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...
16h ago
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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...
18h 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 ...
20h ago
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What's Trending
Plan B
Potential scaled back Ravensong renovation to be discussed
3h ago
Vibrato the kitty guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings
Guilty
Man avoids jail for punching woman at Nanaimo SOGI protest
16h ago
all-candidates forum
Forums pitting Nanaimo-Ladysmith candidates head-to-head prior to election day
18h ago
Nanaimo, Parksville and Area
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....
22h ago
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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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stretch drive
Federal NDP leader focuses on healthcare during Nanaimo visit
NANAIMO - With polls widely suggesting support for the NDP is fading, its leader is on Vancouver Island with one week to go in the election campaign. Jagmeet Singh, flanked by Nanaimo-Ladysmith incumbent Lisa Marie Barron, attended a news conference at Nanaimo's Maffeo Sutton Park on the morning of Monday, April 21. Si...
Apr 21, 2025
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more arrivals
First cruise ship of 2025 arrives in Nanaimo
NANAIMO - Cruise season has officially begun in the Harbour City.The Europa 2, operated by German-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, docked in Nanaimo on Monday, April 21, where around 500 passengers prepared to disembark for adventures around central Vancouver Island.It docked near downtown Nanaimo shortly after 7 a.m. with t...
Apr 21, 2025
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British Columbia
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...
12m 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...
15m 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...
26m 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 Victoria is among hikers with a sour taste in their mouth a...
7h 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 ...
16h 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 ...
19h ago
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Local Sports
fierce competition
Nanaimo table tennis tournament debuts in Harbour City
NANAIMO - For the first time in recent memory, a high level table tennis tournament came to the Harbour City.Around 70 players contested three different divisions at Randerson Elementary School on Saturday, April 19, with players from across Nanaimo, Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland participating.Co-organizer Er...
Apr 20, 2025
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home away from home
Alberni Valley Bulldogs forced to shift playoff games to Nanaimo
NANAIMO - Despite the Clippers untimely first round exit from the BC Hockey League playoffs, games will continue at Frank Crane Arena. Refrigeration issues impacting the Alberni Valley Multiplex ice surface is forcing the Alberni Valley Bulldogs to relocate their second round series home games against the Chilliwack Ch...
Apr 16, 2025
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Gymnastic Excellence
Several athletes won provincial tumbling and trampoline medals for Nanaimo's VIP Gymsport
NANAIMO - A total of 14 athletes from VIP Gymsports performed well at the recent Artistic and Trampoline Gymnastics B.C. Championships in Surrey. Held April 4-6, the event drew over 800 athletes, coaches and judges from across the province and the Yukon. VIP Gymsports is in it's fourth year as a club and coach Megan Co...
Apr 15, 2025
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ClippersNOW
Saying Goodbye
Awards celebration puts a cap on Clippers 2024-25 season
NANAIMO - The Clippers concluded their 2024-25 season with their annual awards ceremony. The team took time to acknowledge their fans and volunteers, say goodbye to graduation players and hand out 13 different awards. Coach Colin Birkas said it was a year like no other with player movement due to new NCAA eligibility r...
Apr 17, 2025
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Shutout Loss
Clippers season ends with Game 5 playoff loss in Cowichan Valley
DUNCAN - The Clippers lost their final playoff game 3-0 to the Cowichan Valley Capitals.After winning 5-2 in Game 4 Nanaimo couldn't get their offense on track in Game 5.In.a scoreless first period Elliot Perreault hit a goal post while the Clippers were shorthanded which prompted a video review..It was determined ther...
Apr 12, 2025
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Comeback Victory
Clippers scored five straight versus Cowichan en route to Game 4 win
NANAIMO - Game 4 of the Clippers playoff series with Cowichan Valley didn't start well for the home team but it certainly finished strong.The Capitals took a 2-0 first period lead on goals by James Russell and Camden Bajzer, but Nanaimo goalie Chazz Nixon was unbeatable after that.Hudson Gill's first career BCHL goal g...
Apr 10, 2025
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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...
7h 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...
7h ago
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Federal party leaders trade jabs as election heads into final days
OTTAWA - The clock is ticking before Canadians head to the polls to cast their ballot in the April 28 election, and attacks from federal party leaders are heating up. Both the Liberals and Conservatives are critiquing each other's platforms, with Liber...
7h ago
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Sex assault trial expected to start today for five former world junior hockey players
LONDON - The sexual assault trial of five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team is expected to begin today in London, Ont. Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, and Alex Formenton have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. ...
7h 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 ...
7h 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...
7h ago
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World
Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, won't seek reelection to a sixth term in 2026
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, ending his more than four-decade career representing Illinois and piling more pressure on the party as it already faced a difficult path to reclaiming a majority in the Senate. The decision by Durbi...
24m ago
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An earthquake shakes Istanbul, with no immediate reports of serious damage
ISTANBUL (AP) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 shook Istanbul and other areas on Wednesday, Turkey's disaster and emergency management agency said. There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries in the metropolis of 16 million. The earthquake had a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (about...
4h ago
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Mediators work on proposal for a long-term truce as Israeli strike on Gaza kills 23
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) - The death toll from an overnight Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City has risen to 23, a health official said Wednesday. Zaher al-Waheidi, the Gaza Health Ministry official in charge of records, said the casualties have been taken to the nearby Shifa Hospital. There wa...
5h ago
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Sponsored Content
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Tamara Kronis: Canada First, For a Change Means Making Your Life More Affordable
Over the past four years, I've spoken with so many of you on your doorsteps and at events across our community. I hear the same concerns over and over again-you are struggling with the cost of groceries, worried about housing costs, and now, the serious threats from the United States. You want real solutions to these p...
Apr 02, 2025
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NatureNurture Mental Health Gala Sparks Conversations, Awareness, and Action
For one night in September, the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo was transformed into an immersive, vibrant forest of creativity and compassion. A showcase of vibrant local talent, the IGNITE2024 NatureNurture Mental Health Gala brought together a community of artists, volunteers, sponsors, and attendees. ...
Dec 03, 2024
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Your Opinion Matters: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Mapping Survey
At the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society (CVIMS), they believe every resident deserves to live in an equitable, inclusive, and welcoming community. Since 1979, CVIMS has provided support for immigrants, refugees, and even those who are just new to Nanaimo. They offer settlement, language, and community pro...
Nov 25, 2024
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