NANAIMO - A new intersection is about to open on a busy Nanaimo corridor as the City's Midtown Gateway project enters its final year of construction.In a release, the City of Nanaimo stated the traffic signals at the new Bowen Rd./Boxwood Rd./Beban Parkway intersection will be activated on Wednesday to alert road users...

NANAIMO - Police are trying to identify the driver of a truck seen loading around $5,000 worth of tires into his vehicle mid-last month. Mounties say a full set of all-season Kum Majesty 1/31 Solus KU50's were stolen from the Kal-Tire location on Norwell Dr., adjacent to Country Club Centre at around 1 a.m. on Dec. 18....

QUALICUM BEACH - A multi-family residential building and small hotel planned for an important vacant Qualicum Beach lot has been introduced. A developer intends to construct 60 two-bedroom condo units in a five storey building, along with a two-storey, 20 hotel room project on Memorial Ave. at Hoylake Rd. While the lan...

NANAIMO - Amid concerns regarding proposed building heights and parking, a proposed central Nanaimo rental apartment building cleared another hurdle. Developers are proposing a 93-unit rental apartment complex at 1960 Mountain Vista Dr., adjacent to the newly formed Powder Works Rd. created during the ongoing Midtown G...

NANAIMO - A group of nurses from across Vancouver Island descended on downtown Nanaimo on Friday, Jan 10, as part of a two-day regional bargaining conference prior to contract negotiations. Starting at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre (VICC) on Gordon St. just after noon, around 250 Island Health nurses and suppo...

NANAIMO - Vandalism at a popular urban park is described by one City of Nanaimo official as "senseless, frustrating, and asinine."Repeated damage - and the eventual cutting - of a safety boom at lower Colliery Dam over recent weeks has City officials frustrated and facing a bill running into the "thousan...

NANAIMO - It's amazing what a difference a year can make.A considerable amount of rainfall in the last couple of months of 2024 across much of Vancouver Island not only boosted water reserves in populated areas but also helped boost the snowpack levels at elevation.Jonathan Boyd from the B.C. River Forecast Centre said...

NANAIMO - Following a few years of dramatic increases, a local food bank reports only a slight increase in demand in their recent Christmas hamper campaign. Nanaimo Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank provides baskets full of food essentials every December, with the demand growing by leaps and bounds since the COVID-...

NANAIMO - An arrest warrant has been issued for a man considered to be a violent offender.Michael William McLellan, 39, faces a single robbery charge from a Nov. 23, 2024 incident where he allegedly punched a woman in the face several times and then stole her purse.Officers were able to arrest McLellan later the same d...

NANAIMO - Modernizing a section of Third St. represents a notable pending construction project, featuring raised cycling lanes on both sides of the street. A bulk of the work slated between Howard Ave. and Pine St. is anticipated to begin by this summer and last a few months, according to City of Nanaimo engineering pr...

NANAIMO - A recent extended trial of a local fisherman and his wife charged with numerous fishing violations has reached a verdict: guilty on all counts.Scott Stanley Matthew Steer, 47, and his wife Melissa Dawn Larocque (Steer) were in B.C. Supreme Court in Nanaimo on Wednesday, Jan 8., where they were convicted on ei...

NANOOSE BAY - An investigation continues into an early morning collision which claimed the life of a 61-year-old Nanoose Bay man. B.C. Highway Patrol say the man was hit by a vehicle and died of his injuries around 7 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 3 at the intersection of the Island Hwy. and NW Bay Rd., near the Petro-Canada ser...

NANAIMO - Dubbed a celebration of light, art and community, the City of Nanaimo is staging a month-long winter arts festival at Maffeo Sutton Park. Luminous Paths: Nanaimo's 150 & Beyond includes temporary light-based art installations in the downtown Nanaimo park beginning with a community celebration on Wednesday...

Editor's note: updated court records on Wednesday, Jan 8 stated Gloria Lemay was in custody. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 9.LADYSMITH - A woman accused of mishandling the birth of a baby in Ladysmith has been charged with manslaughter. A Ladysmith RCMP news release states Gloria Lemay, 77, ...

NANAIMO - An alleged impaired driver is responsible for a late night crash which severed power for hundreds in rural areas south of Nanaimo. Cranberry Fire Department, paramedics from BC Emergency Health Services and Nanaimo RCMP members were called out to the Morden Rd. and Akenhead Rd. intersection on Monday, Jan. 6 ...

NANAIMO - A trial is poised to begin shortly for a woman accused of recklessly driving through a construction zone south of Nanaimo, resulting in the death of a worker and injuring another. Christanne Marie Boufford, 52, pleaded not guilty to six charges, including impaired driving causing death and impaired driving ca...

NANAIMO - A group of Island doctors and volunteers pushing for governments and health authorities to provide overdose prevention sites at hospitals continues gaining traction. Doctors for Safer Drug Policy has continued operating their unsanctioned pop-up overdose prevention site (OPS) across from the Nanaimo Regional ...

NANAIMO - The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) has announced a section of a popular hiking trail will be temporarily closed until further notice after an aggressive cougar was seen in the area. The RDN said in a release on Monday a cougar "displaying aggressive behaviour" was seen on the Ammonite Falls Regi...

NANAIMO - Mid-Island Mounties are looking for at least one suspect in relation to a brazen day-time snatch-and-grab robbery at a north Nanaimo bank.Police say the incident occurred on Friday, Jan. 3 around 1:45 p.m., when a customer was standing in line at the Bank of Montreal in Dickinson Crossing at 6908 Island Hwy.R...

NANAIMO - A new arrival to Canada faces the threat of deportation following an alarming breach of trust at a Qualicum Beach hotel. Jewel Nicole Manalad, 29, received a conditional discharge and 18 months probation for pointing a distinctive green iPhone at a woman while she showered after using a hotel pool on May 6 20...

PARKSVILLE - An anticipated busy holiday season for Society of Organized Services (SOS) came to fruition, and the need isn't slowing down with the calendar flipping to 2025. SOS executive director Susanna Newton reported their annual Christmas Program, involving handing out donated toys, gift and grocery cards, represe...

NANAIMO - A goal inside the opening two minutes helped pace the visiting Coquitlam Express to a win at Frank Crane Arena. On the heels of a 2025-opening 5-1 win in Port Alberni a night prior, the Clippers hosted Coquitlam on Saturday, Jan. 4 and looked to continue their perfect start in the new year. However a goal at ...

QUALICUM BEACH - Oceanside RCMP say a motorist who tried to prevent a suspected impaired driver from going any further failed a roadside screening test. The unusual incident happened at 5:30 p.m. on New Years Eve after Oceanside RCMP Sgt. Shane Worth stated a call was placed to their detachment to report a suspected im...

NANAIMO - A pair of events this weekend are helping people safely dispose of their Christmas trees before they become problematic. For the ninth time, Nanaimo Search and Rescue are hold their annual tree chipping event at the Country Club Centre between Best Buy and Dairy Queen on Saturday, Jan. 4 and Sunday, Jan. 5 fr...

NANAIMO - While it wasn't a record-breaker, 2024 proved to be a notable year for local weather watchers. Monitoring stations at Nanaimo Airport collected 1,360.5 millimetres of rain through the calendar year, placing it just ahead of the 1,165.4 millimetres expected but well back of the 1,695.3 millimetre record set ba...

NANOOSE BAY - One person died following a collision on Hwy. 19 at Northwest Bay Rd. The incident was reported to Oceanside RCMP on Friday, Jan 3 at 7 a.m. and involved a pedestrian hit by vehicle in the highway's southbound lanes, stated BC Highway Patrol RCMP Cpl. Michelle LeBrun. She stated the pedestrian, a 61-year-...

NANAIMO - Some of the best hockey players in Western Canada will be in Nanaimo this weekend to showcase their talent in a pair of high-anticipated games. The Vancouver Island University Mariner's hockey team is hosting the BCIHL All-Star game at the Nanaimo Ice Centre with the All-Star team taking on a pair of teams fr...

NANAIMO - Little change occurred to most residential property valuation notices province-wide for a second consecutive year. Newly released 2025 property assessments represent a second consecutive year of stabilized valuations following a significant post COVID-19 surge. Maurice Primeau, BC Assessment deputy assessor f...