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Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

public service
Annual NFR recruitment drive looking to add to their firefighting family
NANAIMO - Nanaimo Fire Rescue (NFR) is holding its annual recruitment drive this month, looking for anyone interested in joining their firefighting family. The job postings will be on the City of Nanaimo's website until March 28.Deputy fire chief administration in training at NFR Jodi Le Masurier said candidates must c...
Mar 17, 2024
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Earning a Point
Clippers fight for a road point in 3-2 OT loss to Vipers
NANAIMO - Battling through injury and illness the Clippers earned a point in a 3-2 overtime loss in Vernon.The game was played in front of just a couple of hundred people on the secondary ice sheet at Kal Place North because of an ice chiller issue with the Vipers regular arena.Almost all the scoring was done in he fir...
Mar 17, 2024
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big game hunters
UBC researchers discover possible new pod of orcas seen hunting sperm whales
NANAIMO - A possible discovery of a new population of killer whales off the west coast of the United States is exciting researchers from the University of British Columbia.At least 49 of the new whales have been identified off the west coast of California and Oregon hunting sperm whales, although researchers say the nu...
Mar 16, 2024
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Island Connected
Victoria-based Pacific FC to play exhibition soccer match in Nanaimo
NANAIMO - Pacific FC will bring their brand of Canadian Premier League soccer to the Harbour City.The team will host Vancouver FC in a free exhibition match on Saturday, March 16 at 1:30 p.m. at Q'unq'inuqwstuxw Stadium.Coach James Merriman is looking forward to bringing the team to his hometown of Nanaimo."That w...
Mar 16, 2024
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Costly First Period
Fast start by Chiefs sinks Clippers in 5-2 loss at Chilliwack
CHILLIWACK - The Clippers got into an early hole against Chilliwack that was just too big to crawl out of.In a 5-2 road loss the Chiefs Jack Sparkes, Caleb Elfering and Matt Argentina scored goals in the first seven minutes of the game.The first period ended 3-0 and Chilliwack added a fourth goal before the second inte...
Mar 16, 2024
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ongoing road works
Concrete pour forcing closure of Commercial St. block in downtown Nanaimo
NANAIMO - Ongoing upgrades along Terminal Ave. in the city's downtown are providing an opportunity to get a head start on another long-awaited project.Crews working in the area are set to close a small section of Commercial St., between Terminal Ave. and Museum Way, beginning Tuesday, March 19 and running through April...
Mar 15, 2024
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British Columbia

B.C. auditor to release reports on overdose prevention, safer-supply programs
VICTORIA - British Columbia's auditor general is expected to release two independent audits on government programs aimed at curbing the death toll from the toxic drug crisis. Michael Pickup's office has conducted reports on the government's overdose prevention and supervised consumption services and the first phase of...
1h ago
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COVID was a good chance to study what the animals did while humans were locked down
VANCOUVER - The COVID-19 lockdown for humans was not an opportunity for wildlife to run free, in fact a new study found herbivores tend to be more active around people, while carnivores remained hidden. The study, published Monday in Nature Ecology and Evolution and led by researchers at the University of B.C., is one...
12h ago
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B.C. officials to give drought update as province adopts new wildfire prediction tool
VANCOUVER - British Columbia is introducing technology to improve wildfire prediction and decision-making even as the association representing Canadian insurance companies warns residents about the potential for another destructive fire season. The Insurance Bureau of Canada issued a statement encouraging residents to...
14h ago
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B.C. to provide $80 million to help farmers cope with drought
DELTA, B.C. - Unprecedented drought in British Columbia last year has prompted the provincial government to invest $80 million to help manage, collect and store water for crops and livestock. Premier David Eby made the announcement while inside a bell pepper greenhouse in Delta, B.C., saying says this summer's drought...
15h ago
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Almost 40 temperature records broken across B.C. Saturday, Environment Canada says
VANCOUVER - Balmy weather across much of British Columbia helped set dozens of new temperature records across the province on Saturday. Environment Canada says a ridge of high pressure brought warm temperatures to the province this weekend, with above-normal conditions forecast to continue into this week. Several regio...
Mar 17, 2024
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Man in Abbotsford, B.C., charged with second-degree murder in wife's death
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - British Columbia's integrated homicide investigation team says a man in Abbotsford, B.C., has been charged with murder in the death of his wife. IHIT says in a news release that officers from the Abbotsford Police Department responded to a report of an assault at a home in the city on Friday night. T...
Mar 17, 2024
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Canada

In the news today: Public tribute to Mulroney in Ottawa, February inflation report
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today... Public to pay tribute to Mulroney in Ottawa Members of the public who wish to pay tribute to Brian Mulroney can visit his casket in Ottawa starting this afternoon. The former prime minister's casket ...
1h ago
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As former prime minister Mulroney lies in state, public tributes in Ottawa begin
OTTAWA - Members of the public who wish to pay tribute to Brian Mulroney can visit his casket in Ottawa starting this afternoon. The former prime minister's casket is being brought to the Sir John A. Macdonald building opposite Parliament Hill this morning. Dignitaries including the Governor General and Prime Minister...
1h ago
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'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Winter comes to a close on Tuesday night - earl...
1h ago
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B.C. auditor to release reports on overdose prevention, safer-supply programs
VICTORIA - British Columbia's auditor general is expected to release two independent audits on government programs aimed at curbing the death toll from the toxic drug crisis. Michael Pickup's office has conducted reports on the government's overdose prevention and supervised consumption services and the first phase of...
1h ago
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Quebec anti-corruption police arrest retired judge, say he inflated hours worked
MONTREAL - Quebec anti-corruption police say they have arrested a retired municipal court judge for fraud. Police say Jean Herbert, who sat on the municipal court in Longueuil, Que., south of Montreal, created fake records to inflate the time he claimed to have spent hearing cases. He is alleged to have billed the City...
11h ago
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'This tragedy has shaken me': Ottawa father of slain family thanks public for support
OTTAWA - The surviving father of an attack that Ottawa's mayor has called one of the city's worst cases of mass violence is thanking the public for its support. Dhanushka Wickramasinghe released his first public statement though police after hundreds gathered at a convention centre Sunday to mourn his family. Police ...
12h ago
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