NANAIMO - Employee wellness, ongoing crime reduction and prevention strategies, and dealing with gang recruitment in schools were all concerns for local mounties. Nanaimo RCMP's annual performance plan and future priorities were presented during the Monday, May 6 council meeting by Insp. Andrew Burton. Burton said they...

NANAIMO - At least one person was taken to hospital with minor injuries after a multi-vehicle crash along the Nanaimo Parkway.Emergency services were called to the Parkway intersection with Aulds Rd. at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8 after two northbound vehicles, a sedan and SUV, collided with a northbound semi as they p...

NANAIMO - They came, they danced and they're conquering.Jacksun Fryer and Carlow Rush, better known by fans as the Island-based dance duo Funkanometry, are through to the finals of Canada's Got Talent after performing to the Lipps Inc. song 'Funky Town' on the Tuesday, May 7 episode of the show."I think you are th...

NANAIMO - A vastly enhanced network of bases and staff are on standby just in case the unexpected happens. Mandated to bolster oil response times as a condition of approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline project, industry funded Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) established six new bases for a total of...

NANAIMO - In a bid to comply with new provincial legislation, the City is preparing to make sweeping changes to its property zoning.The zoning changes, centred around three new residential designations, are linked to a provincial mandate for increased density and are poised to affect nearly 25,000 properties in every a...

NANAIMO - B.C.'s drug decriminalization project has been scaled back upon pressure from the public and police. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth addressed a Tuesday, May 7 news conference following approval from Health Canada to adjust the ongoing pilot project. Public drug use is now illeg...

NANAIMO - Break out the sunscreen and board shorts as summer-like weather conditions are coming to the mid-Island this week.Environment Canada is predicting a slow-moving high-pressure system will begin to settle over much of the province starting Tuesday, May 7, and continuing well into the weekend, bringing with it c...

ERRINGTON - Provincial grant money is helping secure the future for a key facility in Oceanside. The century-old Errington War Memorial Hall recently received $250,000 for seismic upgrades from the province to stabilize the long side wall of the building facing Veterans Rd., at the corner of Errington Rd. Hall associat...

NANAIMO - A mock training exercise in response to a white water rafting adventure gone wrong played out this weekend on the Nanaimo River. More than 100 dedicated search and rescue volunteers took part in a day-long training exercise and specialty clinics this past weekend in Nanaimo. Nanaimo Search and Rescue presiden...

NANAIMO - Public transportation in communities across B.C. continues to go electric. BC Transit announced, on Monday, May 6, 66 electric buses have been ordered and at least nine communities will start work on electrification infrastructure projects. Also announced the installation of 134 electric bus charging ports in...

NANAIMO - Sets are being built and production is just days away from seeing cameras roll. Crews working in downtown Nanaimo on HBO's 'The Last of Us' television series continue prep work ahead of filming beginning at the end of this week. To accommodate production additional street closures go into effect Monday, May 6...

QUALICUM BEACH - An ongoing online heritage preservation contest likely won't result in a sizable cheque for a mid Island entrant, however the process itself is a win. St. Andrews Lodge Historical and Cultural Society (SALHCS) is included in National Trust of Canada's Next Great Save to gain financial support for aging...

NANAIMO - This year's gathering of all things comic books in Nanaimo is a significant one, falling on a special day of the year while also honouring one of its late founders. The 2024 edition of Curious ComiCon takes place on Saturday, May 4 inside Country Club Centre from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and will pay tribute to t...

NANAIMO - A judge disagreed with the defence arguments from two environmental activists, who said they had no choice but to break the law to draw attention to the dangers of climate change. Judge Ronald Lamperson rejected the arguments in cases involving Howard Gerald Breen, 70, and Melanie Joy Murray, 48, who were ind...

NANAIMO - A longstanding key pillar of Nanaimo Marine Festival will proceed this summer after all, following an operator's decision to relocate to Victoria.Non-profit organization VI Paddling confirmed it's hosting a one-day event on Saturday, July 13 in partnership with the Nanaimo Downtown Business Association and Na...

QUALICUM BEACH - A potentially intoxicated motorist allegedly plowed into an oncoming SUV on Hwy. 19A in Qualicum Bay, entrapping both drivers. The crash on the undivided two-lane highway near Sunny Beach Rd. occurred on Thursday, May 2 just before 3 p.m., according to Oceanside RCMP Sgt. Shane Worth. "There was a...

NANAIMO - A long vacant heritage building in Nanaimo's downtown transitioned to what looks nothing like a traditional law office. It was done by design. Occupying the Great National Land Building at 17 Church St. is one of five new regional Indigenous Justice Centres (IJC) operated by the BC First Nations Justice Counc...

NANOOSE BAY - A new washroom, storage building and gathering space now complements a paved sports court at Jack Bagley Community Park (JBCP). The new building opened earlier this year for community use, featuring two unisex fully accessible washrooms, storage room and covered gathering area. A paved plaza includes seve...

NANAIMO - The month of May is high-risk driving month according to the RCMP, and Vancouver Island drivers are being reminded to be safe when they're behind the wheel. BC Highway Patrol will be looking to crack down on excessive speeding, as well as distracted and impaired driving. Sgt. Adam Tallboy is warning drivers a...

NANAIMO - Police are investigating three incidents in an 18 hour span where weapons including bear spray, a metal baton, and a knife were allegedly used by youths in random attacks.The first incident occurred on Monday, April 29 just after midnight near Dufferin Cres. and Grant Ave., where an unhoused man and an adult ...

NANAIMO - A highly intoxicated man with mental health issues received a suspended sentence and two years probation for a bizarre high-profile assault nearly two years ago. The perplexing actions of Tristan Jed Maunder, 39, were revealed at a Wednesday, May 1 sentencing hearing in Nanaimo after he pleaded guilty to an a...

NANAIMO - Despite more rainfall over the south coast and central B.C, the threat of wildfires this summer remains prominent province-wide. Nanaimo saw 85 per cent of normal amounts of precipitation in April, where 56.8 millimetres fell in total, just short of the average amount of 67.4 millimetres.Environment Canada me...

NANAIMO - Warm spring weather means motorcycle enthusiasts are hitting the road with more regularity, leading to a warning from ICBC.The Crown corporation's Tom Webster said crashes involving motorcycles significantly increase between May and September every year, with 212 people injured in motorcycle-involved collisio...

UPDATE - Nanaimo RCMP advise Delorme was located and arrested in Port Alberni. EARLIER - NANAIMO - A northern B.C. man wanted on multiple domestic violence-related charges is believed to be on the mid-Island. Jayson Lee Delorme, 41, is thought to be travelling in the Nanaimo, Port Alberni or Duncan area of Vancouver Is...

NANAIMO - Despite complaints rising on backyard chickens in Nanaimo, it appears the City is comfortable with existing guidelines.Nanaimo City councillors opted to maintain current bylaws and limits surrounding the number of chickens permitted on residential lots, during their governance and priorities committee meeting...

NANAIMO - There's a few extra smiles throughout town this week.Tim Horton's locations in Nanaimo are again participating in the annual Smile Cookie campaign, selling the specially decorated treats through Sunday, May 5 with proceeds going to the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation (NDHF).Trina Knight, manager of c...

NANAIMO - The skies of the Comox Valley are alive with the sounds of jets this week, as the Canadian Forces Snowbirds are back in town.Their annual spring training at CFB Comox builds to their first public appearance of the season at the Comox Air Show on May 18, at 19 Wing Comox.Public affairs officer Cpt. Philip Roch...

UPDATE - Tickets for the raffle sold out around 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 1 with over 350 selling since publishing of this story on Tuesday, April 30.EARLIER - NANOOSE BAY - An exceptionally generous donation is helping a local elementary school raise thousands of dollars for an outdoor play and learning space.A raff...