crime spree
Nanaimo couple facing 15 charges after downtown liquor store thefts
NANAIMO - A man and a woman remain in police custody awaiting a court date next week after a string of robberies at a downtown liquor store. A 33-year-old man and 40-year-old woman were arrested Wednesday, Sept. 23, and are facing nine theft-related charges stemming from repeated incidents at the BC Liquor Store at Por...
4h ago
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fall fair
132nd annual Vancouver Island Exhibition opens in Nanaimo
NANAIMO - The rides, entertainment, music, and mini-donuts are set to take over the Beban Park Fairgrounds this weekend. Gates open for the 132nd annual Vancouver Island Exhibition at noon on Friday, Sept. 25, with three days of live shows and performances scheduled against the backdrop of rides and the midway from Wes...
8h ago
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rezoning application
Pair of medical office buildings near Nanaimo hospital proceeds to public hearing
NANAIMO - A pair of medical offices planned to be built near the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) is headed to the public hearing stage. A rezoning application was presented for four lots along Seafield Cres. and one lot on Dufferin Cres. south of the NRGH main entrance, to build "medical office buildings&...
22h ago
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What's Trending
2026 municipal election
Law-student & event coordinator running for Mayor of Qualicum Beach
1h ago
Program helping homeowners cut costs
Nanaimo Homeowners: Centra's $1M Window Efficiency Plan is now over 75% claimed
crime spree
Nanaimo couple facing 15 charges after downtown liquor store thefts
4h ago
fall fair
132nd annual Vancouver Island Exhibition opens in Nanaimo
8h ago
Nanaimo, Parksville and Area
climate concerns
Three B.C. glaciers face extinction within decades due to climate change, study says
Three glaciers in British Columbia's southwest could "disappear completely" within decades in what a researcher says is the result of years of inaction on climate change. A new study from Simon Fraser University published in the journal Annals of Glac...
Sep 24, 2026
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2026 municipal election
Nurse and community advocate vying to be next Nanaimo Mayor
This article is part of a multi-week feature from NanaimoNewsNOW, profiling Mayoral candidates across the mid-Island ahead of the 2026 Municipal Election. For complete election coverage, click here. NANAIMO - A former emergency room nurse-turned community advocate says leadership from City Council has been insufficient...
Sep 24, 2026
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major fundraiser
'Already beyond expectations:' Tour de Rock rolling into Oceanside
PARKSVILLE - A 1,200 kilometre journey down Vancouver Island is about to wind its way into Oceanside.The Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock will make its way from Courtenay to Qualicum Beach and Parksville on Thursday, Sept. 24, day six of their 14-day ride to Victoria in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.Mid-Island rid...
Sep 24, 2026
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safety issues
Downtown Nanaimo social disorder concerns intensify
NANAIMO - Hesitant to illuminate increased criminal activity impacting her tenants, a frustrated Nanaimo property manager felt compelled to speak up. Eva Hamori oversees several Nanaimo commercial properties, as well as a singular residential rental complex which consumes a majority of her time. The 46-unit mixed use C...
Sep 24, 2026
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2026 municipal election
Parksville Mayoral candidate calls for spending restraint, job creation
This article is part of a multi-week feature from NanaimoNewsNOW, profiling Mayoral candidates across the mid-Island ahead of the 2026 Municipal Election. For complete election coverage, click here.PARKSVILLE - Having run in prior federal elections, a candidate vowing to deliver governance for the people is taking a ru...
Sep 23, 2026
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New Faces
Clippers reforming blue line for new season
NANAIMO - The new BCHL season has begun for the Clippers with an almost entirely new defence corps.Hudson Gill is the lone veteran but only played seven games last year due to injury, and Nate Barclay was an affiliate player with the Clippers a year ago.Noah Caswell, Will St. James, Murray Kanerva, Pherson Loehndorf, C...
Sep 23, 2026
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British Columbia
Officers' errors in carjacking not criminal: B.C. police watchdog
VANCOUVER - The Independent Investigations Office says Vancouver police officers who shot a man during an alleged carjacking two years ago made "errors," but the mistakes weren't criminal. The police watchdog says in its decision released Friday that ...
1h ago
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B.C.'s Eby says NDP would tax new, unsold condos, raise speculation, vacancy fees
VICTORIA - A new tax on unsold condominiums was among the promises British Columbia NDP Leader David Eby made Friday in the first week of the snap election he called for Oct. 24. At a campaign stop in Burnaby, B.C., with a condo complex under construc...
2h ago
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Vancouver mayor tells of hateful messages targeting his family
VANCOUVER - Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says his wife received a threatening message on her social media account, as part of ongoing harassment targeting his family. Sim, who is running for re-election on Oct. 17, says in a video that he and wife Teena Si...
2h ago
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B.C. attorney general seeks Criminal Code change after Tumbler Ridge AI chat report
British Columbia's attorney general says she has asked the federal government to change the Criminal Code to ensure accountability for artificial intelligence companies after a "disturbing" report that OpenAI's chatbot coached the Tumbler Ridge shooter...
4h ago
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Elenore Sturko's roller-coaster political ride lands her as leader of CentreBC
The past few days have been "an emotional roller-coaster" for Elenore Sturko, who said she thought she had found a political home among a group of eight like-minded legislators in the CentreBC party - only to be abandoned three days later, when all exc...
13h ago
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Report on Tumbler Ridge shooter's ChatGPT conversations shocks B.C. attorney general
British Columbia's attorney general says she's shocked by an article describing alleged interactions between the Tumbler Ridge mass shooter and ChatGPT, in which the AI chatbot vividly describes the effectiveness of a shotgun in a classroom. The report...
19h ago
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Local Sports
Kicking It
VIU soccer teams hit the pitch for 2026 PACWEST season
NANAIMO - The VIU Mariners are beginning a new PACWEST soccer season with differing expectations.The women will attempt to win the provincial championship for a third straight time, while the men are hoping to rise up the table after finishing 2-7-3 in 2025.Women's coach Bobbie Taylor said her group will have a strong ...
Sep 12, 2026
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Scoring Big
Vancouver Island Seals provide elite development pathway for female hockey players
NANAIMO - The Vancouver Island Seals hockey program has been going since 2017 and it's the only female AAA hockey team on the island. General manager Cynthia Fowler said the team had been based out of the south island to start but now calls Port Alberni home. "Last year we moved the team to Port Alberni because of...
Sep 07, 2026
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Starting Early
Nanaimo Hornets rugby fostering next generation with active kids programs
NANAIMO - Hornets rugby is underway for the fall session with a lot of options for young players. There are sessions for as young as pre-kindergarten which includes parent participation and other opportunities for U7 and U8 kids are play based in an effort to get kids out and running and touching a rugby ball. Hornets ...
Sep 05, 2026
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ClippersNOW
New Faces
Clippers reforming blue line for new season
NANAIMO - The new BCHL season has begun for the Clippers with an almost entirely new defence corps.Hudson Gill is the lone veteran but only played seven games last year due to injury, and Nate Barclay was an affiliate player with the Clippers a year ago.Noah Caswell, Will St. James, Murray Kanerva, Pherson Loehndorf, C...
Sep 23, 2026
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Rivalry Renewed
First Clippers win of the season comes in Cowichan Valley
DUNCAN - The Clippers and Cowichan Valley Capitals clashed for the first time since Game 7 of the second round of the 2026 BCHL playoffs.Nanaimo won Game 7 and also took the first matchup of the new season 4-2 on Saturday, Sept. 19.After a scoreless first period the Capitals Raphael Messier opened the scoring from the ...
Sep 20, 2026
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Bitten by the Bulldogs
Clippers lose to division rivals in home opener
NANAIMO - The Clippers started their season opening game well but eventually lost out 2-1 to Alberni Valley at Frank Crane Arena.Shortly after a disallowed Nanaimo goal Charles Béland notched the first goal of the game on a beautiful penalty shot deke in the first period.The game stayed at 1-0 until late in the ...
Sep 19, 2026
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Canada
MPs split on whether AI should be used in House of Commons
OTTAWA - Canadian members of Parliament are split on whether - and how - artificial intelligence should be used by lawmakers. The Economist reported this week that as much as 20 per cent of what's said on the floor of the House of Commons was flagged ...
1h ago
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Anand says Canada supports LGBTQ+ rights despite Ottawa's silence on Turkey crackdown
OTTAWA - While Canada has kept silent on Turkey's crackdown on LGBTQ+ groups, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says that should not be interpreted as a lack of solidarity with oppressed people. The Carney government did not join Germany, France and...
1h ago
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B.C.'s Eby says NDP would tax new, unsold condos, raise speculation, vacancy fees
VICTORIA - A new tax on unsold condominiums was among the promises British Columbia NDP Leader David Eby made Friday in the first week of the snap election he called for Oct. 24. At a campaign stop in Burnaby, B.C., with a condo complex under construc...
2h ago
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Competition bureau to publish a call for information on grocery pricing policies
OTTAWA - Canada's competition bureau will move next week to begin gathering information on retail grocery pricing policies. The agency is tasked with protecting and promoting competition for the benefit for Canadian consumers and businesses. In June, t...
2h ago
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B.C. attorney general seeks Criminal Code change after Tumbler Ridge AI chat report
British Columbia's attorney general says she has asked the federal government to change the Criminal Code to ensure accountability for artificial intelligence companies after a "disturbing" report that OpenAI's chatbot coached the Tumbler Ridge shooter...
5h ago
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Canadian charged with voting fraud in the U.S. for casting ballot in 3 elections
OTTAWA - A Canadian has been charged in the United States with three counts of voter fraud for casting ballots in three elections without being a U.S. citizen. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Florida says Christiane Vinette Young voted in the 2024 and 2...
5h ago
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World
Morocco's Authenticity and Modernity Party wins parliamentary election, interior ministry says
CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) - Morocco's Authenticity and Modernity Party won the most seats in the country's parliamentary election, taking 97 of 395 seats in the House of Representatives, according to final results announced by the Interior Ministry on F...
38m ago
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Tasia Fortune's hanging was 'staged' after her death in a drug dispute, Mississippi police say
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Tasia Fortune was apparently killed in a drug dispute before her body was hung in a tree in a "staged" lynching behind an abandoned home in the Mississippi capital this summer, a detective testified Friday. Fortune w...
1h ago
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Hurricane Nolo threatening Hawaii with heavy rain as Polo churns near Mexico
HILO, Hawaii (AP) - Residents on Hawaii's Big Island were bracing Friday for potentially life-threatening and catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Nolo, while Mexico was still under the threat of Hurricane Polo as it headed toward the Baja Peninsula af...
2h ago
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Sponsored Content
Program helping homeowners cut costs
Nanaimo Homeowners: Centra's $1M Window Efficiency Plan is now over 75% claimed
The Centra Install Pros Window Efficiency Plan - a program helping Nanaimo homeowners cut the cost of new windows and doors - is running out of runway fast. The plan puts up to $650 toward each window or door replaced, drawn from a dedicated $1 million fund set aside for local homeowners. There is no income testing and...
Sep 18, 2026
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sponsored content
Resort-Style Retirement Living in Nanaimo's Old City Quarter
For many retirees, and those nearing retirement, staying in their home can be difficult. The time spent on day-to-day maintenance, plus dealing with bigger repairs usually required on an older home, can cut into time they'd rather spend enjoying their retirement. And if they're traveling, they don't want to worry about...
Jul 28, 2026
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sponsored content
Customizable Management for Smaller Strata Communities
Most people who volunteer for their strata council don't sign up to be an accountant. But for many in smaller strata communities, with less than 50 units, that's exactly what they end up doing. They spend time researching bylaws, getting quotes for maintenance, and worrying that something important has been missed. The...
Jun 09, 2026
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