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Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

election polls
Liberals hold six-point lead over Conservatives: Leger poll
OTTAWA - The federal Liberals are pushing further ahead of the Conservatives in voter support and almost half of Canadians surveyed think the Liberals will win the election, a new poll suggests. The poll comes as the two leading parties challenge each ...
14h ago
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waterfront expansion
'Gets better and better:' Qualicum Beach waterfront expansion project starts next phase
QUALICUM BEACH - The next phase of the Waterfront Enhancement Project started Monday, with work being done to make the waterfront safer and more easily accessible. Construction crews arrived Monday, March 24 along Hwy. 19A, and will be creating additional parking spots and a multi-purpose lane for a safer transportatio...
23h ago
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quick rescue
Hullo ferry & Search and Rescue crews help stranded boaters off Nanaimo
NANAIMO - Crew on board a local ferry to Vancouver, along with local first responders helped rescue four people from an uninhabited, rocky island. Calls for help came around 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, March 23 from a boat which had run aground on Snake Island, a small rocky island northwest of Gabriola Island, with several ...
Mar 24, 2025
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election rerun
Familiar local candidates lining up for 2025 Federal Election
NANAIMO - The 45th general election, scheduled for April 28, is poised to be contested among some very familiar faces to local voters.The riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith is set to feature many returning candidates from the 2021 vote, which saw the NDP's Lisa Marie Barron claim a narrow victory over Conservative candidate T...
Mar 24, 2025
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on the trail
Taxes, trades are key topics for federal party leaders on first full day of campaign
OTTAWA - Federal party leaders are spending their first full day on the campaign trail talking about taxes, transfers and the trades. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising a middle-class tax cut, following a Liberal pledge that involves a s...
Mar 24, 2025
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all oars in
New event & returning a returning favourite helping grow Nanaimo paddling scene
NANAIMO - After a bleak 2024 paddle season was salvaged at the 11th hour, this summer is looking extremely busy for local paddlers. Victoria's Fairway Gorge Paddling Club will return to host the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival, part of their Island Race Series on July 12 and 13 along the Nanaimo waterfront. Fairway race d...
Mar 24, 2025
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British Columbia

B.C. to bring in legislation to end its carbon tax on consumers starting April 1
VICTORIA - British Columbia's government says it will table legislation on Monday that eliminates the consumer carbon tax in the province. It says in a statement that the tax will be removed April 1, and it is notifying fuel sellers and natural gas retailers now so they stop collecting the tax as of that date. B.C. Pre...
16m ago
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toxic drug crisis
B.C. drug decriminalization and safer supply associated with more overdoses: study
VANCOUVER - A study into safer supply and drug decriminalization policies in British Columbia has found that both were associated with increased opioid overdose hospitalizations. The report says that there was no change in deaths associated with safer supply, while neither policy appeared to mitigate the opioid crisis ...
1h ago
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CP NewsAlert: Three heli-skiers killed in B.C. avalanche
KASLO, B.C. - Three men have been killed in an avalanche on the east side of Kootenay Lake in southeast B.C. RCMP say the avalanche happened in an alpine area on Monday, sweeping away a group of four heli-skiers. More coming. The Canadian Press
5h ago
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BC Ferries says it had no involvement in 6 sick passengers on Saturday
VICTORIA - BC Ferries says it has nothing to do with a medical incident that left six passengers sickened, including two who had to be taken to hospital. The incident occurred Saturday on an afternoon sailing preparing to leave from Swartz Bay for Tsawwassen when six people were ill in a stairwell and required medical ...
23h ago
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Police in B.C. say girl, 5, revived with naloxone after fentanyl overdose
MISSION, B.C. - Police in Mission, B.C., say a five-year-old girl was sent to hospital last week after she apparently overdosed on fentanyl, requiring multiple doses of naloxone to revive her. Mission RCMP say emergency responders were called to a home on Nottman Street on Thursday, where they found the child unconscio...
Mar 24, 2025
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U.S. ferry company 'unintentionally' flew Canadian flag upside down entering Victoria
SEATTLE - The operator of a ferry service between Vancouver Island and Washington state says it's sorry for "unintentionally" raising the Canadian flag upside down as it entered Victoria harbour on Sunday. The Black Ball Ferry Line, which runs a ferry between Victoria and Port Angeles, Wash., says raising the...
Mar 24, 2025
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Canada

Record deficit, economic stimulus and other highlights of Quebec's 2025-26 budget
QUÉBEC - Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard introduced his budget on Tuesday, under a cloud of possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods that he forecasts will average 10 per cent in the next two years. Here are some highlights: - Deficit of $13.6 billi...
1h ago
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B.C. drug decriminalization and safer supply associated with more overdoses: study
VANCOUVER - A study into safer supply and drug decriminalization policies in British Columbia has found that both were associated with increased opioid overdose hospitalizations. The report says that there was no change in deaths associated with safer ...
3h ago
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Beijing's envoy calls for more trade with Canada as U.S. trade war continues
OTTAWA - Beijing's ambassador to Canada says China is interested in stepping up trade with Ottawa as the U.S. continues to pursue a global trade war. Wang Di says Washington should not force Canada to choose between the U.S. and China because that woul...
3h ago
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Calgary paleontologist part of discovery of new dinosaur with 30-centimetre claws
CALGARY - A University of Calgary paleontologist is part of a discovery of a new species of dinosaur with 30-centimetre-long claws found in a Mongolian desert. Darla Zelenitsky, an associate professor in the school's faculty of science, says the remain...
4h ago
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Quebec man found in contempt of court for swastikas outside his home
MONTREAL - A Quebec man has been found in contempt of court for refusing to remove swastikas from outside his home in a municipality that he accuses of being "the most racist city in the world." A Quebec Superior Court judge ruled earlier this month th...
5h ago
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Three heli-skiers killed when avalanche sweeps away group in southeast B.C.
A deadly avalanche that swept over heli-skiers in British Columbia's Purcell Mountains on Monday, killing three, was a reminder that even with experience and the right gear "something can surprise you," a rescue manager said. RCMP said in a news releas...
5h ago
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