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Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

FUNDRAISING NEEDED
Nature Trust of BC seeking donations to protect land near Englishman River
PARKSVILLE - A significant amount of money is being raised to protect a large piece of land home to a large ecosystem.The Nature Trust of BC is looking to raise $350,000 to protect 13 acres of land home to wildlife along the Englishman River at 130 Shelly Road in Parksville.CEO of the Nature Trust Dr. Jasper Lament sai...
Apr 27, 2024
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pay and ride
Popular e-bike sharing program launching in Nanaimo
NANAIMO - Capable of going upwards of 25 kilometres per hour, a new network of shareable e-bikes is debuting in the city. Evolve, a program run through BCAA and already in place in several major centres, will start offering publicly rentable e-bikes through a soft launch on Wednesday, May 1, with a more widespread roll...
Apr 26, 2024
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exemption required
'Give the police the tools they need:' Provincial government again looking to ban public drug use
VANCOUVER - Escalating public safety concerns combined with increasing deaths link to drug toxicity is pushing changes to allowed drug consumption in public areas.Premier David Eby announced on Friday, April 26, collaboration with the federal government on changing the legality of drug possession and consumption in B.C...
Apr 26, 2024
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24/7 support
Major supportive housing complex set to open in Nanaimo
NANAIMO - A long-promised and badly needed supportive housing complex is set to officially open in the city's downtown.Cornerstone, located at 285 Prideaux St., is a 51-unit permanent modular supportive housing project, part of a promise through a 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BC Housing and the City t...
Apr 26, 2024
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whale rescue
Killer whale calf trapped in B.C. swims out of lagoon
The young killer whale trapped for more than a month in a B.C. lagoon swam past a bottleneck at high tide this morning. The Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations say the team is ecstatic, although she still has to leave the Little Espinosa Inlet to reach open ocean. A statement from the team says the calf swam past t...
Apr 26, 2024
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permanent home
'We're hugely grateful:' Nanaimo Men's Shed group finds a place to call home
NANAIMO - Less than a year after being formed a local non-profit group which brings men together in a positive and uplifting way finally has a permanent home. Organized by a local father and son last year, the Nanaimo and District Men's Shed Society (NDMSS) is celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, April 27, from n...
Apr 26, 2024
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British Columbia

Retailer London Drugs closes stores in Western Canada due to 'operational issue'
VANCOUVER - Retail and pharmacy chain London Drugs says in a post on social media that it has closed all of its stores in Western Canada temporarily due to what it called an "operational issue." Various news outlets reported the company shared by email that it was a cybersecurity incident, and that the store ...
2h ago
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Drug user advocates concerned about B.C.'s decriminalization exception request
VANCOUVER - Advocates for drug users are raising concerns about British Columbia's request for Health Canada to empower police to step in when they see illicit drug use in public spaces, saying it may be a step backward in the fight against the deadly opioid crisis. Brittany Graham, the executive director of the Vancou...
16h ago
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Man arrested in death of 71-year-old Richmond, B.C., woman
RICHMOND, B.C. - British Columbia's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says it is investigating after a woman was found dead in her Richmond home. It says the RCMP received a request for a wellness check at the residence around 5 p.m. on Friday. IHIT says in a news release that police responded and found the 71-yea...
20h ago
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RCMP respond to head-on crash after woman drives wrong way down Highway 99
SURREY, B.C. - Mounties in Surrey, B.C., say a woman is in the hospital with possible life-threatening injuries after driving the wrong way down Highway 99 and crashing into oncoming traffic. They say police received a call about the crash on the highway, about 50 metres east of the Highway 91 junction, just after 4:15...
20h ago
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IHIT, Mounties investigating sudden death of Surrey, B.C., woman
SURREY, B.C. - British Columbia's homicide team has been called in to help Mounties investigate the death of a woman in Surrey. The RCMP says it received a report around 8:30 p.m. Friday about a sudden death of a woman at a home in the city. They say officers responded and found the 33-year-old inside the residence. Th...
Apr 27, 2024
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B.C. sex offender pleads guilty to breaching supervision order following manhunt
VANCOUVER - A high-risk sex offender who went on the run for 10 days in Vancouver has pleaded guilty to breaching his long-term supervision order and failing to attend court. The province's prosecution service confirmed that Randall Hopley entered the guilty pleas in provincial court on Friday. Hopley walked away from...
Apr 27, 2024
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Canada

Pro-Palestinian encampment illegal and violates policies: McGill University
MONTREAL - McGill University says the camp set up by pro-Palestinian student activists on the institution's grounds in Montreal violates school policies and the law. More than two dozen tents had been pitched at the school's downtown campus on Sunday afternoon, with a steady stream of visitors stopping by to drop off d...
5m ago
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In the news today: Pro-Palestinian encampment at Montreal's McGill University
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today... Pro-Palestinian encampment at Montreal's McGill University Pro-Palestinian student activists in Montreal have set up camp on the grounds of McGill University this weekend. It follows a wave of simila...
6h ago
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Pro-Palestinian encampment grows at Montreal's McGill university
MONTREAL - Pro-Palestinian student activists in Montreal have set up camp on the grounds of McGill University this weekend, following a wave of similar protests on campuses across the United States. More than two dozen tents had been pitched at the school's downtown campus On Sunday afternoon, with a steady stream of v...
15h ago
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Drug user advocates concerned about B.C.'s decriminalization exception request
VANCOUVER - Advocates for drug users are raising concerns about British Columbia's request for Health Canada to empower police to step in when they see illicit drug use in public spaces, saying it may be a step backward in the fight against the deadly opioid crisis. Brittany Graham, the executive director of the Vancou...
16h ago
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World Central Kitchen resumes aid mission in Gaza after workers killed by airstrikes
OTTAWA - The World Central Kitchen plans to resume operations in the Gaza Strip Monday, four weeks after Israeli airstrikes killed seven of its aid workers including one Canadian. The organization suspended food delivery in the region after the attack on three World Central Kitchen vehicles full of food from a nearby w...
19h ago
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Quebec unveils $603 million five-year plan to protect French language
MONTREAL - Quebec is investing $603 million over the next five years to counter what its French-language minister describes as the decline of the French language in the province. Jean-François Roberge said today that the government's nine priorities include better monitoring of language trends, boosting the Fre...
20h ago
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