Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

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...
20h 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...
22h 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 ...
Apr 22, 2025
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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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British Columbia

Man missing, woman and infant found alive on shore after B.C. boat accident
LANGFORD - A man is missing after three people, including an infant, were thrown overboard in a boating accident on Finlayson Arm northwest of Victoria. West Shore RCMP say they responded to a report of an unoccupied boat on the ocean inlet of Finlayson Arm Tuesday evening. The Canadian Coast Guard and the Joint Rescue...
1h ago
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B.C. invests $11 million on value-added lumber manufacturing amid U.S. uncertainty
VICTORIA - The British Columbia government is investing up to $11 million toward four projects in the province aimed at boosting the local mass-timber manufacturing sector. Jobs and Economic Development Minister Diana Gibson says in a statement that the funding comes at a time when government investment is needed to st...
1h ago
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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...
3h 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...
4h 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...
4h 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...
4h ago
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Canada

CP NewsAlert: Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to represent Canada at Pope Francis's funeral
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney will not be taking time away from the federal election campaign to attend the funeral for Pope Francis. He says Gov. Gen. Mary Simon will represent Canada alongside a senior delegation at the Vatican ceremony Saturda...
31m ago
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China says it wants to partner with Canada to push back against American 'bullying'
OTTAWA - China's ambassador says Beijing is offering to form a partnership with Canada to push back against American "bullying," suggesting the two countries could rally other nations to stop Washington from undermining global rules. "We want to avoid ...
1h ago
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Quebec not ruling out expanding religious symbol ban to daycare workers: minister
QUEBEC CITY - The Quebec minister responsible for secularism says the government isn't ruling out expanding its religious symbols ban to include daycare employees. Jean-François Roberge says "everything is on the table" when it comes to strengthening s...
1h ago
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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...
11h 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...
11h 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 ...
11h ago
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