Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

egregious offending
Lantzville senior jailed for 'horrific' child porn haul
Editor's note: This article contains details of children being sexually abused. Reader discretion is strongly advised. NANAIMO - A Lantzville retiree with no prior criminal record knew exactly why Nanaimo Mounties were knocking on his door in May 2021. A search warrant uncovered at least four thousand child porn images...
Jan 24, 2025
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charges laid
'Quite rare for us:' Wembley Mall arrests cap busy week for stolen vehicles in Oceanside
PARKSVILLE - A man well known to police through multiple breaches of probation and release conditions is back in custody after being allegedly found in a stolen vehicle. Oceanside RCMP officers were called to Wembley Mall in Parksville around 9:20 on Thursday, Jan. 23 after reports of a man collapsing inside a pickup t...
Jan 24, 2025
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reuse & recycle
Returning local 'repair cafe' has focus on fixing rather than rubbish
QUALICUM BEACH - Got a favourite toaster, side table or article of clothing which has seen better days? Fix it, don't toss it.It's the driving message coming from the Repair Cafe Oceanside as they prepare to host their second event on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Stephen's United Church Hall (150 Vil...
Jan 24, 2025
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safety improvements
Lane closures scheduled to install highway barriers near Cathedral Grove
NANAIMO - Long-awaited safety improvements along Hwy. 4 west of Oceanside are being installed beginning this weekend. Crews will be on site along Hwy. 4 near Cathedral Grove for two nights of work on Sunday, Jan. 26, and Monday, Jan. 27 from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. both days, focusing on an approximately 200-metre span of the...
Jan 24, 2025
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to the house
Free sessions in Parksville helping curb sharp curling learning curve
PARKSVILLE - If you've ever wanted to use the hammer to push past a guard and draw to the button, now is your opportunity. The Parksville Curling Club are hosting free sessions Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25 at their facility on Corfield St., where those who have never, or barely, curled can come out and give th...
Jan 24, 2025
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fare hikes
RDN transit committee recommends bus fare increases
NANAIMO - Riding most Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) buses is anticipated to more expensive following a review process. The RDN Transit Committee meeting on Thursday, Jan. 23 resulted in a recommendation for the RDN board to endorse price fare changes effective April 1, 2025, and would see the cost of a single ride...
Jan 24, 2025
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British Columbia

B.C. climate activist facing imminent deportation without reprieve from minister
VANCOUVER - A climate activist in British Columbia says he's packing his bags and plans to report to the Vancouver airport later Saturday to face deportation back to Pakistan, believing his removal from Canada is "certain" without ministerial intervention. Zain Haq, who first came to Canada on a student visa,...
4h ago
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B.C. chief wants Oscar-nominated residential school film to be part of curriculum
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - An Oscar-nominated documentary about deaths, abuse and missing children at a former British Columbia residential school should be shown in schools across Canada, says a First Nations leader. The film "Sugarcane," directed by Secwépemc artist Julian Brave NoiseCat from Williams Lak...
Jan 24, 2025
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TSB investigators deployed after boat crash and sinking near Squamish, B.C.
SQUAMISH, B.C. - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it has deployed a team of investigators after a collision and sinking of a workboat near Squamish, B.C., last month. It says the incident happened on Dec. 18. Liam MacDonald, a spokesman for the agency, says a tug boat called the Haisla Northwind, which wa...
Jan 24, 2025
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B.C. climate activist couple to live in Pakistan if deportation proceeds
VANCOUVER - British Columbia climate activist Zain Haq and his wife Sophia Papp are planning to live together in Pakistan if his threatened deportation proceeds on Saturday, and blame his imminent expulsion on bureaucratic failings by immigration officials. Haq, a Pakistani citizen who co-founded activist group Save Ol...
Jan 24, 2025
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Critics denounce Vancouver mayor's 'Trumpian' plan to 'integrate' Downtown Eastside
VANCOUVER - Critics are denouncing Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim's plan for revitalizing the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood, with former councillor Jean Swanson saying his proposal to pause supportive housing construction is "Trumpian." Swanson, an anti-poverty activist, says Sim's plans to pause net new supportiv...
Jan 24, 2025
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Vancouver aritst Casey Wei wins Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize
NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. - Vancouver artist Casey Wei has won this year's $25,000 Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize. She was among five contenders who displayed their work at The Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver in the Lind Biennial exhibition. Wei's video installation, titled The Zhang Clan, spans three screens as i...
Jan 24, 2025
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Canada

Carney secures two more ministerial endorsements
OTTAWA - Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney secured two more endorsements from cabinet on Saturday. Defence Minister Bill Blair backed Carney in a statement on X, while Nate Erskine-Smith hosted an event for the former Bank of Canada governor in his Toronto riding. MP Adam van Koeverden also endorsed Carney on Satu...
1h ago
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Quebec provincial police make arrest in Montérégie homicide investigation
MONTREAL - Quebec provincial police have opened a homicide investigation after a death in the Montérégie region of the province on Saturday. Police say they were called to a home in Saint-Anicet, Que., around 45 kilometres southwest of Montreal, at about 9 a.m. Police spokesperson Camille Savoie says the ...
1h ago
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B.C. climate activist facing imminent deportation without reprieve from minister
VANCOUVER - A climate activist in British Columbia says he's packing his bags and plans to report to the Vancouver airport later Saturday to face deportation back to Pakistan, believing his removal from Canada is "certain" without ministerial intervention. Zain Haq, who first came to Canada on a student visa,...
4h ago
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Some Century-brand tuna recalled because of undeclared wheat
OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall notice for two kinds of canned Century-brand flaked tuna. The agency says two types of the brand's "hot and spicy" tuna were found to contain wheat, which was not listed in the ingredients. A notice warns people with wheat or gluten allergies no...
7h ago
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Man shot overnight, Montreal police transfer probe to Quebec police watchdog
MONTREAL - Montreal police say they have transferred an investigation to Quebec's police watchdog after officers shot a man in his 20s overnight. Montreal police spokesperson Véronique Dubuc says officers were called to an apartment at around 1:40 a.m. Saturday in the Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal. Dubuc says a ...
7h ago
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'They love the game': Canadian who helped grow Kenya Ice Lions ready to retire
The Kenya Ice Lions have hit the big league, and the Canadian who helped make it happen says now may be the time to hang up his whistle. Head coach Tim Colby says it's been impressive to watch the ice hockey team in Nairobi, Kenya, go from a few newbies to a large group that's received international recognition. In Oct...
11h ago
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