Environment

Hwy. 4 detour temporarily cut-off as battle against Cameron Bluffs wildfire continues

NANAIMO - The Cameron Bluffs fire east of Port Alberni is making life more difficult on motorists dependant on travelling to and from western Vancouver Island. An update from the Coastal Fire Centre F...

Jun 09, 2023

New wildfires on central Vancouver Island ignited during bone-dry weekend

NANAIMO - Ever-drying conditions are creating ideal terrain for fire starts locally and across Vancouver Island.Smoke was seen billowing from a steep embankment just south of Cameron Lake on Sunday, J...

Jun 05, 2023

Suspect arrested following pair of Nanaimo bush fires

NANAIMO - An investigation is underway into the cause and circumstances behind a pair of brush fires lit within minutes of each other.Fire Rescue crews were called to Bowen Park and a nearby wooded ar...

Jun 02, 2023

Mushroom Coffins: The Earth Will Thank You Later

Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not! Everything about standard burial practices is bad news bears when it comes to the environment. Sinking lacquered coffins and metal caskets into the ground ...

Ripley's Believe It or Not! May 31, 2023

New rebate to make e-bikes more affordable

NANAIMO - A substantial e-bike rebate program is being introduced province-wide, starting on June 1.Adults will be able to claim rebates ranging between $350 and $1,400 based on the purchaser's income...

May 25, 2023

'It's so important to have those life jackets:' police preach boating safety as summer approaches

NANAIMO - An increased police presence on local waters coincides with a marked jump in the number of boaters enjoying the ocean and area lakes.Cst. David Kokesch with the RCMP's West Coast Marine said...

May 25, 2023

'We're tip-toeing into this one:' tree removal bylaw takes effect in Qualicum Beach

QUALICUM BEACH - While it's no longer open season in Oceanside to chop down trees on private property, a newly enacted bylaw offers some flexibility. Town Council recently endorsed a Tree Protection B...

May 19, 2023

Repeat highway blockader avoids jail, but hit with criminal record

NANAIMO - While he's not going to jail, a key organizer behind a pair of disruptive Vancouver Island highway blockades vows he'll find other ways to get his message across.Derek Hugh Menard, 34, was i...

May 18, 2023

Man fined for illegal angling, including dumping fish overboard near Nanaimo

NaNANAIMO - A recreational fisherman was fined and stripped of his right to fish for a year after being caught dumping his catch overboard in a conservation area. Colin Richard Wood pleaded guilty to ...

May 17, 2023

Mid-Island heat records smashed during spring heatwave

NANAIMO - Less than a week after a meteorologist said we could be in for some record-setting heat this spring, those predictions came true. Communities across Vancouver Island and much of the province...

May 16, 2023