Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

more contenders
Carney, Arya file paperwork, officially entering Liberal leadership race
OTTAWA - Liberal leadership candidates Mark Carney and Chandra Arya have submitted their paperwork to enter the race ahead of tomorrow's deadline. The two appear to be the first through that gate, submitting the required signatures and a $50,000 deposit. Candidates have until Thursday at 5 p.m. to get their deposit in,...
Jan 22, 2025
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development aspirations
Housing density envisioned for Parksville's Wembley Mall site inches forward
PARKSVILLE - Many more details need to be ironed out, however members of Parksville City Council appear to be on board with adjusting the use of the Wembley Mall property. Mall proponents, Parksville Properties Corp. aim to re-zone the property to allow for a mix use development on a vacant area at the lots southern ed...
Jan 22, 2025
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Freedom of the City
Classy, devoted Nanaimo advocate officially granted Freedom of the City status
NANAIMO - More than sixty years ago a young John Ruttan moved to the Harbour City with humble beginnings renting a $65 a month Rosehill St. bachelor pad. He would make significant contributions to countless service clubs, community events and the business community, culminating decades later to serve as mayor of the ci...
Jan 21, 2025
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high profile crime
'I'm so sorry for what I've done:' sentencing arguments begin in stabbing death of Nanaimo man
NANAIMO - Crown counsel is asking for prison sentences in the seven to nine year range for two men convicted of manslaughter for the shocking stabbing death of a man on Nanaimo's waterfront in 2022. In B.C. Supreme Court in Nanaimo on Tuesday, Jan. 21 Crown prosecutor Nick Barber made the sentencing recommendation for ...
Jan 21, 2025
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unprecedented case
'Awful, egregious:' Parksville child porn collector phoned police to turn himself in
Editors note: The following story contains descriptions of sexual crimes against children. Reader discretion is strongly advised. NANAIMO - Jail is a distinct possibility for a Parksville man who pleaded guilty to possessing over 1,300 images and 10 videos depicting the graphic sexual abuse of children. A joint submiss...
Jan 21, 2025
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David's Place
New publicly funded treatment centre in Nanaimo reaps early rewards
NANAIMO - A local residential treatment facility hasn't been around for long, but already one client appears to be on the right track. Island Crisis Care executive director Violet Hayes said their six-bed residential treatment centre known as David's Place Recovery Program has been in existence since late last summer. ...
Jan 21, 2025
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British Columbia

Canadians behind Oscar-nominated residential school doc 'Sugarcane' hope to 'illuminate the truth'
Ed Archie NoiseCat says he's excited his son Julian Brave NoiseCat's documentary about a residential school in Canada has been nominated for an Oscar - and he hopes the recognition will bring more awareness about the abuses committed there. The Secwépemc artist's story is a central part of "Sugarcane,"...
29m ago
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Payments to shortchanged caregivers of kids with disabilities satisfy B.C. watchdog
VICTORIA - British Columbia's ombudsperson says he's satisfied the provincial government has fixed a problem that shortchanged caregivers of children with disabilities to the tune of more than $1 million in federal funding. But Jay Chalke says B.C. still hasn't responded to his recommendation from three years ago that ...
36m ago
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Laundering of fentanyl cash linked to online betting sites, intelligence agency warns
OTTAWA - Canada's financial intelligence agency suspects online gambling platforms are being used to launder proceeds from fentanyl dealing and production. In an operational alert, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada says there is reason to believe people are depositing and withdrawing fund...
11h ago
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Advocate tells B.C. inquest that home-share providers are burnt out, need better pay
BURNABY, B.C. - The independent advocate in charge of helping adults with developmental disabilities navigate B.C. government supports says his office often hears about home-share providers who are exhausted and constantly in "crisis mode." Cary Chiu, the province's advocate for service quality, says more mon...
17h ago
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Supreme Court certifies B.C.'s class-action lawsuit against opioid providers
British Columbia's attorney general says the Supreme Court of Canada has certified the province's class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors. Niki Sharma says B.C. can now proceed as a representative plaintiff on behalf of other Canadian governments with the litigation aimed at recovering the co...
21h ago
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Mount Polley boss says 2014 B.C. mine spill not toxic as firm faces fisheries charges
The president of the company involved in the Mount Polley environmental disaster that poured millions of cubic metres of mine tailings into B.C. waterways 10 years ago says the material spilled wasn't toxic. Imperial Metals Corp. and two other firms were charged last month with 15 alleged Fisheries Act breaches, accuse...
21h ago
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Canada

Quick quotes: Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to Quebec secularism law
The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday agreed to hear a challenge of Quebec's secularism law, known as Bill 21, which prohibits public sector workers in positions of authority, including teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols on the job. Here are some quotes from politicians, advocacy groups and ...
45m ago
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Quebec maple syrup producers fear 'major consequences' if Trump tariffs go ahead
MONTREAL - Quebec's maple syrup producers are worried their industry will take a big hit if U.S. President Donald Trump goes ahead with his threat to slap 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports next month. Joël Vaudeville, spokesman for Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, says his group's 13,500 members expect sales wi...
1h ago
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Trump calls on OPEC to bring down cost of oil at World Economic Forum
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump told an elite global audience today that he is going to ask the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries to bring down the cost of oil. He made the comments in a wide-ranging address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump, appearing via video link from the Whi...
1h ago
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Indigenous MP says he has the money and the signatures to contest Liberal leadership
HALIFAX - Nova Scotia MP Jaime Battiste says he has the money and the signatures he needs to join the federal Liberal leadership race. Speaking in Halifax today to Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqey chiefs from across Atlantic Canada, the Indigenous politician from Cape Breton made the announcement as a 5 p.m. eastern deadline for...
2h ago
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Family of 13-year-old Quebec girl who went missing in 2005 still seeking answers
MONTREAL - The mother of a 13-year-old Quebec girl who vanished without a trace 20 years ago today says she still hasn't given up hope of finding her. Françoise Algier's last memory of her daughter, Mélina Martin, was dropping her off at a local winter festival in Farnham, Que., about 55 kilometres southe...
3h ago
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Karina Gould submits paperwork to enter Liberal leadership race on deadline day
OTTAWA - Liberal leadership contender Karina Gould submitted her official paperwork to enter the race to replace Justin Trudeau today. Gould said outside party headquarters in Ottawa that her party lost touch with Canadians at the end of the pandemic and needs to get better at listening. Gould briefly touched on some o...
4h ago
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