned to the ground

  15-06-2026 21:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A house under construction on Stobart Road, near the intersection of Jingle Pot and Mill roads, burned to the ground on Sunday.
  On the afternoon of Sunday, June 14 at about 2:30 p.m., assistant fire chief Troy Libbus, with Nanaimo Fire Rescue, said fire personnel arrived to find the building fully engulfed in flames.
  He said the two-storey building consisted of a stick frame and a roof at the time of the fire.
  “Our fire crews went on what’s called a defence attack in which we don&rsq
  
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• VIDEO: 9 people suffer burns at Cultus Lake Waterpark after electrical incident

  15-06-2026 21:32 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Emergency responders were called to the Cultus Lake Waterpark on Monday (June 15) for an electrical incident that led to several patrons being burned.
  It was reported initially that a group of youth had suffered burns to their feet.
  Communications over the scanner said arriving crews found nine patients, who were conscious and breathing, and most were children between 10 and 12 years old.The call came in over the scanner at 11:20 a.m. asking for Chilliwack Fire Department, RCMP and BC Ambulance
  
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• 9 people suffer burns at Cultus Lake Waterpark after incident involving electricity

  15-06-2026 21:32 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Emergency responders were called to the Cultus Lake Waterpark on Monday (June 15) for a medical emergency involving electricity and several patrons who suffered burns.
  It was reported initially that a group of youth had suffered burns to their feet.
  Communications over the scanner said arriving crews found nine patients, who were conscious and breathing, and most were children between 10 and 12 years old.
  The call came in over the scanner at 11:20 a.m. asking for Chilliwack Fire Department, RCMP
  
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• 9 people suffer burns at Cultus Lake Waterpark after electrical incident

  15-06-2026 21:32 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Emergency responders were called to the Cultus Lake Waterpark on Monday (June 15) for an electrical incident that led to several patrons being burned.
  It was reported initially that a group of youth had suffered burns to their feet.
  Communications over the scanner said arriving crews found nine patients, who were conscious and breathing, and most were children between 10 and 12 years old.
  The call came in over the scanner at 11:20 a.m. asking for Chilliwack Fire Department, RCMP and BC Ambulance
  
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• Closing submissions delayed in Lumby murder trial

  15-06-2026 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  WARNING: this article contains content related to a domestic violence murder trial which may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been harmed by domestic violence (gender-based violence), contact Archway Society for Domestic Peace at 250-542-1122 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
  Closing submissions from Crown and defence in the murder trial of a Lumby man have been delayed.
  The submissions in the second-degree murder trial of Vitali Stefans
  
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• Protesters gather as One B.C. uses Kelowna-owned venue to host meeting

  15-06-2026 20:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  MLA and One B.C. leader Dallas Brodie’s most recent town hall has sparked discussion on whether or not the City of Kelowna should allow municipal space to platform controversial speakers.
  On Sunday, June 14, Brodie came to Kelowna and spoke to about 100 attendees at the Parkinson Recreation Centre’s (PRC) Apple Room.
  While Brodie covered a variety of topics surrounding the NDP’s governance of B.C., a majority of her time was spent talking about Indigenous issues in the province
  
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• End of B.C. rural healthcare bonus could worsen staffing challenges, Union says

  15-06-2026 20:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A program designed to attract and retain rural healthcare workers is coming to an end this year.
  According to the B.C. government website, the Provincial Rural Retention Incentive (PRRI) is a monetary incentive of up to $2,000 per quarter, for a maximum of $8,000 per year, for healthcare workers in 74 communities across B.C., including Quesnel. The incentive, which started back on April 1, 2024, is scheduled to finish by Sept. 30, 2026.
  During her visit to G. R. Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesne
  
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• Vancouver’s 1st FIFA match led to TransLink’s busiest Saturday since Olympics

  15-06-2026 20:19 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  TransLink says there were more than one million boardings on June 13, the system’s busiest Saturday for a BC Place event since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
  There were 1,031,000 boardings on Saturday, a 14.3-per-cent increase from the typical 901,600 boardings, a news release from TransLink said Monday (June 15). There was a total of 648,200 daily trips, which was a 17.8-per-cent increase from a typical day of 550,300 trips.
  Ridership on Saturday also surpassed both Taylor Swift’s Sat
  
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• ‘Nothing can go wrong unless the head falls off’: Secret life of UVic’s mascot

  15-06-2026 19:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Inside the heavy costume of Thunder, the University of Victoria mascot, there is no cooling fan.
  Elena Mairs spent up to four hours at a time sweating inside the oversized Viking suit over the past four years, sneaking into closets between basketball games just to take the head off and catch her breath.
  But keeping her identity a complete secret from thousands of cheering fans was the real trick.
  When Mairs finally revealed her face at the Vikes season finale, the crowd was completely stunned. T
  
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• Police asking for help identifying woman

  15-06-2026 18:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Nanaimo RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a woman.
  Investigators believe that this individual may have information that will assist in a police incident that occurred just after 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, at Rexall Drugs, located in the Southgate Mall.
  The woman is Caucasian, 35-40 years old, wearing a white sweater and black pants and carrying a black sling purse over her shoulder.
  If anyone has information on the identify of this person, they’re asked to
  
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• WORLD CUP DAILY, June 15: Germany, Sweden win big Sunday; 4 matches today

  15-06-2026 16:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Daily soccer match updates and news about the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
  Dominant performances by two European nations highlighted Sunday action at the FIFA World Cup.
  Not surprisingly, Germany dismantled Curacao 7-1 in Houston before Sweden stunned Tunisia 5-1 in Monterrey on a day when four matches were played, with four more scheduled today (Monday) on Day 5 of the men’s soccer tournament.Yasin Ayari buries a ROCKET after a disaster in the Tunisia box to put Sweden up by one! pic.twitter.com/
  
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