Retirement related closure of a longtime Nanaimo business, a rough water kayake rescue, an April Fools story and the incredibly journey of Hobbes the cat rounds out our Top Viral Stories of 2022. (File photos)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

viral stories

Top Stories of 2022: The most viewed & viral stories of the year

Dec 18, 2022 | 10:32 AM

NANAIMO — Amazing animal stories, heartwarming rescues, and an April fools joke turned into some of our top viral stories of 2022.

Viral Animals
In May, a warning about a rare bacterial infection affecting dogs was sent out across the island. Necrotizing fasciitis enters their bodies through a cut or breach in a dogs skin, and can rapidly eat away at healthy tissue.

Local vets had seen at least a half dozen cases of the horrible infection in the first few months of the year, many of them seeing it for the first time in their careers.

While the bacteria carried by the dogs is a very low risk to humans except for the severely immunocompromised, vets encourage pet owners to check their dogs for any cuts or abrasions which begin to swell after 24-48 hours of first appearing.

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New rules in a Nanaimo animal bylaw updated in Sept. 2021 caught some dog owners by surprise when licensing fees were increased for intact (unsterilized) animals and dogs deemed aggressive.

Almost 3,000 dog owners were contacted and were informed they had to pay a bit more, with long wait times for spaying and neutering at local vets adding to the frustration.

Similar changes for unsterilized and unidentified outdoor cats also came into effect, but the enforcement of fines for felines won’t begin until Jan 1, 2023, to give owners time to comply with the regulations.

Planning for these renovations is still currently underway, but construction is yet to begin.

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2022 also brought us the incredible story of Hobbes the cat, a Victoria-based feline who went missing while on a summertime camping trip by Kennedy Lake, near Ucluelet.

Nearly four months later, Hobbes wound up at the Nanaimo SPCA, where they used his up-to-date microchip to reunite him with his owner.

Once the story went viral, two of the people who helped bring Hobbes from one side of Vancouver Island to the other came forward and filled in some of the gaps of his journey.

How he managed to survive months alone in the wilderness of Vancouver Island is anyone’s guess, and Hobbes has continued to decline an interview.

Weather & the environment
Wild weather once again made big news in 2022. A massive power outage caused by strong winds sent over 40,000 Nanaimo and Oceanside homes in the dark in early November.

Environment Canada warned gusting winds of 70 to 90 kilometres per hour were possible in the evening, causing dozens of hydro lines to go down.

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Pulp mill operators Harmac Pacific delighted nature lovers in the spring by helping to preserve a beautiful piece of land from future developments.

The Cable Bay Trail initially had only a 50 metre buffer zone of forested area, but CEO of Harmac Pacific Paul Sadler said he heard loud and clear from those who campaigned to further preserve the land, and increased it to 100 metres.

Sadler added they will work with the City during the official community plan (OCP) process in the area to ensure an average buffer of 100 metres is maintained while also “taking into account topography, environmentally sensitive areas and other considerations.”

Maintaining this buffer equates to about 27 acres of land preserved from developments for the foreseeable future.

Local people
After over 40 years in service, the owners of a staple store on Terminal Ave. decided to head into retirement.

Midland Tools had been in the same location the entire time, and owner Tony Wright said it was time for him to “back away, I want to retire for a while.”

While they spend the remainder of 2022 liquidating their inventory, they plan on expanding their tarp store which is located on the same site, with early 2023 the expected opening date.

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In June the story of Jacob Park as told, a 31-year-old rabid Nanaimo sports fan who spent most of his adult life volunteering with local sports teams, especially the Timberman lacrosse organization.

Considered the 26th man on their roster by Timberman management, Park has managed to endure himself to the team and become an important part of the organization.

He also donates his time to the Nanaimo Clippers and began volunteering with the Buccaneers last season.

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In mid-April, a father and son canoe team ran into some trouble near Dodd’s Narrows, when some rough water caused them to capsize.

Luckily for them, a local whale-watching vessel was nearby, and thanks to the crew and the passengers on board, were able to pull the pair from the waters.

Passengers on board offered them warm, dry clothing and some warm beverages, with the father saying this about his rescuers: “They helped me take my life jacket off because my hands were too cold and gave me some tea. I don’t even like tea but that was the best tea I ever had.”

April Fools
And finally, the story which possibly raised the most eyebrows this year was a story published on April 1st, where the City of Nanaimo “announced” the purchase of Lantzville, with plans to develop the area and rebrand it as “North North Nanaimo.”

Readers who were able to make it passed the plans of removing all vehicle traffic in favour of bike lanes to a dinosaur park complete with life-sized replicas, saw the editor’s note at the end declaring it all as NanaimoNewsNOW’s annual April Fool’s prank.

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