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...
10h 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...
11h 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 ...
12h 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 ...
12h 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...
13h 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...
14h ago
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Canada

Parts of tundra releasing more carbon than they absorb: study
A new study suggests regions of the Arctic tundra are now releasing more planet-warming gases than they absorb, upending a millennia-old trend. The study published in academic journal Nature Climate Change suggests many tundra regions may have started to release more carbon dioxide than they absorb, calling it a "...
2h ago
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More than a third of Canadians turn to online info due to lack of doctor access: poll
A new poll suggests more than a third of Canadians say they have no choice but to seek health information online because they don't have access to a doctor, further highlighting challenges posed by an ongoing physician shortage. The online survey by the Canadian Medical Association and Abacus Data conducted last Novemb...
2h ago
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In the news today: Trump signals tariffs may be coming Feb. 1
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Trump signals tariffs may be coming Feb. 1 U.S. President Donald Trump suggested his administration could move ahead with with 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on Canadian imports on Feb. 1. He delivered the deadline on Monday...
2h ago
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Liberal leadership hopefuls distance themselves from carbon pricing
OTTAWA - The three frontrunners in the Liberal leadership race have all backed away - to one degree or another - from the Liberal government's keystone climate policy in a bid to take a major Conservative line of attack off the table. The Liberals first campaigned on a carbon price in 2008 and moved to make it happen f...
3h ago
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Justin Trudeau to speak after Donald Trump muses about tariffs coming Feb. 1
MONTEBELLO, Que. - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to speak with media today, the first time he'll take questions since President Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington. Trudeau is huddling with his team in Montebello, Que., for the government's annual winter cabinet retreat, which will be his last before he st...
3h ago
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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,...
8h ago
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