Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

all-candidates forum
Forums pitting Nanaimo-Ladysmith candidates head-to-head prior to election day
NANAIMO - The five candidates running to be the next Member of Parliament for the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding will have the opportunity to make their case this week.Vancouver Island University is hosting a Candidates' Town Hall on Tuesday, April 22 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Malaspina Theatre where candidates will be taki...
19h ago
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invasive species
'The end is in sight:' volunteers clear huge amount of English ivy from small island off Nanoose
NANOOSE BAY - A small island off the coast of central Vancouver Island is a little clearer for Earth Day thanks to the work of volunteers. Nearly 30 staff and volunteers with BC Marine Trails worked between April 10 to 13 to clear hundreds of tarp-loads of invasive English ivy from Gerald Island, around two kilometres ...
21h ago
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record turnout
Advance poll turnout breaks record with 7.3M ballots cast, Elections Canada says
The waning days of the federal election campaign saw voters turn out in record numbers for advance polls and party leaders attempt to poke holes in each others' platforms.Elections Canada said in a news release Tuesday that the four days of advance polling between Friday and Monday set a new record for turnout, with 7....
Apr 22, 2025
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Annual fair
VIEx shift to September appears to be a hit
NANAIMO - Pushing back Nanaimo's annual fair by a month has been a well-received move, according to a Vancouver Island Exhibition (VIEx) representative. Michelle Solloway, director of social media & advertising, said they're excited to return with a Sept. 19-21, 2025 event at Beban Park Fairgrounds after switching ...
Apr 22, 2025
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alternative approach
Vancouver Island city-owned clinic on track to sign two more doctors, mayor says
COLWOOD - The mayor of a Vancouver Island community hiring doctors as city employees says it is "very close" to signing two more physicians for its clinic even as other communities inquire about replicating its model. Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi says the city's clinic currently has one doctor on staff, anoth...
Apr 21, 2025
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criminal justice reform
Election 2025: Addressing criminal justice reform and public safety on a local level
NANAIMO - How would local MP's work with community organizations, law enforcement and government leaders to address repeat violent offenders, promote rehabilitation and ensure public safety? NanaimoNewsNOW invited all 12 candidates running in a pair of mid-Island ridings to participate in a survey, asking them about th...
Apr 21, 2025
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British Columbia

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...
1h ago
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Poilievre defends economic growth projections in Conservative platform as 'essential'
OTTAWA - Pierre Poilievre is defending the Conservative campaign platform's heavy reliance on economic growth in a period of deep uncertainty. The Conservative leader was in Hamilton, Ont., on Wednesday, with just days to go before the federal vote on Monday and a day after he released the party's costed campaign platf...
1h ago
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Crews fight fire in downtown Vancouver as smoke spreads across city
VANCOUVER - Firefighters are fighting a large blaze in downtown Vancouver that's sending a smoky haze and the smell of smoke across the city. An assistant fire chief with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services says crews responded just before 4 a.m. to the 2200 block of East Hastings Street, between Garden Drive and Nanaimo St...
1h ago
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Bryan Adams plans 19 Canadian stops on North American tour
TORONTO - Bryan Adams is setting forth on an extensive run of Canadian concert dates later this year. The "Summer of '69" rock singer has announced plans to perform 19 dates across the country as part of his Roll With the Punches tour. The Canadian leg begins in Kamloops, B.C. on Sept. 11 and rolls through Ca...
2h ago
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A 17-year-old male killed in a fall on Bastion Mountain in B.C.'s Shuswap: RCMP
SALMON ARM - A 17-year-old male has died in a 60-metre fall on Bastion Mountain in British Columbia's Shuswap region. RCMP in Salmon Arm say officers responded to the scene of a "tragic" hiking incident on Monday involving three local teenagers. Police say friends were hiking when the victim, who was walking ...
17h ago
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Drug death of 15-year-old involved hydromorphone and cough medicine, RCMP believe
CAMPBELL RIVER - RCMP say a 15-year-old has died of a suspected drug overdose in Campbell River, B.C., believed to involve the prescription opioid hydromorphone and cough medicine. Const. Maury Tyre with the Campbell River RCMP says in a statement that it's important for youth and parents to understand the risks posed ...
20h ago
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Canada

In the news today: Federal leaders spar over platforms, bells toll for Pope Francis
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Leaders trade jabs as election campaign nears end The clock is ticking before Canadians head to the polls to cast their ballot in the April 28 election, and attac...
9h ago
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Canadian hockey fans travel to U.S. with mixed feelings to support NHL teams
WASHINGTON - Mark Jarry has cut as many American goods as possible from his personal spending. The middle-aged man from the South Shore of Montreal also stopped taking regular trips south of the Canadian border after U.S. President Donald Trump was ele...
9h ago
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Poilievre defends economic growth projections in Conservative platform as 'essential'
OTTAWA - Pierre Poilievre is defending the Conservative campaign platform's heavy reliance on economic growth in a period of deep uncertainty. The Conservative leader was in Hamilton, Ont., on Wednesday, with just days to go before the federal vote on ...
9h ago
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Sex assault trial begins for five former world junior hockey players
LONDON - Prosecutors are laying out the evidence they expect to present as the sexual assault trial of five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team begins in London, Ont., today. Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, and Alex...
9h ago
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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 ...
9h ago
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Spring, icy snow bring danger to B.C. backcountry, outdoor experts say
Spring is a dangerous time to head into British Columbia's backcountry, outdoor experts warn, as sun and warm daytime temperatures melt snowpack that can become hard and treacherously slippery as it freezes again overnight. Doug Pope, search manager wi...
9h ago
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