1. 3.5 million bees keep warm in North Oyster before heading to Prairies, March 19
Three and a half million honey bees from New Zealand spent the end of winter on central Vancouver Island while waiting for the weather to warm up on the Prairies.
The bees arrived in frames weighing two kilograms each, with approximately 10,000 worker bees and one queen bee which will be the boss of every hive. The new arrivals are replacement stock for bees lost over the winter in the hives in Saskatchewan due to cold and disease.
2. 49th Parallel family thankful for so many years of business and community, March 1
Effective Monday, Feb. 20, the Richmond family has turned the reins of their four 49th Parallel grocery stores over to the folks from Country Grocer, who have long been a staple in the industry on Vancouver Island.
Wayne and Harmina Richmond bought the 49th Parallel in 1977 from Alex Campbell, who went on to start the Thrifty Foods stores which are now owned by Sobeys.
“Staff and community are number one, and that was hugely important if we were to make a deal with anyone who came to talk about buying the business,” Wayne said. “Keeping staff strong and part of the family was uppermost in all four of our minds.”
3. Suspicious death under investigation in Saltair, March 10
A body recovered from the water near the Davis Lagoon Bridge in Saltair was deemed a suspicious death, and the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit assumed control of the investigation, assisted by the Vancouver Island Forensic Identification Services.
When police attended, they discovered a deceased individual. Initial evidence gathered by officers at the scene led them to believe the body had been there several days.
Residents in the area reported seeing a vehicle submerged in the lagoon two days earlier.
4. Air Canada lands 737 Max 8 at Nanaimo Airport for the first time, April 18
An Air Canada Boeing 737 Max 8 landed at the Nanaimo Airport on Monday, April 17, the first time the airline has landed that type of plane at the airport.
The plane landed safely at 3:07 p.m. after experiencing a wind shear warning on the first attempt at landing. Approximately 160 passengers arrived on the flight from Vancouver, most of whom were students from Toronto who arrived for a school trip.
According to Dave Devana, the airport’s CEO, the plane signifies the start of a new era for the airport. Being able to land large planes open up possibilities for more international and cross-Canada flights from the airport
5. Woman dragged into the bushes by stranger at Ladysmith’s Transfer Beach, Nov. 15
On Saturday, Nov. 11, just after 8:30 p.m., police received a report that a woman was allegedly grabbed from behind and dragged into a wooded area by an unknown man “for a short moment” along Transfer Beach Boulevard, according to a police press release.
The suspect was described as approximately 5-foot-9 with a slim build, dark-coloured eyes, dark-coloured cargo pants and top and was wearing a ski mask or balaclava.
The victim did not sustain physical injuries and was supported by victim services.
6. Pamela Anderson makes bare-faced appearance at Paris Fashion Week, Oct. 8
Model, actress, and Ladysmith resident Pamela Anderson ditched the makeup and embraced her natural look at Paris Fashion Week from Sept. 25-Oct. 3.
Celebrities, models, and designers gathered in Paris to highlight the best in modern fashion, and the former Baywatch star had spectators floored at the Sept. 28 Isabel Marant show.
Fellow actress Jamie Lee Curtis took to Instagram to praise Anderson, saying “the natural beauty revolution has officially begun. I am so impressed and floored by this act of courage and rebellion.”
7. Two air ambulances land on highway after head-on vehicle crash in Ladysmith, July 26
Two air ambulances landed on the highway in Ladysmith after two motorists were injured in a head-on crash near the intersection of First Avenue, Ludlow Road and the Trans-Canada Highway in the early afternoon on Wednesday, July 26.
Ladysmith Fire Rescue Chief Chris Geiger said a vehicle heading southbound on the highway crossed over the median into oncoming traffic. Two patients were taken to hospital with unknown injuries, with one transported by helicopter and the other transported via roadways.
8. B.C. man shot in the head by police breathing on his own, able to communicate, May 16
Davin Cochrane, a man from Ladysmith, who was shot in the head by police in Duncan on March 28, while driving a stolen skid steer, was breathing on his own and recognizing his loved ones after over a month in Victoria General Hospital.
Cochrane had been in a car accident earlier on March 28, and got treated at Cowichan District Hospital. It wasn’t until that evening, after dark, that he allegedly stole a skid steer loader from a Keystone Drive property, drove it around a North Cowichan neighbourhood and ultimately wouldn’t yield to police before he was shot.
B.C.’s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, is still investigating the incident.
9. Nanaimo writer recounts criminal life of Ladysmith drug smuggler, Jan. 4
A Nanaimo author, local historian and investigative journalist, had published a story that was put into abeyance until five years after the death of a notorious drug lord from Ladysmith.
Daryl Ashby’s Nobody’s Boy: Ralph Harris – The Northern Connection recounts the life and criminal activity of Ralph Ross Harris, who was charged with 13 offences but wasn’t convicted.
“Ralph definitely managed to skirt below the radar for 50-plus-or-minus years. And yet, when it comes to actually being involved in the drug world – the underground world – he was a major player,” Ashby said.
10. Direct flights to Toronto to resume at Nanaimo Airport, June 13
Tourism attractions and business opportunities in Canada’s biggest city are now just hours away after the Nanaimo Airport announced they will resume direct flights to Toronto starting on June 23.
“The non-stop route makes it convenient for residents to vacation or do business in eastern Canada and the rest of the world, thanks to easy connections,” an airport news release said. “It also helps create tourism and trade opportunities for the Island by bringing in thousands of visitors over the summer.”