NanaimoNewsNOW is celebrating 10 years of serving Nanaimo and the mid-Island, by looking at the ways our region has changed in the last decade. NANAIMO - The last decade has seen a noticeable shift in the way mid-Islanders get to where they need to go, as transportation needs and wants continue evolving. In September 2...

Editor's note: this article contains descriptions of violence which may not be suitable for some readers. Discretion is advised. NANAIMO - Crown prosecutors outlined why they believe a stunning central Nanaimo daytime shooting was a calculated, pre-meditated slaying. The BC Supreme Court first-degree murder trial for R...

NANAIMO - It was another wild and wacky weekend of Silly Boat racing in the Harbour City. The 40th edition of the Silly Boat Regatta took over Maffeo Sutton Park on Sunday, July 19th, with thousands of people once again enjoying the intensely silly racing action and accompanying family fun taking place for most of the ...

WHISKEY CREEK - More than five years after a fire destroyed a valued local business, the Co-op service station in Whiskey Creek has reopened.The reopening was confirmed by Mid Island Co-op in a Friday, July 17, social media post, referencing its famous wide selection of ice cream."We are thrilled to be back to sco...

NANAIMO - In light of recent drownings in B.C. waters, experts are reminding people to always be safe when heading out to a body of water, regardless of its size.National Drowning Prevention Week goes from July 19 to 25, a timely reminder as the number of deaths in the water continues to increase, with 40 accidental dr...

NANAIMO - Boaters from across Vancouver Island are preparing to hit the waters in Nanaimo this weekend, doing so in the silliest way possible. The 2026 Silly Boat Regatta is Sunday, July 19th, in the waters of Nanaimo's Maffeo Sutton Park, with a full day of free events planned for boaters and spectators alike. "S...

NANAIMO - Operating since the early 2000s, a city-wide swap meet will see items free to pick up throughout curbs in Nanaimo. Reuse Rendezvous allows others to take advantage of unwanted items, while also preventing items from being disposed in the landfill. The City of Nanaimo event invites participants to place their ...

NANAIMO - A workhorse indoor recreation facility is about to be out of commission for substantial investments to go ahead. The entire Nanaimo Aquatic Centre, with the the exception of the adjoining private CBI Health clinic, is scheduled to be closed between Monday, July 20 and October 4 to allow several notable projec...

NANAIMO - An immersive artistic experience in the Harbour City is ready to open its doors to the public, with a second world-renowned artist added to the show. Beyond Van Gogh and Beyond Monet is taking place at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre (VICC) starting Saturday, July 18, and running until Aug. 29, featuri...

NANAIMO - Several people and business owners were victims of a months-long property crime spree committed by a Nanaimo man with a lengthy criminal record. Cole Granite Morecroft, 32, pleaded guilty this week to four mischief charges, an assault, and breaching police-issued release conditions linked to five incidents b...

NANAIMO - A teenage e-scooter rider was hit by a turning car and thrown to the road, spawning renewed safety concerns.Police say it happened on Thursday, July 9, just before 3:30 p.m. at the intersection of Uplands Dr. and Villa Rd., where two female youths were riding e-scooters on the sidewalk when a right-turning ve...

NANAIMO - A high pedestrian area in Nanaimo's downtown is currently undergoing a makeover to pay tribute to local Japanese culture and history.McGregor Park, located along the Harbourfront Walkway on Front St., is being transformed into the Nanaimo Japanese Canadian Heritage Site, a permanent "landscape art instal...

NANAIMO - In and out of jail throughout his adult life, an offender well known to police and loathed by local retailers was handcuffed Thursday afternoon.Acting on a pair of recently awarded unendorsed arrest warrants, Peter Jonathan Cameron Ludvigson, 51, was apprehended on the afternoon of Thursday, July 16 in south ...

PARKSVILLE - A new five-year contract, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026, is in place for unionized City of Parksville workers.The contract for CUPE Local 401 members has annual general wage hike percentages averaging 4 per cent per year. Approved by Parksville City Council on July 6, the agreement was ratified by CUPE membe...

NANAIMO - All types of burning on Vancouver Island is no longer permitted as of Thursday, July 16.The partial category one, two, and three campfire prohibition in the Coastal Fire Centre (CFC) is in effect as of noon Thursday, covering all types of fires, ranging from campfires to backyard and industrial-sized open fir...

NANAIMO - A significant investment from a growing local soccer organization will help illuminate a central Nanaimo field.A Wednesday, July 15 finance and audit committee meeting led to the unanimous approval of an estimated $142,000 project for LED lighting for portions of the natural grass sports field at Beban Park, ...

LANTZVILLE - An engineering firm has compiled three concepts to renew a major road connecting north Nanaimo to Lantzville's village core. The District of Lantzville hosted an open house event at its council chambers on Tuesday, July 14, to hear opinions on replacing the 1.5-kilometre section of Dickinson Rd. between Sh...

NANAIMO - A popular summer staple makes its return this weekend in Nanaimo, with more volunteers sought. The 40th edition of the Silly Boat Regatta takes place on Sunday, July 19, at Nanaimo's Maffeo Sutton Park, with boat building starting at 8 a.m., races starting at 1 p.m. and the final at 2:30 p.m., with plenty of ...

NANAIMO - Capable of operating on electric power once on-shore charger installation work is complete, the second of two new Island Class ferries has arrived in Canadian waters from Romania.With Island xwsaĺux̌ul arriving in the late spring and since operating on the busy inter-island route, its twin vessel has arrive...

QUALICUM BEACH - A plan to upgrade Oceanside's only aquatic recreation facility is back on track after a federal funding grant covering about half of the project was recently approved.Late last year, the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) submitted a revised application to the federal Green and Inclusive Community Buil...

NANAIMO - Examining how people are dying in crashes on Canadian roads, a new report indicates speed is more rampant, while the scourge of distracted driving seems to be turning a corner.Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), an Ottawa-based road safety research institute, recently revealed newly compiled 2023 data ...

NANAIMO - With a cause listed as undetermined, Nanaimo RCMP is investigating a suspicious fire at a local judo club's hall. Nanaimo RCMP Res. Cst. Gary O'Brien said the fire was reported on Saturday, July 11 just before 5 a.m. at Sid Clark Gyro Park, where flames originating from the stairwell sent embers into the buil...

NANAIMO - The City of Nanaimo is throwing its support behind a federal grant application for a developer-driven interchange project along the Duke Point Hwy. Seacliff Properties, currently developing the 2,200-home mixed-use Sandstone project between Cedar and Cinnabar Valley, asked the City to provide a letter of supp...

NANAIMO - A hardened offender is scheduled to be released next month following a trio of thefts impacting north Nanaimo retailers. Jason Joseph Diraddo, 49, recently pleaded guilty to three theft under $5,000 charges in provincial court in Nanaimo and was handed a six-month jail sentence, but is slated to be released i...

NANAIMO - Exhausting all internal avenues, Nanaimo RCMP hope the public can help solve a disturbing crime last month involving a young jogger victimized east of the city's downtown. Nanaimo RCMP Res. Cst. Gary O'Brien said on June Tuesday, June 9, at 4:20 p.m., a 21-year-old woman jogging on Second St. approaching Pine...

UPDATE: 3:15 p.m.- The BC Nurses Union will pause job action, effective at the end of Tuesday, July 14, after confirming mediated bargaining between the Nurses' Bargaining Association and the Health Employers Association of BC is now underway. EARLIER TODAY: NANAIMO - Strained resources, workplace safety, burnout and w...

PARKSVILLE - Following 30 hours of gruelling preparation and execution, the winners have been chosen for this year's Parksville sand sculpting competition. Staged by the Parksville Beach Festival Society, the highly anticipated spectacle of 22 world-class creations represents the crown jewel of an extended summer event...

PARKSVILLE - Artists are scrambling to restore damage to sand sculptures under construction as part of the popular Parksville Beach Festival's sand sculpting competition.A Parksville Beach Festival Society Sunday, July 12 news release stated several sculptures were damaged by suspected vandalism, requiring competitors ...