Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

excessive speed
Impaired father fined & vehicle seized after going 210km/h on Nanaimo Parkway
NANAIMO - A 31-year-old local man was fined and and had his vehicle towed and impounded after being caught driving impaired and excessively speeding. The incident occurred on April 14 at around 11 a.m. along the Nanaimo Parkway near the Mostar Rd. intersection when the northbound vehicle sped past an unmarked B.C. High...
Apr 23, 2025
Read More
under investigation
IIO investigating Oceanside RCMP officers after woman injured during arrest
PARKSVILLE - The province's independent police oversight agency is looking into potential actions of Oceanside RCMP officers following a March 24 arrest. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) say Mounties were dispatched to a Parksville motel on March 24, 2025 at around 8:40 p.m. after an abandoned 911 ca...
Apr 23, 2025
Read More
red-eye
Direct Nanaimo-Toronto service returning to YCD
NANAIMO - A popular seasonal service is returning to the mid-Island this summer. Air Canada will add a non-stop flight between Nanaimo Airport and Toronto's Pearson International, departing every Friday and Saturday night at 11:30 p.m., beginning June 6 and running through the end of August. The inbound flight will lea...
Apr 23, 2025
Read More
bc spca investigation
'Hungry and malnourished:' eight cats seized from Nanaimo breeder
NANAIMO - Eight kittens and adult cats are now under the care of the BC SPCA after being surrendered earlier this month.An animal protection officer took custody of the animals on April 10 from a property in Nanaimo, with the incident stemming from an investigation into irresponsible breeding practices.Eileen Drever, t...
Apr 23, 2025
Read More
detour
Hikers scramble for alternatives after damage shuts B.C.'s popular Juan de Fuca Trail
Trish Fougner still remembers the taste of the beer she enjoyed after completing the 47-kilometre Juan de Fuca Trail on Vancouver Island two years ago. "Like I had never had a beer in my life, which is not true," Fougner said. But now the resident of Victoria is among hikers with a sour taste in their mouth a...
Apr 23, 2025
Read More
Plan B
Potential scaled back Ravensong renovation to be discussed
NANAIMO - While ambitious plans to vastly expand Ravensong Aquatic Centre (RAC) appear to be history, a local committee will examine the facility's future. Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) board of directors voted on Tuesday, April 22 for the Oceanside Services Committee (OSC) to discuss the scope of potentially reno...
Apr 23, 2025
Read More

British Columbia

Vancouver Police Board says report on complaint of arrest quotas coming in June
VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Police Board says a "full report" into a complaint about political motivations and arrest quotas for a crack down on crime in the Downtown Eastside will be delivered in June. Director Allan Black has told a board meeting the complaint centred on the Vancouver Police Department's &quo...
2h ago
Read More
New B.C. corrections unit offers involuntary care for mental health, addictions
SURREY - British Columbia has opened the first of the government's promised secure units to provide involuntary treatment for people with brain injuries and overlapping mental-health and addiction concerns. Standing outside the Surrey Pretrial Centre, Premier David Eby says the 10-bed unit will provide involuntary care...
2h ago
Read More
Federal party leaders work to drive home key messages as election day approaches
OTTAWA - Party leaders emphasized familiar themes Thursday as they criss-crossed the country to shore up support in the final stretch of the federal election campaign. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre began Thursday in Halifax - where he pitched a promise of change for Canadians struggling to afford life's essentia...
4h ago
Read More
B.C. First Nation at UN calling for government help in battling toxic drug crisis
NEW YORK - Members of the Tsilhqot'in Nation in British Columbia are at the United Nations headquarters in New York City calling for the provincial and Canadian governments to fund recovery beds and other supports in the battle against the toxic drug crisis. Chief Roger William with the Tsilhqot'in National Government ...
4h ago
Read More
Man given five months in U.S. jail for smuggling people across border from B.C.
SEATTLE - The U.S. District Attorney's office in Seattle says a 27-year-old man has been sentenced to five months in jail for helping smuggle eight Indian nationals across the border between British Columbia and Washington state. It says Rajat Rajat, an Indian citizen who lives in California, was indicted alongside thr...
5h ago
Read More
One year after B.C.'s short-term rental crackdown, has it made housing cheaper?
Marv Gandall says living in one of Victoria's largest residential buildings a year ago meant a parade of people with suitcases, stuffed visitors parking and slow elevators. Gandall, who has lived in the Era on Yates complex for a decade, described long waits, packages going missing and scratched walls from the high num...
17h ago
Read More

Canada

New B.C. corrections unit offers involuntary care for mental health, addictions
SURREY - British Columbia has opened the first of the government's promised secure units to provide involuntary treatment for people with brain injuries and overlapping mental-health and addiction concerns. Standing outside the Surrey Pretrial Centre, ...
2h ago
Read More
B.C. First Nation at UN calling for government help in battling toxic drug crisis
Members of the Tsilhqot'in Nation were at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Thursday calling for the British Columbia and Canadian governments to help expand support services in the battle against the toxic drug crisis. Chief Francis ...
4h ago
Read More
Man given five months in U.S. jail for smuggling people across border from B.C.
SEATTLE - The U.S. District Attorney's office in Seattle says a 27-year-old man has been sentenced to five months in jail for helping smuggle eight Indian nationals across the border between British Columbia and Washington state. It says Rajat Rajat, a...
5h ago
Read More
Supreme Court to review mandatory minimum sentence in prostitution case
OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to examine the constitutionality of a mandatory minimum sentence for purchasing sexual services from someone under age 18. The decision comes in a case involving police publishing fictitious online escort...
5h ago
Read More
Supreme Court of Canada agrees to weigh in on B.C. First Nations' title dispute
The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to weigh in on a dispute between First Nations that have overlapping land title claims in British Columbia. The overlapping claims involve the Gitanyow Nation, the Nisga'a Nation and the Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha N...
6h ago
Read More
Quebec court overturns out-of-province tuition hike at English universities
MONTREAL - A Quebec Superior Court judge has overturned a university tuition hike for out-of-province students that the government introduced to reduce the number of English-speaking students in the province. The decision, released Thursday, is a parti...
6h ago
Read More