Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

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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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
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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
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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
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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
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Guilty
Man avoids jail for punching woman at Nanaimo SOGI protest
NANAIMO - A local man will avoid a criminal record if he behaves for the next year after being found guilty of punching a woman during a protest in front of City Hall in 2023. Nicholas James Matear, 34, was charged with one count of assault in relation to an incident on Oct. 21, 2023, where he punched 54-year-old Meado...
Apr 22, 2025
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British Columbia

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...
1h ago
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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 ...
1h ago
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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...
2h ago
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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...
14h ago
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VPD whistleblower alleges arrest quotas in Downtown Eastside crackdown
VANCOUVER - British Columbia's police watchdog says the Vancouver Police Board must look into an officer's allegation that arrest quotas have been issued as part of Mayor Ken Sim's "Task Force Barrage" initiative in the Downtown Eastside. An email from the anonymous whistleblower is on the agenda for Thursday...
Apr 23, 2025
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Impaired driver in B.C. going double the limit and on his way to get child: police
NANAIMO - A man from Nanaimo, B.C., faces a driving suspension, a speeding ticket and allegations of impaired driving for passing an unmarked police vehicle going 120 kilometres an hour over the posted limit. A statement from BC Highway Patrol says the man was pulled over at 11 a.m. on April 14 in the city for going at...
Apr 23, 2025
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Canada

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 c...
1h ago
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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...
2h ago
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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...
2h ago
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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...
3h ago
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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...
3h ago
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Judge weighs bylaw fine for company in case of E. coli outbreak at Calgary daycares
CALGARY - A commercial kitchen company pleaded guilty Thursday to four bylaw offences after a massive E. coli outbreak at Calgary daycares led to hundreds of children falling ill. Fueling Minds Inc. was charged after the eight-week outbreak that was d...
5h ago
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