Nanaimo news

• Yellow Point Drama Group will be performing five plays in one

  20-10-2026 14:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The latest production by a local drama group based out of Cedar is a comedy that includes five plays in one performance about opportunities and hope.
  Five, which is being presented by the Yellow Point Drama Group, will be performed at Cedar Community Hall, with opening night on Friday, Oct. 23.
  The name of the five plays are Time Enough for Love, The Depot, For Heaven’s Sake, Genie-ous Solution, and GeoCaching.
  Jim Zurcher, member-at-large of the board, said that in each play, there is som
  
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• New Westminster-Coquitlam MLA named interim leader of B.C. NDP

  29-10-2026 22:25 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  New Westminster-Coquitlam MLA Jennifer Whiteside has been named the interim leader of the B.C. NDP as the party tries to get back on its feet following a devastating loss in the 2026 provincial election last week.
  The former cabinet member announced her leadership role after a caucus meeting at the legislature on Thursday, Oct. 29. She said it was a unanimous decision of the caucus.
  “I have to tell you this is deeply, deeply humbling,” she told reporters after the meeting. “It is not an ou
  
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• Man arrested in Quebec after fatal hit-and-run in the South Okanagan

  29-10-2026 21:45 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A man has been arrested in Drummondville, Que., following a fatal hit-and-run collision that occurred near Oliver in June 2025.
  Dominic Kavanagh Latreille was arrested on Oct. 14, four months after the BC Prosecution Service approved one charge against him for failing to remain at the scene of the crash.
  The collision took place on June 15, 2025, near the Cassini Winery south of Oliver along Highway 97. BC Highway Patrol responded to the single-vehicle incident in which a 22-year-old pedestrian
  
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• Shuswap’s Quaaout Lodge begins ‘building back better’ with groundbreaking ceremony

  29-10-2026 20:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The ground breaking ceremony Friday, Oct. 23 was a major milestone in Quaaout Lodge rising from the ashes in its journey to rebuild following the fire that destroyed the guest wing at Talking Rock Resort in 2022.
  The start of the rebuild of the lodge rooms comes after “years of planning, community engagement and navigating significant setbacks.”
  Friday’s long awaited ceremony brought together community members, leadership, and project partners to celebrate this step forward.“Today’s gr
  
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• CPKC moves 130 small-town rail workers to Kamloops after housing, cost-of-living issues

  29-10-2026 20:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  It’s been four months since CPKC, a major railway company and Revelstoke employer, began relocating a large amount of its local workforce to Kamloops.
  The company first shared in summer 2025 that it would transfer away as many as 125 Revelstoke-based railroaders to resolve housing and cost-of-living issues that caused repeated turnover there.
  This summer, the relocation was underway by July after CPKC and its union failed to reach a settlement and an arbitrator decided what benefits and assist
  
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• Sparwood’s Hadden Kelloway is first known transgender mayor in B.C

  29-10-2026 20:28 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  When Hadden Kelloway stepped into his role as mayor of Sparwood following the 2026 municipal election, he finally felt like the person he’d always wanted to be.
  Kelloway, 65, is a transgender man who began transitioning in 2011. Electing a transgender mayor to town council is a big milestone in a community that has a reputation for being a right-wing conservative mining town, and for greater B.C. Kelloway is the first mayor in B.C to publicly come out as a transgender person.
  Kelloway’s camp
  
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• Exhibition talking about hauntings from resource extraction to be shown at Nanaimo Art Gallery

  29-10-2026 20:16 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  An exhibition dedicated to talking about the metaphorical ghosts of resource extraction will be opening at Nanaimo Art Gallery at the end of this month.Haunting the Undermined Zone will be shown at the gallery, starting on Saturday, Oct. 31, with an opening reception on Friday. Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
  Jesse Birch, art gallery curator and artistic director, said that the new exhibition is thinking about the way humans extracted from the land, and the evidence that the extraction would come back to haun
  
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• ‘Mermaid of Chemainus’ celebrates more than 100 ocean swims this year

  29-10-2026 19:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  For Chemainus resident Diana Hardacker, a trip to Kin Beach isn’t just about enjoying the view. It’s an opportunity to dive into the ocean, visit some familiar wildlife and enjoy the beauty of the coastline from a different perspective.
  Hardacker recently celebrated her 100th ocean swim of 2026, surpassing her previous personal record of 94 swims — and she hasn’t stopped there.
  “I’m actually up to 107 now,” she said.
  Most of those swims have taken place at Kin Beach, where Hardacke
  
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• B.C. NDP MLAs meet to decide new interim leader after devastating loss

  29-10-2026 19:27 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The remnants of the B.C. NDP caucus are in discussions on who will take the helm of the party after a crushing defeat in the 2026 provincial election – dropping from 47 to 28 seats and handing a majority government to the B.C. Conservatives for the first time in nearly a century.
  “There’s no sugarcoating it, it was a tough day,” said Vancouver-Hastings MLA Niki Sharma. “We had to say goodbye to MLA’s that were excellent, that really served their community well. So we were reflective,
  
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• National recall issued for Victoria-based hard coffee

  29-10-2026 19:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A Victoria-based coffee brand is being recalled by its bottler.
  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency shared a recall by Artus Bottling Ltd. for Buck Wild brand Shaft Cocktail Canadian Hard Coffee due to container integrity defects and spoilage.
  The recall impacts Shaft Cocktail Canadian Hard Coffee in the 250 ml individual and four packs.The food may have non-harmful “microbial contamination” impacting quality, according to the CFIA recall notice.
  Those who purchased should not use, sell, ser
  
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• 20 cms of snow falls on Vernon’s SilverStar Mountain

  29-10-2026 18:59 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Winter has come early to SilverStar Mountain Resort.
  The Vernon ski hill got 20 centimetres Wednesday, Oct. 28, nearly a month ahead of downhill season.
  “Can you believe we’re only three weeks out from our tentative nordic opening on Nov. 20? And four weeks out from our tentative alpine opening on Nov. 27!” the resort boasted Thursday morning.It’s a big difference from a week ago, when the resort was green and brown in all its fall glory. Now it’s a winter wonderland.
  And it caps off a
  
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• Fireworks, sparklers on Canucks’ lit Diwali logo for festive home game Nov. 3

  29-10-2026 18:49 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Artist Arpan Panglia created another Diwali-themed logo for Vancouver Canucks ahead of this year’s celebration game Tuesday, Nov. 3, vs. Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena.
  Panglia’s colourful, lit-up logo features diyas, hand sparklers, twinkle lights and rangoli (curved flower petals).
  “Growing up, one of my favourite ways my family would celebrate (Diwali) was to light up dazzling sparklers,” the artist said in a Canucks post on social media. “With glowing sparklers in our hands and cous
  
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• Lumby murder sentencing moved to 2027

  29-10-2026 18:31 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  WARNING: This article contains content related to a domestic violence murder 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).
  A man found guilty of second-degree murder of his ex-wife has had his sentencing pushed back.
  Defence for Vitali Stefanski applied in Kamloops Court today, Oct. 29, to ad
  
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• North Cowichan working to connect displaced forestry workers with new employment opportunities

  29-10-2026 18:24 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  The Municipality of North Cowichan is working to connect forestry workers impacted by the Crofton pulp mill closure and ongoing sawmill curtailments in Chemainus and Cowichan Bay with new employment opportunities, including positions in manufacturing and mining.
  In a statement posted to social media, North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas outlined several initiatives underway to support displaced workers, including industry information sessions recruitment opportunities and retraining programs.
  Throug
  
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• Hockey Without Limits expands inclusive ball hockey program to Cowichan Valley

  29-10-2026 18:19 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Building on the program’s success in Victoria, Hockey Without Limits, a recreational floor hockey program for adults with diverse abilities, has expanded to the Cowichan Valley.
  Hockey Without Limits is designed for adults aged 18 and older of all abilities, including those with developmental disabilities and support needs.
  “We would like to expand the Duncan program to offer a similar opportunity for individuals with diverse abilities, isolation, and barriers to be connected in a positive e
  
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• MARS patients show why animals need companionship

  29-10-2026 18:02 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Have you heard about the depressed goose? This might sound like the opener for a lame joke, but at MARS it’s a real thing.
  One of our Canada Goose patients with a fractured toe acquired a foot infection and had to be moved to an isolation unit for treatment. This goose was well fed, had multiple x-rays, antibiotics and pain management but spent its entire time snuggled up to a mirror. It would get up to eat, go back to the mirror, hunker down and sleep until it next felt peckish.This routine c
  
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• Ladysmith-Oceanside sees highest number of ballots cast in provincial election

  29-10-2026 18:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Ladysmith-Oceanside voters turned out in droves for the provincial election — the riding saw 30,155 votes cast, the most in any district in B.C.
  Not far behind were two other ridings on the Island, with 29,894 voters showing up in Saanich North and the Islands and 29,722 in Courtenay-Comox.
  Of the 30,155 votes in Ladysmith-Oceanside, 30,112 were considered valid by Elections BC. Ballots are rejected if they are not marked clearly for one candidate, according to Elections BC.
  Ladysmith-Oceansid
  
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• B.C. realtor nearing 44 million views from Google photography days

  29-10-2026 17:48 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  When people are looking into locations, they like to get the lay of the land.Thanks to Sean Phillips and his camerawork, they’re able to with a few clicks on the internet.
  Now a realtor in Vernon, Phillips spent eight years as a Google trusted photographer, photographing hundreds of B.C. resorts, attractions and businesses and creating Google Street View virtual tours that let people step inside online.
  Phillips is now nearing a significant milestone: his roughly 7,700 photos have been viewed
  
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• ‘Fund the fire hall’: MP Caputo brings Barriere’s critical infrastructure needs to Ottawa

  29-10-2026 17:20 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Barriere’s emergency infrastructure needs have been heard in the House of Commons, with MP Frank Caputo requesting help to fund a new fire hall for the rural community.On Sunday, Oct. 25, Caputo, MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola, posted a video of his petition in the House of Commons on behalf of Barriere.“Barriere needs a new fire hall. Their fire hall is over 70 years old, it services many communities in the area and within Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola,” the MP said in Ottawa.
  “The people o
  
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• THE MOJ: For Canucks forward Brendan Gallagher, coming home is bittersweet

  29-10-2026 17:16 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Brendan Gallagher’s homecoming hasn’t gone exactly as planned.
  After 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, the Vancouver Canucks signed the former Vancouver Giant to provide veteran leadership to a rebuilding team.
  But almost a month into the season, the 34-year-old has just one assist in 12 games and was a healthy scratch in Tuesday’s 6-5 overtime win in Anaheim, which snapped Vancouver’s 10-game losing streak.
  Then again, overcoming adversity is nothing new for Gallagher, who at 5-fo
  
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• Does your dog actually feel guilty?

  29-10-2026 13:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  You come home to find a chewed shoe or a knocked-over garbage can. Your dog lowers their head, avoids your eyes, and tucks their tail. It looks like guilt. But does your dog actually feel guilty, or are we interpreting their behaviour through a human lens?
  Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist at Barnard College and head of the Horowitz Canine Cognition Lab, explored this question in her landmark study, “Disambiguating the ‘guilty look’: Salient prompts to a familiar dog behaviour.
  
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• Business Notes: Nana Sushi reopens in downtown Nanaimo

  29-10-2026 13:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Agnes Kim never looked happier than she was while making sushi in preparation for Nana Sushi’s reopening on Friday, Oct. 23, after being closed for more than five months.
  Kim, who has opened and operated the popular downtown restaurant for the past 10 years, said she’s grateful for all the help she has received from her family, staff and customers since a vehicle careened through the front window of Nana Sushi on May 18.
  Fortunately, even though the black SUV destroyed much of the dining are
  
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• VIU programs, profs, students on display in community festival

  29-10-2026 02:00 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Vancouver Island University’s faculty and students showed off their programs and skills at a community festival this past weekend.
  VIU Fest 2026 was a free event for all ages “featuring hands-on learning, interactive activities and family-friendly entertainment. It’s also packed with opportunities to explore VIU programs and connect with professors and students,” a press release noted.
  There pop-up classrooms, giving people a snapshot of student life and a kids’ zone as well.
  karl.yu@n
  
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• World’s best in figure skating to compete in Kelowna

  29-10-2026 00:16 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Athletes are arriving in Kelowna for 2026 Skate Canada International (SCI).The best in figure skating across the globe will be competing at Prospera Place Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.Kelowna is the second stop on the SCI Grand Prix series and athletes will be competing for points toward qualification for the Grand Prix Final.Stephen Gogolev is representing Canada in the men’s event. The reigning Canadian champion finished in the top five at both the Olympic Winter Games and the World Championships in hi
  
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• Appeals court upholds sentence for Armstrong supervisor who sexually exploited teen

  28-10-2026 23:47 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  For the second time, an Armstrong fast food manager has lost an appeal related to his sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old employee.Surjit Singh was 26 years old at the time of the offences, for which he was sentenced to 13 months jail in 2024. After losing an appeal of the conviction back in April, he requested that the B.C. Court of Appeal replace the jail sentence with a conditional sentence served in the community.An appeal court panel dismissed this second appeal, according to a decision re
  
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• Greater risk during morning driving with B.C. staying on daylight savings time

  28-10-2026 22:52 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  With British Columbia not ‘falling back’ this year on time change, there is a risk for more vehicle incidents in the mornings, according to a provincial road safety resource.
  As the days get shorter and the clocks don’t change, it will be darker later in the morning as sunrise will be later, which in turn, could pose as a risk during the morning commute. Because of this, more work trips, morning commutes, and school drop-offs will take place in darkness, said a Road Safety at Work press re
  
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• Richard’s story: When home suddenly becomes scary

  28-10-2026 22:36 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Richard, a three-year-old Labradoodle, had lived happily with his guardians in the same home since puppyhood. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, everything changed.
  One day, Richard was let out to go pee and when it was time to come back inside, he simply refused. No amount of encouragement would convince him to move. Instead, he flattened himself on the ground, unwilling to move toward the house. Frustrated, his guardians would carry him inside. Once indoors, Richard ran straight to the basement b
  
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• Darker drives, greater risks: How not ‘falling back’ should change driving habits in B.C.

  28-10-2026 21:45 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  A B.C.-based safety organization says roads in the province are about to get more dangerous for professional drivers, not to mention motorists who don’t drive for a living.With clocks not “falling back” an hour this weekend, B.C. drivers will spend mornings in more darkness and low light.
  Road Safety at Work, which aims to improve the safety of people who drive for work or work at the roadside, urges employers and drivers to prepare for reduced visibility and fatigue, and also consider cha
  
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• Vernon’s SilverStar Mountain voted 5th best ski resort in North America

  28-10-2026 21:30 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  North Okanagan residents know SilverStar Mountain Resort to be a winter paradise rivalling any other.They might be surprised at how many people from far and wide feel the same way about their local ski resort.SilverStar has been ranked fifth among the best ski resorts in North America in Condé Nast Traveller’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, earning a score of 93.26 out of 100.
  The North American ranking lists 15 resorts. Deer Valley in Utah placed first with a score of 97.78, followed by Sun
  
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• RCMP track woman wanted on warrant to Hope

  28-10-2026 21:11 via Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
  Coquitlam RCMP is asking for the public’s help in locating a woman wanted on a Canada-wide warrant who is believed to be in the Hope or Kamloops areas.
  Chelcey Hodder, 43, was last seen at 2:30 p.m. in the area of ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park in Coquitlam on Oct. 23.
  She is wanted on a warrant of committal after failing to return to her facility as ordered.
  The Coquitlam RCMP Investigational Support Team tracked Hodder to Hope, and it is believed she is either still in the Hope area or is trave
  
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