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Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

Staying closed
Busy downtown Nanaimo intersection to remain closed for vehicular traffic
NANAIMO - Vehicles won't be passing through the key Bastion/Commercial St. intersection anytime soon. Scheduled to re-open at the end of February after its closure on Jan. 2, the City of Nanaimo pivoted, electing to keep the intersection shuttered for vehicular traffic for several more months as Commercial St. revival ...
16h ago
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top flight soccer
'Top opposition:' Nanaimo United prepare for big pre-season test
NANAIMO - With a new season still weeks away, the city's semi-professional soccer team will see how they stack up against some of the country's best players.The newly renamed Nanaimo United, formerly Harbourside, will welcome Victoria's Pacific FC for a pre-season game at q'unq'inuqwstuxw Stadium on Wednesday, March 19...
Mar 19, 2025
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ramping up
Hundreds of firefighters returning ahead of Island wildfire season
NANAIMO - The first of three rounds of seasonal recalls is underway for the Coastal Fire Centre, as they ramp up staffing numbers ahead of the warm, summer months. While the official start of the fire season is still two weeks away on April 1, training has commenced for the Centre's full-time staff, along with those in...
Mar 18, 2025
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increased coverage
'It's a growing area:' Nanaimo cell tower sent to feds for approval
NANAIMO - A new cell tower proposed for north Nanaimo is one step closer to reality, however some nearby residents aren't feeling the connection. A 31-metre-tall monopole tower is envisioned at the northern edge of Nanaimo city limits off Mary Ellen Dr. between Shoppers Drug Mart and the Island Hwy. Brian Gregg of Site...
Mar 18, 2025
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life-saving skills
'I have to act fast:' Nanaimo woman honoured for saving her mother's life
NANAIMO - A local woman has been honoured by the provincial emergency health service for helping to save her mother's life. Camryn McLeod was only 19 years old when her mother fell in their Nanaimo home and experienced cardiac arrest in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2022. McLeod, who is visually impaired, found he...
Mar 18, 2025
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new investment
Carney announces plans to boost Canada's military footprint in the Arctic
IQALUIT - Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that Ottawa will expand the Canadian Armed Forces' presence in the Arctic and turn to Australia's over-the-horizon radar tech to monitor threats from adversaries such as China and Russia. Carney also pl...
Mar 18, 2025
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British Columbia

Feds give millions to B.C.'s STEMCELL Technologies and HTEC for facility construction
VANCOUVER - The federal government says it's pumping nearly $100 million into two B.C. firms to support the construction of a hydrogen fuel facility and two "cutting-edge biomanufacturing facilities" for vaccines and other treatments. The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry says North Vancouver-based...
5h ago
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Body of missing Langley, B.C., senior found months after she went missing: RCMP
LANGLEY, B.C. - Mounties in Langley, B.C., say the body of an 82-year-old woman has been found several months after she went missing. Jane Whitehouse was reported missing on Oct. 25 last year. Police said she was last seen that day in the suburb of Aldergrove. Her empty grey Dodge Grand Caravan was found a few days lat...
6h ago
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RCMP in Northwest Territories charge B.C. man in fatal shooting
YELLOWKNIFE - RCMP say charges have been laid in a shooting that killed one person and injured two others in the Northwest Territories. Officers responded to a home early Saturday morning in the hamlet of Fort Providence, where a 31-year-old man was found dead. Mounties say two others were found injured, with one perso...
7h ago
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Advocates and family of man shot by RCMP launch 'people's tribunal' to probe police
VANCOUVER - Laura Holland says she's "tired of waiting" for justice for her smart and affectionate son, who was killed by police in Campbell River, B.C., in July 2021. The B.C. Prosecution Service says Jared Lowndes, or Jay as his family called him, was shot twice in the back as he emerged from his vehicle ca...
8h ago
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B.C. shuts door on secondary-suite incentive program over 'uncertain financial times'
VICTORIA - The British Columbia government says it is cancelling an incentive program meant to entice more homeowners to build secondary suites, saying the decision is "due to uncertain financial times." The government says in a statement that the pilot program won't accept applications after March 31. It say...
8h ago
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UBC bans Chinese AI DeepSeek from its devices and networks, citing privacy, security
VANCOUVER - The University of British Columbia has banned Chinese AI tool DeepSeek from being used or installed on university-owned devices and networks, citing "a high degree of privacy and security risk." The university says it reached the decision after a review of public information and third-party assess...
8h ago
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Canada

Confused about Mark Carney's blind trust? Here's how they work
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney's critics have been asking pointed questions lately about the assets in the former central banker's blind trust - a tool meant to allow politicians to avoid conflicts of interest. How do blind trusts work? What is a ...
1h ago
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Trump annexation talk prompted defence talks with Europe, Joly says
OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada is in the "advanced" stages of negotiations with Europe on joining its new defence partnership - prompted in large part by growing concern about Russia's war in Ukraine and U.S. President Donal...
4h ago
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UBC bans Chinese AI DeepSeek from its devices and networks, citing privacy, security
VANCOUVER - The University of British Columbia has banned Chinese AI tool DeepSeek's applications from being used or installed on university-owned devices and networks, citing "a high degree of privacy and security risk." The university said it reache...
9h ago
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Montreal begins annual effort to clear tonnes of garbage exposed by snowmelt
MONTREAL - Street cleaning is a rite of spring in Montreal, after receding snow exposes months' worth of cigarette butts, dog waste, and other garbage. In a park east of downtown on Wednesday, city officials told reporters that an army of street sweepe...
9h ago
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Quebec effort to ease internal trade means less red tape for racehorses, undertakers
MONTREAL - Quebec is taking some halting steps toward scrapping interprovincial trade barriers with measures that will reduce red tape for funeral directors, real estate brokers and racehorse owners. The government is also looking to harmonize regulati...
10h ago
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Foreign affairs minister says China executed four Canadians
OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Wednesday that China has executed four Canadians in recent months. The minister said all four were "dual citizens" and were all "facing charges linked to criminal activities according to China, linked...
10h ago
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