Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

rash of break-ins
'Eighty-five per cent of all crimes are drug related:' Nanaimo RCMP probe break-ins
NANAIMO - Thieves have been prowling Nanaimo's downtown area targeting several businesses, with at least a pair of reports resulting in on-site cash being stolen. Nanaimo RCMP Res. Cst. Gary O'Brien said since Christmas Day five downtown businesses have been broken into. "It's what we call a smash and grab, a crim...
Jan 19, 2025
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clear skies
Snow remaining noticeably absent in Nanaimo, despite frosty overnight temperatures
NANAIMO - If current forecasts hold true, snow shovels could go unused on the mid-Island this winter. A recent change in the weather pattern has brought largely clear skies to the mid-Island, ending a couple of weeks of gloomy conditions with on-again-off-again showers. Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor sa...
Jan 19, 2025
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rare sight
Clear Nanaimo skies offering prime 'planetary parade' viewing
NANAIMO - Mother Nature is cooperating to allow for some peak viewing of a somewhat rare astronomical event.Beginning Saturday, Jan. 18 and continuing for several weeks, six planets will be aligned and visible in the night sky over central Vancouver Island shortly after sunset, following a path called the ecliptic.Dr. ...
Jan 18, 2025
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expanded space
Modular classrooms coming for space-strapped Nanaimo schools, timelines clarified
NANAIMO - More information including a budget and timeline breakdown has been released related to adding a number of prefabricated modular classrooms to a pair of Nanaimo schools. During the Jan 15 strategic directions committee meeting, secretary-treasurer of Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools (SD68) Mark Walsh laid out...
Jan 18, 2025
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cell tower
Rogers pushes for improved Nanoose Bay cell service
NANOOSE BAY - A Canadian telecom giant intends to install a tower in Nanoose Bay to bolster the area's wireless services. Rogers Communications proposes to install a 53-metre tall communications tower with antennas and a lighting rod at 1800 Serenity Pl. in Nanoose Bay. In a statement to NanaimoNewsNOW, Rogers noted th...
Jan 17, 2025
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Bitcoin scam
'The poor man feels absolutely ashamed:' Bitcoin scams cost Nanaimo men thousands
NANAIMO - Two unrelated Bitcoin scams involving significant volumes of digital currency burned a pair of local men. Nanaimo RCMP say both incidents occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 15 with the complainants losing thousands of dollars after willingly sending the digital currency to recipients via the Woodgrove Centre Bitcoin...
Jan 17, 2025
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British Columbia

B.C.'s finance minister says retaliatory tariffs could target Republican 'red states'
VANCOUVER - British Columbia's finance minister says the province could focus on Republican-held states as it responds to the threat of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods that President Donald Trump suggests could start on Feb. 1. Minister Brenda Bailey says targeting "red states" for possible retaliatory tariffs...
4h ago
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Vancouver home offers space for family, and history as Hells Angels clubhouse
VANCOUVER - A newly listed house for sale in East Vancouver is being marketed as a "rare find" that offers easy access to shops and schools - but the previous owners weren't the typical family. Solicitor General Garry Begg announced the government has put the former gang clubhouse of the Hells Angels up for s...
5h ago
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Four British Columbia communities get 26 new addiction treatment beds
VANCOUVER - British Columbia's minister of health says the province has opened 26 new treatment beds for people with addictions in four communities over the last several months. Minister Josie Osborne says the beds in Nanaimo, Kelowna, Prince Rupert and Vancouver's Downtown Eastside are part of 248 treatment beds that ...
6h ago
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Jump in number of respiratory cases at B.C. Children's Hospital emergency room
VANCOUVER - British Columbia's Children's Hospital says it's seen a steady rise in the number of children coming in with respiratory symptoms. The hospital says in a statement that about 44 per cent of total visits from children to the emergency department involve respiratory illness. It says families need to consider ...
6h ago
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Killer on parole is arrested in B.C. over threats made when his points card failed
VANCOUVER - Police in Vancouver say they've arrested a 66-year-old man for uttering threats against a gas station clerk and only later learned the suspect was a convicted murderer out on parole from a life sentence. They say the alleged threat was made to the attendant on Saturday when the man's points card wouldn't wo...
7h ago
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B.C. launches short-term rental registry with annual fees to rein in 'speculators'
VANCOUVER - Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says B.C. is launching a registry for short-term rentals to further crack down on "speculators" operating illegally. Kahlon says all short-term rental operators on platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo must apply for a registration number to be displayed on all online list...
8h ago
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Canada

Authorities say a US border patrol agent was fatally shot in Vermont south of border
A U.S. Border Patrol agent was fatally shot Monday on a highway in northern Vermont south of the Canadian border, authorities said. The death was confirmed by the FBI and Benjamine Huffman, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington. In a statement, the FBI said that in addition to the agent,...
2h ago
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Alberta government lifts coal mining moratorium, critics say it's 'open season'
EDMONTON - Alberta's government has quietly rescinded its moratorium on new coal exploration and development in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. It's a move critics say means the province has declared open season on renewed coal mining. In a letter to the Alberta Energy Regulator posted to its website Monday,...
4h ago
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Salmonella linked to recalled mini pastries may have infected nearly 1,600: PHAC
TORONTO - The Public Health Agency of Canada said nearly 1,600 people may have been infected with salmonella linked to the recall of mini pastries. The federal agency's director of outbreak management said Monday that calculation is based on the agency's estimation that for every reported case there's another 26.1 in t...
7h ago
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Environment minister says Donald Trump pulling out of Paris pact is "deplorable"
MONTEBELLO, QUEBEC - Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says it's "deplorable" that President Donald Trump is again pulling the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris Accord. He says it's "quite ironic" that President Trump is abandoning the global environmental pact while California is experiencing one of ...
9h ago
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Federal immigration department to cut more than 3,300 jobs, unions say
OTTAWA - Two federal public service unions say the Immigration Department is set to cut 3,300 jobs. The Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Canada Employment and Immigration Union say in a joint statement that the department has not said who will be affected by the cuts. The unions say more information is expecte...
9h ago
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Mass of Arctic air invades parts of Canada, sends mercury plunging
FREDERICTON - A mass of cold air that meandered south from the Arctic has sent temperatures plunging across parts of Canada from New Brunswick to eastern Alberta. Peter Kimbell, meteorologist with Environment Canada, says winds circulating from west to east cause Arctic air to occasionally invade the southern latitudes...
11h ago
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