1. Nanaimo family wakes up to find cougar guarding its kill in their backyard, June 12
A Nanaimo woman and her husband are grateful they didn’t let their dog out into their backyard on the weekend after finding a cougar there.
Cheryl Thompson, who lives in the 6000 block of Icarus Drive, said her husband was awakened at about 1 a.m. June 11 by their dog’s barking and growling.
“He didn’t let him out, thinking it was raccoons,” Thompson said, in a message to the News Bulletin. “Thank God we didn’t, as we woke up in the morning to find a cougar and his kill.”
The cougar had taken down a deer and was guarding its kill in the corner of their backyard. The Thompsons called the B.C. Conservation Service and kept an eye on the cat until a conservation officer arrived.
“He was very protective of his kill as an eagle tried to come in for a taste,” Thompson said.
2. 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, the first time the airline landed that type of plane at the airport.
The plane landed safely at 3:07 p.m. April 17 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.
“This [plane] holds 190 passengers; our biggest right now holds about 140, so it’s more economical,” said Devana. “Now we can show Air Canada, WestJet, Flair, all these other airlines that this plane can land here. It’s a gateway to the rest of the world.”
3. Man shot in face in downtown Nanaimo, March 18
A man was taken to hospital with gunshot wounds following an incident in downtown Nanaimo.
According to a release by the RCMP, a 39-year-old victim was hospitalized with serious but non-life threatening injuries after emergency services were dispatched to the vicinity of the Coast Bastion Hotel on Bastion Street at approximately 8 p.m. on March 18.
“The incident was initially reported by community safety officers who were on patrol when they were flagged down by the victim who was bleeding heavily from a facial injury,” noted the release.
The man, who told officers he was shot, was transported to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for medical treatment.
The area surrounding the hotel was closed to the public after the incident as investigators searched for forensic evidence. No arrests were made and the firearm involved was not located.
4. Smouldering diapers shut down Walmart in Nanaimo, Feb. 23
The Walmart in north Nanaimo’s Woodgrove Centre shopping mall had to close its doors for days after diapers were set on fire.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue firefighters responded to the alarm shortly before 2 p.m. on Feb. 22, but upon arrival found the fire in the baby section at the rear of the store had already been snuffed out by store employees.
“It appears that some diapers had been set on fire,” said reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson. “Staff were quick to attend to the fire and put it out within 60 seconds.”
Though the fire was small, it caused significant smoke and chemical emission from the diapers and the fire extinguisher, forcing the evacuation of the store and its closure for several days. Tens of thousands of items had to be destroyed, and Victoria Police, after the suspected arsonist was charged in the fall, said losses related to the fire were estimated at $2 million.
5. Security guard at construction site stabbed south of Nanaimo, March 15
A man was rushed to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital after he was stabbed at a construction site near Ladysmith.
RCMP, Cranberry Volunteer Fire Department and B.C. Ambulance responded to the scene in the 1400 block of Timberlands Road shortly after noon March 15 when a security guard was stabbed, allegedly, over a dispute over an illegal fire with a person experiencing homelessness.
“There was actually two security guards [involved],” said Ron Gueulette, Cranberry fire chief. “One guy didn’t want to go in by himself, so he called for a backup and they both went in.”
Gueulette said when one of the security guards tried to take a photo of the alleged assailant’s vehicle, the suspect attacked the two men. Gueulette said the victim was rushed to hospital in Nanaimo, but he was conscious and talking when he was transported via ambulance.
6. Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district employee on leave following creep-catcher sting, March 21
A Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district employee is on leave after being caught allegedly trying to meet someone he thought was a 14-year-old, but who ended up being a member of a predator-shaming Facebook group.
Screenshots of text messages and a video of the meet-up were posted to the South Island Predator Publishing Facebook group, where members lure alleged child predators to meet, then catch them on video and publicly out them on social media.
Justin Bruce, a founder of the group, posed as a 14-year-old boy on the dating app Grindr, and met up with a man near a coffee shop on Wallace Street on March 18.
According to Bruce, he was able to identify the man – who he says is a high school teacher – through his dating profile on the app with the help of a research analyst and other community members.
Nanaimo RCMP said it was contacted by School District 68 as well as concerned community members.
7. Nanaimo house designated a nuisance property after police were called 58 times, Jan 18
A residence in Nanaimo’s Harewood neighbourhood was added to the City of Nanaimo’s list of nuisance properties.
City council made the designation regarding 430 Murray St. at a meeting Jan. 16.
The property was already on the city’s and the RCMP’s radar for some time, but the situation came to a head when the RCMP’s emergency response team responded to the property in December to help arrest a suspect who had allegedly been involved in a stabbing near downtown.
According to the Nanaimo RCMP, the property was already well-known for having placed “considerable pressure” on nearby residents who have endured disturbances and police callouts at all hours of the day.
A staff report to council included a letter from Nanaimo RCMP Supt. Lisa Fletcher, who noted there were 58 calls for police services over the previous year.
8. Downtown Nanaimo restaurant announces end to soup program due to safety concerns, Jan. 31
Gabriel’s Café announced it was ending its soup token program and would instead support a Nanaimo non-profit’s efforts to provide hot meals to people experiencing homelessness.
Owners of the restaurant on Commercial Street in downtown Nanaimo made the announcement in a press release Jan. 31. The café had sold tokens that could be given to people in need, who could then cash in a token for a bowl of soup. According to the release, the café’s owners, Gabe and Gemma Martin, had been considering ending the program for several months.
They made their decision after hearing that “an individual had come into the café with a pair of knives with blood on them, put the knives on a table and asked for a bowl of soup.”
The release noted that the café would make donations to the Wisteria Community Association to go toward its Stone Soup program.
9. Customer who was asked to leave throws coffee at McDonald’s employees in Nanaimo, Jan. 31
Nanaimo RCMP turned to the public for help after coffee was thrown at McDonald’s employees and the case went cold.
According to police, on Jan. 12, at 9:30 a.m., a person threw a cup of coffee in the direction of employees at the Bowen Road location.
The employees, who managed to avoid being splashed by the no-longer-hot coffee, told RCMP officers the alleged coffee-tosser appeared to have been sleeping at one of the tables in the restaurant. When an employee went over and knocked on the table to rouse him, the man took exception and started to swear loudly. That prompted a supervisor, who heard the commotion, to tell the customer to leave the restaurant, which is when the suspect threw the coffee and left the premises.
10. Nanaimo Parkway closed for crash and air ambulance landing, Jan. 3
A section of the Nanaimo Parkway was closed after a high-speed crash and a helicopter landing.
B.C. Ambulance Service paramedics, Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews and Nanaimo RCMP were called to the intersection of the parkway and Aulds Road at about 3:45 p.m. Jan. 2, after a pickup truck and a flatbed truck collided.
B.C. Emergency Health Services on scene said all three occupants of the vehicles were transported by ambulance to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital in stable condition. An air ambulance landed in the northbound lanes of the parkway but its services did not end up being required.
According to Nanaimo RCMP, the flatbed had been “swerving all over the road” while travelling northbound on the parkway leading up to the crash. Investigation determined that the 30-year-old driver, from Courtenay, had been in medical distress.