NANAIMO - Despite rain and wind pummeling the region, thousands of people are anticipated in downtown Nanaimo for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony. NanaimoNewsNOW will provide a livestream of the ceremony starting about 10:30 a.m. via our Facebook page. Formal proceedings are scheduled to begin at the downtown Nanai...

NANAIMO - Sacrifices made by Canadians to establish the safety and freedoms we enjoy today will be front and centre on Wednesday, November 11. Thousands of people across central Vancouver Island and Canada are gathering at Legions, Cenotaphs, and other public events to pay tribute to military personnel who served and a...

NANAIMO - Disadvantaged and with an unstable childhood, Nanaimo's Emory Fae was homeless at the age of 16.Survival was Fae's primary concern while living in Squamish, never mind the dream of post-secondary education.Fae is one of 201 students on Vancouver Island who benefited from United Way BC's Youth Futures Educatio...

NANAIMO - Dozens of local youth are preparing for an overnight vigil around the city's Cenotaph ahead of Remembrance Day on Wednesday. Beginning at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, members from 205 Collishaw Royal Canadian Air Cadets, 136 Amphion Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, and 2422 Canadian Scottish Regiment Royal Canadian ...

NANAIMO - Impacts from the summer wildfire season are starting to be felt long after the last embers have been extinguished, and BC Hydro is worried the line between wildfire and storm season is disappearing. Ted Olynyk, BC Hydro's regional community relations manager, said Vancouver Island vegetation can withstand all...

NANAIMO - More than two weeks after voters elected a majority BC Conservative government, some in the region are no closer to knowing who will represent them in Victoria.Final results confirmed by Elections BC show NDP incumbent Stephanie Higginson 50 votes ahead of BC Conservative challenger Kris McNichol, as of Monda...

NANAIMO - A wet and windy week is ahead. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for areas of eastern Vancouver Island on Monday, Nov. 9, including Nanaimo, Parksville, and Qualicum Beach, advising of "a strong and potent series of storms" approaching the province. The series of fall storms are ...

NANAIMO - Barely an adult, a young man's life spiraled out of control late in 2023.An aggravated assault conviction for a drug-related attack in Campbell River led to a nine-year prison sentence, followed by a bizarre series of events in Nanaimo on the evening of Dec. 13, 2023.Leonardo Rosales, 21, was handed 18 months...

NANAIMO - Global Village Nanaimo is already hard at work with its winter pop-up store as they continue to promote fair trade practices. This year, the store is located on the exterior of Woodgrove Centre, between the Royal Bank and Island Savings Credit Union, allowing the store to have its own entrance. Serving the co...

NANAIMO - Local Mounties are reminding renters to do their due diligence before sending anyone money, after a local resident was scammed out of $4,000. RCMP say the victim was responding to an online advertisement for a Nanaimo rental, which included detailed information like a rental agreement and land title informati...

NANAIMO - It's the final weekend for the Cedar Farmers Market, and they plan to finish off the year with their usual holiday flair. The Cedar Farmers Market's annual Christmas-themed event takes place on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the field behind the former Woodbank Elementary School at 1984 Woobank Rd., opening for seniors a...

NANAIMO - A new rapidly built housing complex is providing stability and cost certainty for young adults transitioning from care. Indigenous services provider Kw'umet Lelum, backed by federal government funding, recently opened four small rental homes on Snuneymuxw First Nation (SFN) territory in Cedar near Duke Point ...

NANAIMO - A rain and wind-packed storm system is causing disruptions locally. Making landfall overnight Thursday, Nov. 5, the first of multiple anticipated storms hitting Coastal B.C. this weekend have caused thousands of residents to wake up without power.BC Hydro was reporting that thousands of people were without po...

NANAIMO - A local man claims he was trying to avoid a serious collision on his motorcycle when he made contact with a 78-year-old e-bike rider, causing the man to swerve into oncoming traffic and crash face-first onto the sidewalk. Marcel David Trudeau, 50, pleaded not guilty to assault causing bodily harm and dangerou...

NANAIMO - Strong winds and anticipated high waves from the first of multiple fall storms expected through the region this weekend are already impacting area travel.BC Ferries announced their Friday, Nov. 6, 6:15 a.m., 8:40 a.m., 10:55 am, and 1:20 p.m. departures from Nanaimo's Departure Bay are cancelled, along with t...

It may be almost two weeks since British Columbia's election resulted in a landslide win for the B.C. Conservatives, but it's still a tense time for a handful of candidates. New Democrat legislator Stephanie Higginson will be among those watching clos...

NANAIMO - Powered by tireless advocates pushing for answers, another chapter has been written in the search for Lisa Marie Young. A newly published book co-authored by an unlikely duo is now available: 'Where is Lisa Marie Young?' A book launch event on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 4 at the Nanaimo Vancouver Island R...

NANAIMO - With the temperatures falling, Nanaimo Fire Rescue (NFR) has tips to reduce fire risk as people spend more time indoors. NFR assistant chief Troy Libbus said their department occasionally responds to heating-related fires this time of year, which he said can be easily preventable. "With the weather chang...

NANAIMO - A judge has convicted a man of first-degree murder in relation to a daytime drive-by shooting in Nanaimo five years ago. Ronald Joseph Campbell, 44, was handed the judgment in BC Supreme Court in Nanaimo on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in relation to a central Nanaimo daytime shooting behind the Wendy's restaurant on t...

NANAIMO - A lot can change in a short amount of time when it comes to mid-Island weather. About two weeks ago, Nanaimo was on pace for one of the driest Octobers on record with only 7.6 millimetres of rain, but a late-month deluge of rain helped put us back on track. Meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Ca...

QUALICUM BEACH - After closing down early in 2020, a new recycling service has launched in Qualicum Beach. Recycle BC announced a long-term arrangement with Qualicum Bottle & Recycling Centre, allowing household paper packaging products, cardboard, soft plastics, glass and foam packaging to be disposed of locally. ...

PARKSVILLE - It didn't take crews long to fix a large power outage impacting thousands of people in the Parksville and Nanoose Bay area. An extensive substation fault was reported, zapping power to over 11,000 BC Hydro customers on Tuesday, Nov 3 at about 10:30 a.m. Ted Olynyk, BC Hydro's regional community relations m...

NANAIMO - Strong community support saved over 100 acres of forests, wetlands, estuaries, and shoreline in Deep Bay. The BC Parks Foundation announced on Monday, Nov. 2, the final monetary amount has been raised to purchase 122.5 acres of property west of Deep Bay, north of Qualicum Beach, with donors already raising mu...

NANAIMO - A significant estate donation is striking the right chord with the band program at John Barsby Secondary School.Following the recent passing of local music-loving resident Harlow Rankin, his wife followed through on his wishes to donate his valuable music equipment collection featuring drum sets and bass guit...

NANAIMO - Several serious offences have been laid against a well-known former Alberta Junior Hockey League broadcaster. Tyler Robb King, 39, is charged with three counts of luring a person under 18 years old, sexual exploitation of a young person and making child pornography, according to a Monday, Nov. 2 news release ...

NANAIMO - With increased diverted traffic incoming, a signaled traffic light is coming to Rutherford Rd. ahead of a significant Regional District of Nanaimo infrastructure project.James Haddou, RDN capital project delivery manager, expects a new traffic signal on Rutherford Rd. at Vanderneuk Rd. to be installed startin...

NANAIMO - B.C.'s iconic Pacific salmon species will be on full display at an increasingly popular annual event at Nanaimo River Hatchery. The hatchery's popular annual Spawning Day Fundraiser takes place on Sunday, Nov. 1, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at 2775 Rugby Rd. off the Trans Canada Hwy. Potentially over 2,000 peo...

NANAIMO - Cobin Pisiak was playing video games in his north Nanaimo basement suite when he was suddenly sprung back into reality. His smoke alarm started beeping. Confused, he walked to the other side of his home from his bedroom while noticing the faint smell of smoke as he approached the front door of his Mahoun Pl. ...