Tuesday COVID-19 update Island Health continues to fare poorly in terms of recent pandemic numbers. 39 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the past 24 hours and one more death. There are 260 active cases currently and so far there have been 23 deaths in our region. Health orders lay the groundwork for mass vaccination clinics The Provincia…

Mayor emphasizes cost will not be borne by the city alone It's been more than a year in the making, but Nanaimo City Council has approved the recommendations from its Health and Housing Task Force. The plan includes the creation of a funders' table, made up of representatives from groups like BC Housing, Island Health, Vancouver Island University, …

Monday COVID-19 update COVID-19 cases counts spiked in the Island Health region over the weekend, with 99 new cases reported since Friday. 63 are on the Central Island, 13 in the south and 23 in the north. 16 people are in hospital and one Islander, a member of the Cowichan Tribes has died. So far in the pandemic, 24 islanders have died from COVID-…

Legal petition filed by West Moberly First Nation regarding Site C The former chair of the Joint Review Panel into Site C says it's time to draw back the veil of secrecy surrounding the ten and a half-billion-dollar project, the largest ever in BC's history. Harry Swain says the cost of the project represents twice the amount of revenue it will col…

Friday COVID-19 update There are 22 new cases of COVID-19 in the Island Health region. Province-wide, there has been another large increase with 508 new cases and six more deaths. Vaccination will lead to increased access to family in long-term care BC's Minister of Health says despite vaccine delays, the province will immunize all citizens over th…

City of Nanaimo, Nanaimo RCMP, and VIU criminology students team up to conduct neighbourhood safety audits The City of Nanaimo, the RCMP and student criminologists from Vancouver Island University are teaming up with selected neighbourhoods to help make them safer. The group is preparing to conduct safety audits. Nanaimo's community policing coordi…

Shelter in place order extended by Cowichan Tribes The Cowichan Tribes has extended its shelter in place order until March the 5th in the wake of two deaths from COVID-19 last weekend. Chief William Seymour delivered the news on social media that the two people who died were young adults. They were in their 30s with pre-existing health conditions. …

Henry cites delay in vaccine delivery for late second dose Thousands of seniors and long-term care workers in BC will not be getting their second dose of anti-COVID-19 vaccines before the 42-day maximum recommended interval. More than 30,000 seniors in care and 30,000 care workers in BC have received their first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna…

Wednesday COVID-19 update There has been another death from COVID-19 in the Island Health region. It's the third death this week, bringing the total number of COVID-19 fatalities in our region to 23. Island Health is reporting 18 new cases of the virus over the past 24 hours, while the province is reporting 427 new cases and 3 deaths. Ladysmith app…

Fraser Valley churches to be heard by BC Supreme Court BC's Provincial Health Officer has lost her bid for an injunction against three Fraser Valley churches that continue to defy COVID-19 rules banning in-person religious gatherings. Dr. Bonnie Henry applied for the injunction in response to the churches launching a legal challenge to her orders. …

Nanaimo a COVID-19 hotspot The Nanaimo region has now become the epicentre of the pandemic on Vancouver Island. Cases of COVID-19 in greater Nanaimo more than doubled last week. The BC Center for Disease Control is reporting 94 new cases of the virus in the Nanaimo region on the week ending February 6th, compared to 45 the week before. Meanwhile, t…

New in this update: Monday COVID-19 update COVID-19 cases in BC continue with an average of just over 400 new cases per day with 1236 new cases confirmed since Friday and 13 more deaths. In the Island Health Region, there were 86 new cases confirmed over the past three days, most of which continue to be on the central island. It leads with 168 acti…

Friday COVID-19 update There are 28 new cases of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island today and 471 new cases across British Columbia. Six people have died of Covid since yesterday for a total of 1,246 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Health orders extended indefinitely as infections slowly decrease The provincial health officer is holding out a car…

COVID-19 transmission confirmed at three Nanaimo Elementary Schools On the same day that BC announced increased COVID-19 safety measures in schools, there have been COVID-19 transmissions confirmed at three Nanaimo elementary schools. The clusters are at Rock City, Bayview and Qwam Qwum Stuwixwulh schools. The province's new safety measures mean mi…

Kids in school to mask up Students in middle school and high schools in BC will now have to wear masks in all indoor areas, including classrooms, except when they are seated or standing at their desks. Masks are now required when singing, and physical distancing must be maintained when playing instruments. The provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie …

New in this update: Wednesday COVID-19 update There has been another death from COVID-19 on Vancouver Island. 20 people have died from the virus in the Island Health region since the pandemic began. Province-wide there were 16 deaths over the past 24 hours and 414 new cases. Cases on Vancouver Island continue in the double digits, with 26 reported …

Nanaimo hasn’t had an EDC for four years Nanaimo council will create a new, arms-length economic development corporation. The move comes four years after a previous council killed a similar organization that was rife with conflict, resignations and firings. The new economic development corporation will see the city of Nanaimo as the main shareholde…

Tuesday COVID-19 update Another Nanaimo school has been added to the list of COVID-19 exposures. Island Health says there was an exposure at Rock City Elementary school last Wednesday. Rock City joins eight other schools on the central island that have experienced COVID-19 exposures, but none has turned into an outbreak. There have been 27 new case…

Shovels in the ground for new ICU at NRGH The sod was turned at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital this morning, to mark the start of construction of a new intensive care unit. The new unit will be triple the size of the current ICU, providing the space for the high-tech equipment needed to treat the most critically ill patients. It will increas…

COVID-19 variants a growing concern in British Columbia Concerns over new COVID-19 variants have prompted the province to step up genome testing. There are 14 cases of the U.K. variant in B.C., all of which are linked to international travel and those in contact with those travellers. There are four cases of the South African variant but officials …

Monday COVID-19 update The provincial health officer is hinting current health orders that are set to expire on Friday will continue and there could be more restrictions if COVID-19 cases continue to remain high. Dr. Bonnie Henry says many new cases are the result of people between the ages of 20 to 50, having small get-togethers, and others not ob…

Quam Qwum Stuwixwulh Community School temporarily closes due to COVID-19 exposure Students at an elementary school on the Snumeymuxw First Nation will not be attending classes today or tomorrow because of a COVID-19 exposure. Qwam Qwum Stuwixwulh school will be closed for the next two days for deep cleaning. A letter to parents and guardians yester…

Dr. Bonnie Henry welcomes move by feds to suspend flights to vacation destinations The provincial health officer is welcoming new federal rules, aimed at limiting international travel. Ottawa has announced flights by Canadian airlines to Mexico and the Caribbean will be suspended, starting this Sunday until April the 30th. Dr. Bonnie Henry believes…

Complainant wants more data about COVID-19 available to public A Victoria man is asking BC's Privacy Commissioner to begin an investigation that could force the province to release more data about COVID-19. BC's Information and Protection of Privacy Act says a public body must disclose to the public, information about a risk of significant harm to …

Wing locked down after outbreak was declared last Saturday Island Health's chief medical health officer says he's confident an outbreak of COVID-19 at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital is contained. The outbreak was declared last Saturday, after two staff and one patient tested positive for the virus. The east wing of the hospital's fourth floor ha…

Shortage of vaccine will result in rationing Island Health's chief medical officer says he's frustrated, disheartened and concerned by what he calls the “international squabbling” and the hoarding of vaccines in certain countries. Dr. Richard Stanwick says there will be no shipments of Pfizer vaccine delivered to BC this week or next, and it's stil…

New in this update: Wednesday COVID-19 update Vancouver Island is reporting one of the highest numbers of new COVID-19 cases in a 24 hour period. There are 45 new cases of the virus in the Island Health region, bringing our active case count to 220. Province-wide, there have been 485 new cases and four deaths. Island Health's top doc is sounding th…

Island Health’s top doctor alarmed over COVID-19 case count Vancouver Island's Chief Medical Officer is sounding the alarm about the rising case counts in the health region. Dr. Richard Stanwick says there have been 500 new cases of the virus recorded in Island Health since Christmas. Close to 200 are the result of an outbreak within the Cowichan T…

Tuesday COVID-19 update There has been another death, related to COVID-19 in the Island Health region. It's the second death reported in our region this week. The Cowichan Tribes is reporting one of those deaths is related to its outbreak. Province-wide, there have been 14 more deaths related to COVID-19 over the past 24 hours. The BC Center for Di…

Vaccine delay Another delay in Pfizer vaccine deliveries means British Columbia will increase the time between first and second doses from 35 days to 42 days. The provincial health officer says the province already knew it would not be receiving any Pfizer vaccine this week, but expected it would be able to deliver second doses within 35 days. Dr. …

Change to vaccination schedules due to pause in vaccine production The provincial health officer says another delay in Pfizer vaccine deliveries means British Columbia must increase the time between first and second doses from 35 days to 42 days. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the province already knew it would not be receiving any Pfizer vaccine this week,…

Local government issues join statement calling out racist behaviour Cowichan Valley residents honked horns and drove around the region in a convoy of 50 vehicles yesterday, in a show of solidarity with Cowichan Tribes members. An ongoing COVID-19 outbreak among Tribes has led to an alarming number of anti-Indigenous comments and treatment by some r…

Revised plan for vaccination in B.C. British Columbia has revised its COVID-19 vaccination plan to focus on age as being the deciding factor in the next phase of immunizations. The first priority group underway now, includes those who live or work in long term care and other vulnerable populations. Starting in late March, age will determine vaccina…

New in this update: Malcolmson to focus on building up systems of care The Minister of Mental Health and Addictions says she has no intention of reintroducing a controversial bill that would allow young people to be involuntarily admitted to hospital for treatment after a drug overdose. Bill 22 drew criticism from civil liberties groups, BC's Repre…

New in this update: Vaccination implementation plan changes to focus on age British Columbia has revised its COVID-19 vaccination plan to focus on age as being the deciding factor for when people will get their vaccines. The province has not changed its plan to deliver the vaccine to those who live and work in long term care, along with other vulne…

New in this update: Thursday COVID-19 update Central Vancouver Island continues to be a hotspot for COVID-19. Island Health is reporting 47 new cases of the virus today. There are now 212 active cases in the health region, with the vast majority, 157 on the central island. Province-wide, there were 564 new cases confirmed over the past 24 hours and…

New in this update: Wednesday COVID-19 update Island Health says two of the four COVID-19 deaths reported this month are related to the outbreak at the Chartwell Malaspina long term care home in Nanaimo. There have been seven residents and one staff member who tested positive for the virus since the outbreak was declared two days after Christmas. M…

New in this update: Public meetings ‘lacking’ for health authorities during pandemic B.C.'s Minister of Health says he will "have a word" with the province's health authorities about a lack of public meetings. The Board of Directors at Island Health has not held a public meeting in a year. Previously, the board would hold three or four public meeti…

New in this update: Tuesday COVID-19 update Seniors in BC continue to succumb to COVID-19, with 12 deaths reported over the past 24 hours. There are 465 new cases in the province, including 21 in the Island Health Region. 9 schools in Island Health are reporting exposures. The high number of cases among staff has forced the Duncan Christian School …

New in this update: Wild mink also at risk from farming A Nanaimo veterinarian and several animal scientists are calling on the province to end mink farming in B.C. Dr. Ken Langelier says COVID-19 outbreaks at two farms in the Fraser Valley have shed light on the unnecessary risks posed to human health. Scientists are concerned because the virus ca…

New in this update: Monday COVID-19 update 31 more people died from COVID-19 in BC over the weekend, including two seniors in the Island Health region. Since Friday there have been 1330 new cases of the virus confirmed, with 65 of those cases in Island Health. Christian School temporarily closes due to COVID-19 cases and exposures The Duncan Christ…

New in this update: One-third of BC Recovery Benefit applications flagged If you're still waiting for your BC Recovery Benefit, don't hold your breath. The province admits one-third of those who have applied for it have had their applications flagged for review, and of those flagged, just 13% have been resolved. The Ministry of Finance says manual …

New in this update: Pfizer pausing production in order to expand capacity B.C.'s Minister of Health says vaccination rollout plans are being reassessed after Pfizer announced it will reduce the number of doses it will send to Canada over the next month. The pharmaceutical firm says it's pausing some production lines at its plant in Belgium, in orde…

New in this update: Troubled dam project has an unstable foundation and other geotechnical problems The saga over the future of the Site C dam has taken another strange turn, resulting in the government delaying its decision to sometime in the future. The Premier has announced two new technical reviews of a new fix being proposed by BC Hydro. The H…

New in this update: Thursday COVID-19 update There have been 536 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in BC over the past 24 hours, with 21 in the Island Health region. Seven more people have died from the virus including one senior in our health region. Meanwhile, BC's Provincial Health Officer says genome testing has revealed four cases of the UK vari…

New in this update: Would a travel ban violate charter rights? Cabinet to get legal advice The Premier says he's getting legal advice on whether BC can close its borders to travellers. John Horgan says he's been hearing from British Columbians who are concerned about the number of out of province visitors at places like Whistler, while they are mak…

New in this update: Storm knocks out hydro High winds knocked out power to more than 100,00 hydro customers on Vancouver Island overnight. The hardest hit were on the south island. Fewer than 2000 customers are still without power in North Cowichan, Duncan and several gulf Islands, however, BC Hydro expects to have power restored to all by the end …

New in this update: Serious injuries send 3 to hospital after Duke Point highway accident A serious accident has closed the Duke Point highway for most of the day. Three people have been taken to hospital with serious injuries following a 3 vehicle collision. RCMP say a westbound van crossed over the centre line just after 7:30 this morning, and co…

New in this update: Monday COVID-19 Update COVID-19 case counts in the island health region set a new weekend record, with 59 new cases reported since Friday and one death. There have been 13 deaths related to COVID-19 in the Island Health region since the start of the pandemic. It is not known if the most recent death is the result of outbreaks at…

New in this update: COVID-19 case at Hart House care home. Island Health has declared another COVID-19 case at a care home. One staff member at Hart House in Victoria tested positive for the virus. Island Health says all 17 residents have been tested in the long-term care home, but there are no positive cases among them. Outbreaks have also been de…