NANAIMO - A prolific offender is scheduled to be sentenced later this year after entering guilty pleas to nine criminal code charges, including serious drug trafficking offences. Roger Ian Der, 46, pleaded guilty to several drug trafficking charges, a firearm offence, and multiple court-ordered breaches during an appea...

GABRIOLA ISLAND - Work to extend the life of BC Ferries' terminal at Descanso Bay is underway.Crews were on site at the start of March and are scheduled to work at the terminal until the end of May 2026 on berth life extension projects, as well as other terminal upgrades including replacement of the apron structure.&qu...

NANAIMO - An altercation between two unhoused people in the city's downtown and a group of men led to three arrests and minor injuries.Members from the Nanaimo RCMP, along with Nanaimo Fire Rescue and paramedics from BC Emergency Health Services were called to Port Place Shopping Centre on Tuesday, March 17 just after ...

NANAIMO - While local detachments are still waiting, body cameras continue to be rolled out across RCMP detachments in B.C. As of last month, 90 of the province's 185 detachments are wearing and actively using the chest-mounted devices, which capture rolling video and audio from the officer's perspective. Staff Sgt. Kr...

PARKSVILLE - An envisioned apartment complex didn't leave the starting blocks Monday, however development is still likely on the unique south-end property. City councillors failed to find much support for a proposed four-storey apartment building on a trio of lots between Island Hwy. and Pioneer Cres., at Mills St., vi...

NANAIMO - Following a co-ownership model when a landmark downtown hotel opened three years ago, Courtyard by Marriott Nanaimo is now wholly owned by Snuneymuxw First Nation's economic arm. Petroglyph Development Group (PDG) announced in a Tuesday, March 17 news release the acquisition of 100 per cent ownership of the n...

NANAIMO - Notable traffic pattern adjustments are being made to enhance vehicular capacity and flow at an increasingly busy Nanaimo Parkway intersection. The Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MTT) stated work expected to begin late Monday, March 16 primarily takes place during the overnight hours until the end of...

NANAIMO - Facing darkness and a patient in significant pain, a helicopter was requested to assist an injured adventurer near Nanaimo. Local Search and Rescue crews were assigned to upper Lantzville's Copley Ridge on Saturday, March 14 at about 4 p.m. in response to a rock climber who had fallen about 10 feet and sustai...

NANAIMO - Much of B.C. woke up Monday morning to wet and windy conditions as an atmospheric river storm system touched down over the weekend.Rainfall warnings are in place for much of central and western Vancouver Island, with 100-150 millimetres expected between Monday, March 16 and Wednesday, March 18, while some are...

NANAIMO - Scheduled maintenance work is shutting off the lights to a sizable number of Nanaimo-area BC Hydro customers. A brisk run of ongoing system upgrades on the mid-Island is the source of the disruption, with about 700 customers impacted this week, and a further 850 expected next week, according to BC Hydro. A li...

QUALICUM BEACH - A group of athletes are proving age is only a number when it comes to playing the sport you love. The Qualicum & District Curling Club on Memorial Ave. are hosting the 2026 BC 80+ Curling Championship on Wednesday, March 18 and Thursday, March 19. Put on by the Pacific Coast Masters Curling Associa...

NANAIMO - National air carrier WestJet is facing a notable fine following complications for a February 2025 flight between Calgary and Nanaimo. The Canadian Transportation Agency levied the $70,000 fine against the company for violating the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) on WestJet Encore's scheduled fligh...

NANAIMO - The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is considering a change in how they determine the number of board members and their voting power, with future population growth in mind. During the March 3 RDM Committee of the Whole meeting, senior local government consultant Melany Helmer said they need a voting formul...

NANAIMO - BC's minister in charge didn't mince words while addressing highly challenging times for the province's forestry sector. Ravi Parmar, who represents the Langford-Highlands riding, toured Nanaimo's Vancouver Island University campus on Friday, March 13, which included discussions with industry representatives ...

NANAIMO - Local Mounties are looking for more information after two separate incidents involving airsoft pistols fired from vehicles toward unsuspecting victims. Nanaimo RCMP were called on Thursday, March 12, just before 9 p.m., when a black van, possibly a Dodge Caravan, travelled past people waiting to enter The Que...

NANAIMO - The BC Coroners Service says 150 people died from toxic drugs across the province in January, down 10 per cent from the same month last year. Despite continuing the overall trend of deaths linked to toxic drugs, the number was higher than the 143 deaths recorded in December province-wide, with an average of n...

Editor's note: the following article contains details of alleged criminal offending which may not be suitable for some readers. Discretion is advised. NANAIMO - A judge shot down a man's interim release application, who's accused of several prowling-type incidents, including indecent acts in Nanaimo. David Robert Hope,...

NANAIMO - Provincial funding and diligent work from local Mounties removed a large cache of drugs and weapons from local streets. Officers from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU), as well as Uniformed Gang Enforcement Team members and the Nanaimo detachment, worked over the course of five months to co...

NANAIMO - Following a dominant regular season and playoffs on Vancouver Island, the U18 Tier 1 Clippers are off to northeastern B.C. The regional Nanaimo-based team advanced to the provincial U18 T1 championship after dispatching the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies 5-2 and 6-2 in a three-game series, which concluded on Sunday,...

NANAIMO - Informal efforts to improve community safety are being ratchetted up for those living in a neighbourhood near Nanaimo's downtown. Led by a pair of local longtime community-driven residents, Nob Hill Block Watch is poised to join the increasingly popular movement. Laura Sawchyn initiated the process."We'v...

NANAIMO - A bit more snow fell on Vancouver Island's mountains last month, but our snowpack levels are still the lowest in the province. As of March 1, 48 per cent of the average levels of snow remain, a nine per cent increase from February, but down from 58 per cent in January, according to the latest report from the ...

NANAIMO - A proposed data centre along East Wellington Rd. has passed its latest regulatory hurdle.City of Nanaimo staff issued a development permit for the nearly 200,000-square-foot facility in late February, allowing the project at 2090 East Wellington Rd. to proceed to the building permit and other regulatory stage...

NANAIMO - A fully immersive look at a legendary artist's work will be on offer over six weeks this summer. Beyond Van Gogh, an internationally touring show which embeds patrons in the work of Vincent Van Gogh, will set up at downtown Nanaimo's Vancouver Island Conference Centre (VICC) between July 18 and Aug. 29, spann...

NANAIMO - A fast response from out-of-town regional coast guard crews scooped a fallen kayaker from the frigid ocean. Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM-SAR) Station 27 media liaison officer Russell Berg said their volunteer-run organization was alerted of a person in the ocean east of Protection Island and S...

NANAIMO - Despite consistent year-over-year drops in most parts of the country, rents continue rising in the Harbour City. The March 2026 Rentals.ca report, released Monday, March 9, shows average rent prices nationwide fell 2.8 per cent year-over-year in February to $2,030, a 33-month low and the 17th consecutive mont...

NANAIMO - Accused of not being properly vaccinated and lying about it, a former mid-Island health professional has been found not guilty of a pair of provincial Public Health Act charges. Diana Paloma Ramirez, 50, was acquitted on Friday, March 6 at Nanaimo Law Courts in connection to alleged misconducts between late ...

NANAIMO - Approval is being sought from local voters to allow on-reserve members of Snuneymuxw First Nation (SFN) to participate and vote in City elections. The joint application from the City and SFN was announced last month, with an alternative approval process (AAP) starting on Wednesday, March 11, running until Apr...

NANAIMO - Expect vehicular traffic delays this week around the main entrance of Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH). Starting Tuesday, March 10, BC Hydro crews along Dufferin Cres. will be working with a crane to install new power lines for the currently under-construction Nanaimo Cancer Centre, which broke ground...