NANAIMO - 2026 has had its share of choppy waters for a local boat owner, whose calls to help calm down crime appear to have the attention of the Nanaimo Port Authority. Andrew Reynolds' large custom-made commercial tugboat was broken into after a male scaled a pair of gates at Nanaimo Port Authority's W.E. Mills Landi...

NANAIMO - Snuneymuxw First Nation (SFN) says it's now official: they are the largest Indigenous-owned hospitality and casino operator in the country, by revenue. On Tuesday, June 16, SFN formalized the purchase of the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond through their economic development arm, the Petroglyph Developmen...

NANAIMO - The City is looking at ways to extend the life of its sanitary sewer systems, with increased development and climate change pushing the system to capacity. The issues stem from inflow and infiltration, when unwanted storm and groundwater enter the sewer system and increase capacity, risking overloading the sy...

NANAIMO - A second-hand store owner has a rock-bottom sale price for his business, but with no takers it appears Deni's Dynamite Deals will soon shut down. Owner Deni Bezeau, who's approaching his 72nd birthday, said he's tried extensively to sell the business he's owned and operated for the past eight years, but nothi...

NANAIMO - A house being built in Nanaimo's rural East Wellington area burned to its foundations after a fire tore through the partially completed structure. Nanaimo Fire Rescue (NFR) crews responded to 2550 Stobart Rd., south of Mountain View Elementary School, on Sunday, June 14, just after 2:30 p.m., with the stick-f...

NANAIMO - While two people got away without losing money or valuables, another wasn't quite so lucky, prompting a reminder from local Mounties.Three separate incidents involving very similar details were reported to police in Nanaimo and Oceanside on June 6, with a man and a woman travelling in a black Audi approaching...

NANAIMO - A scorching mid-June Sunday in 1963 on the mid-Island has all but been wiped from the record books, courtesy of a 2026 heat wave. According to Environment Canada, the mercury reached 33.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday, June 14, in the Nanaimo area, breaking the record for the hottest June 14 ever recorded, when i...

NANAIMO - Following a busy first year with over 22,000 patients coming through the door for same-day primary care, a well-used Nanaimo clinic stands to see many more clients in the coming months and years. Central Nanaimo Urgent & Primary Care Centre (UPCC) on Norwell Dr. opened on May 1, 2025, providing a key acce...

NANAIMO - Around 75 parade entries lined up for the 2026 Nanaimo Pride Parade.The Sunday, June 14, event capped a week of Pride-themed celebrations and saw onlookers line the parade route down Fitzwilliam St., across the Bastion St. bridge, across the Pride crosswalk, and down Front St. towards Maffeo Sutton Park.Sunny...

NANAIMO - Another ten individuals have lost their lives to drug toxicity in the Nanaimo area.New data from the BC Coroners Service (BCCS) shows the 10 deaths in the Nanaimo region were part of 15 across all of central Vancouver Island, including communities such as Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Port Alberni, Tofino, and ...

NANAIMO - A highly popular program is again offering discounted farmers' market food items around the province. The Ministry of Health funded BC Farmers' Market Nutrition Coupon Program covers items such as vegetables, meat, fish, eggs and dairy products for families, pregnant women and low income seniors in 95 communi...

NANAIMO - The Harbour City is set to be rainbow-clad this weekend. Beginning around 11 a.m. in the Old City Quarter on Fitzwilliam St., and wrapping at Maffeo Sutton Park, the annual Nanaimo Pride Parade is set to take over the downtown on Sunday, June 14. Nanaimo Pride Society's Lauren Semple said the parade itself, w...

NANAIMO - A longstanding event will add another chapter to its over 30-year history on Saturday. Formerly known as the Miner's Picnic, the 34th annual South End Day will be hosted by the South End Community Association on Saturday, June 13, at Deverill Square Park on Irwin St., from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Co-organizer All...

Editor's note: this article outlines allegations of sexual offending, as well as coarse language, which may not be suitable for some readers. Discretion is advised. NANAIMO - A visibly emotional former youth pastor of a large Nanaimo church on trial for sex crimes flatly denied any wrongdoing.Ryan Richard James Morgan,...

NANAIMO - A local school is continuing to set new benchmarks in backing the Canadian Cancer Society.Students and staff at Dover Bay Secondary School in north Nanaimo are holding their annual Relay for Life event on Friday, June 12, looking to add to the tens of thousands of dollars the school and its community have hel...

NANAIMO - A specialized police unit has made a considerable dent in the local drug trade.Officers from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) Gang Enforcement Team arrested a man and a woman on Friday, June 5, in south Nanaimo, after a brief chase and with the assistance of Nanaimo ...

NANAIMO - A $17 million project is poised to improve driving conditions on a number of Island highways and rural side roads, including a large number in Nanaimo. A section of Hwy. 19, between the Trans Canada Hwy. and Duke Point ferry terminal, is included in the work poised to be completed over the summer months, as a...

NANAIMO - A newly hatched baby emu is thriving, despite a significant birth defect discovered over the weekend: four legs, instead of two. The animal hatched naturally on Saturday, June 6, at Back to Nature Acres farm, on Frost Rd. near Nanaimo Airport, with owners Celina Knuff and her fiancé Nick finding the un...

NANAIMO - Investigators closed a section of Hammond Bay Rd. early Thursday morning after a serious two-vehicle collision, believed to be caused by impaired driving.Nanaimo Fire Rescue, along with paramedics and RCMP were called to the intersection of Hammond Bay Rd. and Dunn Pl. on Thursday, June 11 just after 4:50 a.m...

NANAIMO - In what will almost certainly be the busiest and perhaps most challenging summer for BC Ferries, extra sailings on key routes are in now effect. Fast-tracked two weeks earlier than usual, BC Ferries implemented its enhanced summer schedule on Thursday, June 11, which lasts through Sept. 7. Overall, 1,800 extr...

NANAIMO - Local Mounties made an arrest in connection to a recent evening shooting in the city's south end. One individual was arrested, although charges have not been laid, following what police called a "targeted shooting" at Knowles Park, on the corner of Victoria Rd. and Rainer St. just before 9 p.m. on J...

NANAIMO - Approaching a decade in operation with no sign of slowing down, a local organization continues to provide free bikes for anyone who needs them.Bikes for Kids collects unused and damaged bikes, which are repaired by a group of volunteers and then delivered to those who need them free of charge through various ...

NANAIMO - Gold and silver medals have returned to the mid-Island following an international paramedic and police officer competition in Europe. Two teams of paramedics, featuring professionals from Nanaimo, Comox, Victoria, and Vancouver, competed at the Rallye Rejviz in Czechia between May 26 and 30, featuring teams b...

NANAIMO - Despite continued drops in average asking rent in both B.C. and Canada, a similar trend is still skirting the Harbour City. The June 2026 Rent Report, produced by Rentals.ca, showed 4.7 per cent and 5.7 per cent drops in year-over-year asking rents for Canada and B.C., respectively, but notable increases in N...

NANAIMO - When the calendar flips to June, calls tend to pick up substantially for search and rescue organizations.With an extended sunny and warm weather pattern on the horizon, backcountry trails will undoubtedly be busy, said Arrowsmith Search and Rescue president Nick Rivers."Lots more activities going on in t...

NANAIMO - Local residents, service providers and City Council couldn't be clearer: pending redevelopment of supportive housing at 250 Terminal Ave. must include a sizable dry housing component.Community advocates, medical experts, and councillors debated what direction they'd like the province to take on Monday, June 8...

NANAIMO - Local Mounties are reminding young drivers the laws around impaired driving still apply during grad season.On Saturday, June 6, around 11 p.m., Nanaimo RCMP clocked a car at 136 kilometres per hour in a 90 zone, heading south on Hwy. 1, towards Southgate Shopping Centre in Chase River, with four young adults ...

PARKSVILLE - An already large downtown summer street market has just gotten bigger.Summer by the Sea Street Market, running weekly starting Tuesday, June 9, through August 25, primarily on Craig St., is expanding for its 23rd year, confirmed Omar Karim, interim executive director of the Parksville and District Chamber ...