Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

Healthcare enhancement
New urgent and primary care centre about to open in Nanaimo
NANAIMO - Island Health is a week away from opening a clinic to provide timely primary care to thousands of patients. Located on Barons Rd. at Norwell Dr., an Island Health-operated clinic features a multi-disciplinary team which will see patients triaged through a phone-in booking system. Shelley Birchard, Central Nan...
23h ago
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go for a spin
'Big melting pot of goodness:' vinyl lovers ready for annual Nanaimo Record Show
NANAIMO - Fan of vinyl records from across coastal B.C. are making their way to the Harbour City this weekend for the ninth annual Nanaimo Record Show. Once again taking place at the Bowen Park Auditorium from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, organizers are expecting at least 400 people to visit throughout the...
Apr 24, 2025
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Bright future
Devoted Nanaimo student lands prestigious scholarship
NANAIMO - A serious car crash played a pivotal role in the life of an impactful local high school student, who's eager to make his mark in the world. In many ways, Rocky Sloan already has. He and his family all survived the wreck, resulting in then 11-year-old Sloan being flown to BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver fo...
Apr 24, 2025
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election issues
Healthcare & housing affordability headline Nanaimo-Ladysmith candidates forum
NANAIMO - Questions around housing affordability, as well as federal commitments to healthcare system improvements, featured prominently in the final all-candidates forum of the election campaign.All five candidates running in Nanaimo-Ladysmith spoke before a packed ballroom at the Coast Bastion Hotel on Wednesday, Apr...
Apr 24, 2025
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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
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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
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British Columbia

Vancouver fire investigation determines blaze may have been 'intentionally set'
VANCOUVER - Police say a fire that burned two businesses in downtown Vancouver on Wednesday may have been intentionally set. Spokesman Sgt. Steve Addison says in a statement that information received by the fire department has prompted a criminal investigation. Vancouver Fire Rescue Services said crews responded just a...
1h ago
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Pace of rent increases slows, but housing costs still rising in Metro Vancouver
VANCOUVER - The pace of rent increases in Metro Vancouver slowed last year compared with 2023 and the rental stock is growing, but the regional district says homelessness continues to rise and the wait-list for social housing grows. Metro Vancouver has released its annual housing data, showing rent increases slowed to ...
4h ago
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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...
Apr 24, 2025
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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...
Apr 24, 2025
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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...
Apr 24, 2025
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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 ...
Apr 24, 2025
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Canada

Metro Vancouver housing figures underscore massive gap in affordable units
VANCOUVER - The latest housing report from Metro Vancouver underscores the significant gap between current affordable rentals and the number of units required to prevent more people from falling into homelessness, the head of the BC Non-Profit Housing ...
2h ago
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Yukon politicians threaten contempt over mine manager's refusal to answer questions
Yukon politicians could hold an official with the company managing the cleanup of a disaster at the Eagle Gold mine in contempt of Parliament after she refused to answer questions in front of the legislature. Debate on a contempt motion in the Yukon le...
4h ago
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Quebec government says 'Go Habs Go!' expression is part of province's identity
MONTREAL - The Quebec government has stepped in to defend the phrase "Go Habs Go!" as the provincial language watchdog takes heat for objecting to the English word "go." In a statement Friday, Quebec's French-language minister said the slogan is part o...
6h ago
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Canada's envoy to Vatican: Pope Francis funeral will unite a rare range of humanity
OTTAWA - Canada's ambassador to the Holy See says the Vatican will be the capital of the world Saturday during the funeral of Pope Francis, who earned the respect of vastly different people. "Rome will indeed be caput mundi, or the capital of the world...
8h ago
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Court declares mistrial in former world junior hockey players' sex assault case
LONDON - A new jury is set to be selected today in the sexual assault case of five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team after an Ontario judge declared a mistrial days into the proceedings. A new trial is now expected to start next week ...
9h ago
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In the news today: Poilievre campaigning in Conservative-safe ridings
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Poilievre campaigning in Conservative-safe ridings Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is campaigning in what polls suggest are Conservative-safe ridings today a...
15h ago
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