Nanaimo news

• Wayne Frederick Holmes

  26-02-2026 17:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Holmes, Wayne Frederick- known to many as Captain Holmes- passed away peacefully on January 27, 2026, after a long illness.
  He was predeceased by his brother Larry and is remembered by Larry’s wife Shannon. Wayne is survived by his wife Kathryn; his sisters Sharon (Bill) and Geri; his daughters Corrinne (Mike), Charlene and Ashley (Chad); his grandchildren Madeline and Logan; and his great-granddaughter Eleonora.
  Wayne took pride in his career as a Captain with BC Ferries, a role he loved
  
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• Trail-Rossland wraps up a memorable 2026 BC Winter Games

  01-03-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Trail-Rossland 2026 BC Winter Games wrapped up after a memorable and incredible three days of intense, exciting, friendly and fun competition.More than 1,400 athletes, coaches, and officials attended the Games joined by another 1,600 volunteers from across the West Kootenay making sure that the event went off without too many hitches, and provided support for the athletes, parents, and visitors throughout the Games.
  Events were held at a variety of facilities including the Black Jack Ski Clu
  
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• Round of meetings delivers cash for roundabout on Hammond Bay Road

  01-03-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The phrase “just a straight shot home” may soon not be quite as accurate as it once was for commuters on Hammond Bay Road.
  Nanaimo City Council gave the go-ahead to allocate $350,000 for a roundabout at the Brickyard and Hammond Bay roads intersection at its Monday, Feb. 23, meeting.
  The intersection had been identified by Nanaimo’s Engineering and Public Works department as one of the city’s “traffic safety hot spots” in a report presented to council, Feb. 2,
  
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• Eberle scores 2, leading Kraken to 5-1 win over Vancouver Canucks

  01-03-2026 06:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Jordan Eberle scored twice, lifting the Seattle Kraken to a 5-1 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks in NHL action Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
  Chandler Stephenson had a goal and two assists for the Kraken (28-22-9), with Vince Dunn and Matty Beniers adding single goals. Joey Daccord earned the win in goal, making 27 saves.
  Liam Öhgren had the lone goal for the Canucks (18-33-7), who remain last overall in the league standings. Kevin Lankinen took the netminding loss, sto
  
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• WOLF: Does anyone else regularly read the obituaries?

  01-03-2026 04:35 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Anyone else routinely read the obituaries?
  I’ve read newspapers, in print and later online, for as long as I can remember. Still do, every day.
  But only recently have I begun to semi-regularly check the obituaries (of my hometown paper). Is that morbid? A routine concession to advancing age? Just something lots of folks do because it’s part of the package?
  Obviously I’ve been aware of the obits all this time and have unfortunately read many of the over the year when some I knew
  
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• LETTER TO THE EDITOR: In defense of Dr. David Suzuki

  28-02-2026 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  To the editor,
  Dear anonymous Beefer, thank you for your Beef regarding the News Bulletin “foisting the views of David Suzuki.”
  First of all, why should we even read his articles? Dr. Suzuki has a PhD in zoology. He has spent more than half of a century fighting for the environment. He has done massive amounts of research for his long-running television and radio science shows, documentaries, and books. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada and holder of so many other honours. He
  
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• Wounded Warrior B.C. runners make stop in Nanaimo ahead of Victoria conclusion

  28-02-2026 21:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Post-traumatic stress disorder is thought to have affected war veterans in many eras.
  The Wounded Warrior Run B.C., raising money to support Armed Forces members and first responders suffering from PTSD, stopped in Nanaimo Friday, Feb. 27. At a ceremony at Bowen Road Cemetery, Capt. Kevin Hills, a Nanaimo Royal Canadian Air Cadets official, relayed the story of Flying Officer George Frederick Fielding, 24, of Nanaimo, who died June 1, 1945 and exhibited symptoms.
  During a Second World War bombin
  
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• Final day of Trail-Rossland Winter Games spotlights rhythmic gymnastics

  28-02-2026 20:42 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Saturday, Feb. 28 marks the final day of competition at the Trail-Rossland 2026 BC Winter Games.
  While medals are being decided across venues throughout the region, inside Glenmerry Elementary School a different kind of intensity is unfolding, one built on flexibility, precision and performance.
  Rhythmic gymnastics has taken over the school gym, where athletes move through carefully choreographed routines set to music, combining dance and gymnastics with apparatuses that include ribbon, hoop, an
  
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• History in Saskatchewan: Penticton Vees set new CHL expansion wins record

  28-02-2026 19:40 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The Penticton Vees now stand alone among all major junior hockey expansion franchises.
  Louis Wehmann scored the only goal in a six-round shootout to lift the visiting Vees to a 3-2 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Prince Albert Raiders on Feb. 27, helping Penticton break the new Canadian Hockey League (CHL) expansion wins record.
  The Vees (38-13-4-4) passed the 1982-1983 Longueuil Chevaliers of the QMJHL to set the mark.
  Longueuil, coached by future Stanley Cup-winning bench boss Jacques
  
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• Royal Canadian Air Force helps Northern B.C. SAR teams with snowmobile rescue

  28-02-2026 19:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A collaborative effort by Quesnel and Prince George Search and Rescues, as well as the Royal Canadian Air Force, saved a snowmobiler who got separated from its group on Friday afternoon, Feb. 27.
  The individual was “trapped in a large drainage deep within avalanche terrain,” said QSAR in a Facebook post.
  Both SAR teams from Quesnel and Prince George were drafting an “on the ground” plan as there was “considerable” avalanche risk. However, due to the risk and t
  
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• PWHL thrives post-Olympics with record attendance and increased popularity

  28-02-2026 18:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  The PWHL has seen a “groundswell of enthusiasm for women’s hockey” since the Olympics, with record attendance highlighting the growing popularity of women’s professional hockey.
  Vancouver Goldeneyes forward Sarah Nurse stated that, in the past, fans could only watch some of the best female hockey players compete every four years in the winter Olympics.
  Millions often tune in to the gold medal game, but there was nowhere to watch them compete afterward. In this Olympics, m
  
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• ‘Distasteful’: Canadian players back U.S. women’s hockey team after Trump comments

  28-02-2026 16:58 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Vancouver Goldeneyes players are speaking up in support of their American counterparts after U.S. President Donald Trump’s “distasteful” comments about women’s hockey.
  The Goldeneyes had a media availability Friday (Feb. 27) with their Olympic players – and questions inevitably turned to Trump’s now-infamous call with the U.S. men’s hockey team after their gold-medal win.
  Shortly after the Americans won gold against Canada, FBI director Kash Patel visite
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP warning public to watch out for suspects impersonating bank fraud department workers

  28-02-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Police in Nanaimo are warning the public about a fraud trend involving suspects who impersonate financial‑institution fraud departments.
  According to Nanaimo RCMP, in a recent incident a Nanaimo resident, lost approximately $24,000 to scammers claiming to represent the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).
  The victim told police they’d received multiple phone calls and text messages from what they believed was an official RBC phone number. Some of the text messages even contained security veri
  
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• Friday night lights and 1,700 burgers fuel Trail-Rossland Winter Games

  28-02-2026 06:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Organizing 15 sports venues across four rural communities is no small task.
  But figuring out how to feed nearly 1,000 hungry teenage athletes, along with their coaches and officials, after a full day of competition?
  That’s an entirely different ballgame.
  By 3 p.m. Friday, the operation was already underway outside the Trail Memorial Centre in the Cominco parking lot.
  Volunteers were in position, grills were heating up and the scent of barbecue was starting to drift through the air.
  By 5 p.
  
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• Trail-Rossland Winter Games archers take aim at gold

  28-02-2026 03:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  If you followed the sound of steady thuds and the occasional burst of cheers inside J.L. Crowe Secondary this week, it likely led you straight to the Willi Krause Fieldhouse.
  That’s where archers from across the province are taking aim at the Trail-Rossland 2026 BC Winter Games.
  Among them are four teen athletes representing Zone 1 Kootenays: Taryn Mutcher of Fernie and Cranbrook teammates Jorja Shortridge, Delilah Gawryluk and Kinsley Brulotte.
  The quartet shot Thursday, Feb. 26, and now
  
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• 1 suspect at large as 3 charged with extortion in 2025 Surrey shooting

  28-02-2026 02:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Extortion charges have been laid against three men in connection with a shooting in Surrey in November – one of whom remains at large.
  The BC RCMP announced the charges on Friday evening (Feb. 27) in connection with shots fired at a home in the 17000-block of 32 Avenue on Nov. 8, 2025. The same rural mansion was hit by gunfire again four days later, on Nov. 12.
  The B.C. Extortion Task Force took over the investigation.
  On Dec. 8, 2025, the task force announced that the B.C. Prosecution Ser
  
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• Open AI vows reforms after Tumbler Ridge shooting review

  28-02-2026 01:31 via nanaimobulletin.com
  In June 2025, a ChatGPT account was shut down by parent company OpenAI after “detecting a violation” of the company’s usage policy.
  OpenAI’s automated system detected the account, and it was then sent to “human review” to determine whether the company’s usage policies were violated and whether the account warranted referral to law enforcement.
  “Based on what we could see at that time, the account was banned in June 2025. We did not identify credibl
  
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• Headline history: Duke Point studied for ferry terminal

  28-02-2026 01:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Thirty-five years ago, the B.C. Ferry Corporation were first considering a ferry terminal at Nanaimo’s Duke Point.
  In the Feb. 25, 1991 edition of The Bulletin, B.C. Ferries announced it had began investigation into Duke Point as a potential site of an additional ferry terminal.
  Then-Transportation Minister Rita Johnston explained that an additional terminal would “substancially eliminate traffic congestion problems in Nanaimo caused by ferry traffic.”
  Today, both ferry termina
  
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• ‘Not a luxury’: Outgoing B.C. merit commissioner warns axing role hurts accountability

  28-02-2026 01:17 via nanaimobulletin.com
  B.C. Merit Commissioner David McCoy said he is “saddened” by the government’s decision to dissolve his independent office, warning that it will make the public service less accountable.
  “Independent oversight is not, in my opinion, a luxury,” he said in a Friday (Feb. 27) interview with Black Press Media. “It’s a foundational safeguard.”
  The decision to close the Independent Office of the Merit Commissioner was revealed on Feb. 17 as part of the pr
  
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• Clearwater man chases bear from garage

  28-02-2026 00:45 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A Clearwater man chased a black bear from his garage after he found the animal rustling through his recycling and garbage.
  Todd Leppky said the incident happened shortly after midnight on Thursday, Feb. 26, on Musgrave Road. He explained he heard something in the garage and assumed it may have been a person trying to steal something. He went to check and much to his surprise, he found not a human burglar but a black bear, who had knocked over his recycling and garbage can. In a Facebook post, he
  
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• Non-profit helps fulfill Nanaimo teen’s dream of sunny adventure

  28-02-2026 00:10 via nanaimobulletin.com
  An 18-year-old in Nanaimo had his day brightened after learning that a non-profit will send him for a sunny adventure in Mexico.
  Jonathan Dean lives with CHARGE syndrome and deafblindness, affecting his vision and hearing, and at the Country Grocer store on Bowen Road Friday, Feb. 27, Help Fill A Dream revealed that he and his family are destined for Cancun, Mexico.
  A nurse will accompany Dean and family and support will be provided to ensure he has a safe and enjoyable trip, said Craig Smith, H
  
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• Wheelchair basketball brings fast-paced action to Trail-Rossland Winter Games

  28-02-2026 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  If you’re looking for fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat action in Trail this weekend, head to the gym at J.L. Crowe Secondary School.
  Wheelchair basketball is underway at the Trail-Rossland 2026 BC Winter Games, and it’s easily one of the most entertaining events in town.
  From the opening tip to the final buzzer, there’s no slowing down.
  The chairs spin, players jostle for position, and the ball moves up the court in a blur.
  Two days into the Games, Fraser Valley Zone 3 athlete Ele
  
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• New drug overdose advisory issued for Nanaimo

  27-02-2026 23:38 via nanaimobulletin.com
  An overdose advisory was issued on Friday, as drug poisonings are reportedly increasing in Nanaimo.
  Issued by Island Health on Friday, Feb. 27, this is the second drug poisoning overdose advisory over the month, after an advisory on Feb. 4.
  The advisories are issued following a spike of overdoses in a community, and can be caused by drugs being poisoned with a substance without the drug user being aware. In the advisory, Island Health warns “friends, family and community members using unre
  
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• Island Health issues toxic drug alert for Greater Victoria, Cowichan, Nanaimo

  27-02-2026 23:13 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Drug poisonings are increasing in Greater Victoria, Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo, warns Island Health.
  “Friends, family and community members using unregulated substances face increased risk,” reads an alert issued Friday (Feb. 27).If someone overdoses, Island Health says to call 911 and stay with the person, give one breath every five seconds and give naloxone.For safer drug use, the health authority recommends visiting a local overdose prevention service, not mixing substances, carr
  
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• Clare, Kooner out of B.C. Conservative leadership race

  27-02-2026 23:09 via nanaimobulletin.com
  B.C. Conservative MLAs Steve Kooner and Sheldon Clare are out of the party leadership race.
  Both announced their intentions via social media.
  Clare, who represents Prince George-North Cariboo, told Black Press Media he failed to get the required 250 signatures from party members. He had signed up 281, he said, but upon party review, not all of those qualified, and he fell 27 short in the end (It might have been as many as 29, but he said the party did not provide him a final count).
  The applicat
  
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• Donations pour in to honour Victoria triathlete killed in Arizona

  27-02-2026 22:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A fundraising campaign launched in memory of Hannah Henry has raised more than $17,500 in its first two days, as friends, family and supporters work to create a lasting tribute in her name.
  Henry, 26, died on Feb. 8 after she was allegedly struck by Eric Hodge in a hit-and-run while cycling in Phoenix, Arizona.
  Hodge was charged with reckless manslaughter, leaving the scene of a deadly accident, possession of narcotic drugs, and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to court documents, he
  
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• Fraser Lake RCMP recover body following inn fire

  27-02-2026 21:55 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Fraser Lake RCMP have recovered a body from the scene of a fire that took place at the Fraser Lake Inn.
  According to a press release from Feb. 27, the RCMP have completed their search of the scene of the Feb. 22 fire at the inn.
  Police believe the body recovered is that of the person who was previously unaccounted for, the release says. DNA analysis is being conducted for positive identification and police are working with the BC Coroners Service as the investigation continues.
  The Fraser Lake R
  
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• ‘Oxy Moron’ B.C. tour delights Toronto comic tired of ‘terrible’ drives in snow

  27-02-2026 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Ontario-based comedian Derek Edwards is looking forward to better weather on a 10-city B.C. tour that starts in Surrey on March 11.
  It’s been pretty cold near Toronto, where the Timmins-raised performer now lives.
  “You gotta plug in your car, so that’s kind of funny,” he said of his old stomping grounds. “It’s cold and there’s a lot of winter. People get together in homes and down at the pub to get their laughs.”
  Edwards hasn’t been to B.C. i
  
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• ‘Hateful’ proposal from one Okanagan MLA called ‘despicable’ by another

  27-02-2026 21:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream independent MLA Tara Armstrong’s attempts to repeal human rights institutions are being bashed by her neighbouring politician, and others.
  Armstrong introduced the Human Rights Code Repeal Act in the Legislative Assembly Thursday, Feb. 26. The bill aims to abolish the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, repeal the B.C. Human Rights Code, eliminate the Human Rights Commissioner and nullify previous Tribunal ruling.
  “It is absolutely despicable and unacceptable
  
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• Vancouver social media influencer charged in human-trafficking investigation

  27-02-2026 21:20 via nanaimobulletin.com
  A Vancouver-based social media influencer is facing six charges in a human-trafficking investigation.
  Vancouver police announced charges against 31-year-old Tevin Douglas on Friday (Feb. 27). He faces charges of trafficking in persons, procuring a person to provide sexual services, material benefit from trafficking, material benefit from sexual services, advertising sexual services and sexual assault.
  Charges were approved Feb. 20. Douglas was arrested at his Vancouver residence and the home was
  
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