NANAIMO - Around 100 budding entrepreneurs are ready to put their business development lessons to the test.The first ever Kidovate market day in Nanaimo is Saturday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Nanaimo North Town Centre, with around 80 tables registered for the event, which has grown considerably in Victoria ov...

NANAIMO - An apparently inattentive, speeding motorist clipped an 11-year-old boy in a north Nanaimo crosswalk, renewing longstanding safety concerns on Hammond Bay Rd. It happened on Wednesday, April 15, at 2:30 p.m. in the marked, light-activated crosswalk on Hammond Bay at Williamson Rd., where a Frank J. Ney Elemen...

NANAIMO - An overflowing crowd crammed into the Vancouver Island Conference Centre (VICC) where emotions occasionally ran high over proposed intensive industrial development plans in the Duke Point area.Nanaimo Forest Products (NFP) which operates Harmac Pacific pulp mill, is attempting to rezone the majority of 950 P...

LADYSMITH - The growing sport of disc golf is poised to be shown in a whole new light. For the second time in as many years, staff from the Town of Ladysmith and other community groups are hosting a glow-in-the-dark disc golf event at Transfer Beach Park, beginning at dusk on Friday, April 17 and running until around 1...

NANAIMO - Horse owners have a chance to learn from some of the best farriers in Western Canada this week.Dozens of farriers from near and far are at Nanaimo's Beban Park this week for a super clinic on proper care, maintenance, and construction of horseshoes. Put on by the Western Canadian Farriers Association (WCFS), ...

NANAIMO - Unregulated and toxic street drugs claimed seven lives in Nanaimo in February. The latest BC Coroners Service report (BCCS) showed 115 British Columbians died in February province-wide, down from 150 in January. The service said that equates to about 4.1 deaths per day and that 78 per cent of the people who d...

NANAIMO - While it's unclear how far down the prefabrication road the B.C. government is going, it appears the quicker build technology is here to stay. B.C. Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma answered questions regarding prefabrication for public school additions, as well as new schools, during a recent Ladysmith news ...

NANAIMO - Those living on Snuneymuxw First Nation reserve lands could be eligible to vote in City of Nanaimo elections, beginning this October. An alternative approval process, requesting elector approval to extend the municipal boundary for the City ended Monday, April 13, with 287 valid forms registering an objection...

NANAIMO - Volunteers posing as dozens of injured passengers replicated a crash-landed plane on Nanaimo Airport's runway. The federally mandated drill happened on Wednesday, April 15, between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., involving several agencies which would respond to the real thing. Nanaimo Airport president and chief execu...

NANAIMO - An upcoming multi-week exhibit at downtown Nanaimo's Vancouver Island Conference Centre (VICC) is about to get a big financial boost from the City. During the Wednesday, April 15, finance and audit meeting, a recommendation for Council to provide a financial grant of $100,000 for the Beyond Van Gogh experienc...

NANAIMO - Messaging to 'call before you dig' appears to be getting through to local contractors and homeowners.Data from Fortis BC shows the Harbour City joined Saanich in leading Vancouver Island for the highest number of incidents involving damage to natural gas lines, with 14 in 2025, part of 109 across Vancouver Is...

NANAIMO - Rehabilitating while in custody for well over a year, a Nanaimo man says he's committed to chartering a more positive path. Corey David Matsen, 40, had 25 additional days behind bars left to serve following a sentencing hearing at Nanaimo Law Courts in relation to his volatile behaviour in early February 2025...

NANAIMO - A proposal to rezone a Departure Bay Rd. property requires refinements before proceeding any further, Nanaimo City Council decided. A 7-1 vote referred the application for 2565 Departure Bay Rd., at Strongitharm Ave., back to City staff to work with developers to ensure no more than 20 housing units are const...

NANAIMO - A record number of short film submissions have been whittled down to a final 18 to be screened this week at VIU's Malaspina Theatre. The Vancouver Island Short Film Festival returns to Nanaimo for its 21st edition, Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18, at Vancouver Island University, featuring a new lineu...

NANAIMO - Two offenders pleaded guilty to an illegal and damaging Nanaimo River Estuary off-roading venture leading to an estimated $151,000 in damages. Liam Aiden Ashton Sage, 20, and Brandt David Olsen, 25, each pleaded guilty to the provincial Wildlife Act charge of damaging land set aside for wildlife during a Frid...

LANTZVILLE - Closed for a month to make way for construction crews, a primary public gathering space in Lantzville has re-opened. Huddlestone Park on Lantzville Rd. located on the edge of Lantzville's village core recently re-opened, following several accessibility-related improvements. Enhancements include a new zipli...

QUALICUM BEACH - An adult male sea lion found injured in waters in Oceanside has died of his injuries. Staff from the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society, with support from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, located and rescued Colonel on Monday, April 6 near Qualicum Beach after locals had seen him in distress f...

NANAIMO - Local wastewater officials contend a recent B.C. government advisory notice is merely a snapshot of an otherwise high performing sewage treatment service. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy last month issued the Regional District of Nanaimo a non-compliance letter in reference to three se...

QUALICUM BEACH - An Oceanside family programming facility is closing its doors at the end of June, much to the dismay of some community members. Last year, the Town of Qualicum Beach and the Qualicum School District (QSD) signed a one-year lease agreement to allow the Qualicum Commons at 744 Primrose St. to remain open...

NANAIMO - From humble beginnings, the Cedar Farmers Market has grown into one of the destination events of its kind on Vancouver Island. The event will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026, opening for the season on May 10 and running through until the Sunday before Halloween, with organizers making the final off-sea...

NANAIMO - Local volunteers through the area's Lions Clubs are helping a large number of kids see a little clearer. Between November 2025 and mid-March 2026, Nanaimo, Hub City, and Ladysmith Lions Club members, along with selected volunteers, toured local schools and helped vision test around 2,000 students in grades on...

NANAIMO - It's been tweaked over the years, but Regional District of Nanaimo parks staff aren't willing to move on from a popular annual tradition. The RDN launched its 20th annual installment of the Golden Shoe Hunt in early April, in which weekly clues are offered on Friday mornings teasing a new hiding place in an R...

NANAIMO - More than $4 million will benefit a local company's ability to establish an advanced robotics facility to construct wooden trusses. The funds to benefit Atlas Engineered Products Ltd. will allow the company to build a "cutting-edge wood manufacturing facility" to boost efficiency and reduce waste. A...

NANAIMO - A popular wooded trail is closed following apparent vandalism to a wooden walkway. City staff were made aware of the damage on Thursday, April 9, involving a small section of the stairs and walkway on Beach Estates Trail, near the Departure Bay Rd. access point. City manager of parks operations Kirsty MacDona...

NANAIMO - Increasing deficits and impacts from declining international student recruitment are hoped to be in the past for Vancouver Island University.The University announced Wednesday, April 8, it will present a balanced budget next month for approval by its Board of Governors after finishing the 2025/26 financial ye...

NANAIMO - What started as an idea from a viral video in early 2025 continues to grow as a massive tourism and healthcare movement. The second Nanaimo Infusion will take place April 24-26, highlighted by a gathering and family photo at Maffeo Sutton Park on Saturday, April 25, and is projected to see well over 500 visit...

NANAIMO - Ahead of the summer tourist season, a popular micro-mobility option is launching in Oceanside. Evolve will add Parksville to its growing list of communities served by their rentable e-bikes and e-scooters, beginning Wednesday, April 22, continuing a growing presence on Vancouver Island, which debuted in Nanai...

NANAIMO - As average asking residential rents see multi-year lows both nationwide and in B.C., renters in the Harbour City are being asked to pay more. The April report from Rentals.ca and Urbannation highlights a 5.3 per cent drop year-over-year in rents nationwide to an average of $2,008 among all property types, and...