Gabriola School Rejected Israeli Student

An article in the Jerusalem Post claims that a trade school on Gabriola Island is practicing racism as they refused to accept a student because they are Israeli.

The article quotes Ms Pat Rokosh saying via email that "Due to the conflict and illegal settlement activity in the region we are not accepting applications from Israel".

Nanaimo Info contacted the school via email and received the following over the signature of Ms Rokosh:

"All communication was not profiled. After significant thought and listening to all interested parties, ISBA has decided to rescind any restriction placed on accepting students from Israel and apologize for any inconvenience. 
ISBA remains acceptant to all and will continue to do so without restrictions".

Search Continues For Spencer Hunt

FOUND

Missing hiker Spencer HUNT located 

20 year Spencer HUNT missing since Saturday January 28, has been located. HUNT was spotted at approximately 11:25 am on Monday January 30th by a search helicopter that saw him waving his arms. Local quads were able to drive into his location and are currently preparing him for transport to local hospital. There is no update available at this time on his condition.

His family has been notified and more information will be made available at a later date.

Nanaimo Gas Prices - Motorists Hosed Again

Nanaimo Gas Prices 

Nanaimo gas stations continue to hose motorists with their continuing inflated prices. Perhaps the local gasoline retailers have just become accustomed to a captive market and whether there is any real competition is another factor that may contribute to our reputation of having the highest priced gas on the Island. Let's not put that in our tourist brochures!

Tell me again, why Costco in Nanaimo was not allowed to sell gasoline?? Wonder if that was the product of one of Nanaimo's special influence groups at city hall?? Just sayin'.

Following prices taken from Gas Buddy at 10:00 am January 30/17.

Victoria 114.9

Duncan 112.9

Comox 109.9

Nanaimo 120.9

Calgary 91.9

Toronto 99.9

Ottawa 96.9

Police Need More Support From The Courts

An article in the Vancouver Sun certainly raises the question as to whether the justice system is supporting those we ask to uphold our laws.

Two men who left an officer unconscious were given what amounts to a slap on the wrist and a stern tongue lashing by the justice system.

Members of the public are all too quick to say the police use excessive force while doing a job they would never undertake themselves. In this case the officer could easily have been killed and the sentence hardly says the system supports our officers as it should.

Nanaimo Maple Sugar Festival 2017

For event schedule and details 

visit Festival's website HERE

Peter Anthony Alexander Sought By RCMP

Outstanding Warrants 

Include Break, Enter & Theft

The Nanaimo RCMP is actively seeking the whereabouts of Peter Anthony ALEXANDER in relation to a number of outstanding Nanaimo warrants including Break, Enter & Theft.

ALEXANDER is a 32 year old Caucasian male, 5ft. 10 inches tall, 170 lbs, with blue eyes and brown hair. ALEXANDER has several tattoos including the words "Mi Vida Loca" on his right forearm. 

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Peter Anthony ALEXANDER is asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency number at 250-754-2345. If you wish to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, text 274637, keyword Nanaimo or submit your tip to Nanaimo Crime Stoppers 

Nanaimo Event Centre - Multiplex Questions

City Seeks $80,000,000 Borrowing Power

City council will be considering the question to ask taxpayers in order to proceed with the Event Centre to be situated on the waterfront property known as the Wellcox property. This property is currently occupied by Seaspan and the Southern Rail Company and was purchased in recent years by the city of Nanaimo. Between Seaspan and the rail interests over 80% of this property was not in the control of the city as these companies have perpetual rights of use licences for which the rail company pays no rent, and Seaspan pays a nominal $30,000/yr.

The question being considered is to authorize a Loan Bylaw which would permit the city to borrow up to $80,000,000 to build and service an events centre on this property.

The staff report indicates the debt service on the $80 million loan would be $5,377,260 annually for a period of 20 years @ 3% interest. It is said this debt can be serviced from current revenue sources and will not increase municipal property taxes.

The matter will be considered at a Special Council Meeting in the Shaw Auditorium at 5:00 pm Wed. Jan. 25/17. The agenda for this meeting which also contains the complete staff report can be seen on the City website using this LINK.

Question for Council
will taxes go down if this is defeated?

If this $80,000,000 debt can be serviced at an annual cost of $5,377,260.00 without increasing property taxes, does that mean that if this is defeated by the taxpayer that the city could then apply the money to reducing our taxes by about 5% annually over the same period. It would seem that they could if they had the political will and it begs the question if we are not currently being overtaxed??

Looks Like Keystone Is Back On The Table

President Trump has signed an executive order that puts the Keystone pipeline back on the table. Of course it will be subject to conditions suitable to the new President, one of which is that the pipelines will be made with US steel.

Man Arrested For Stabbing Incident

28 Year Old Male Suspect Arrested

A 28 year old male is in police custody after a report of a stabbing. The incident occurred at approximately 10: 00 am on Friday January 20, 2017 in the 100 block of Acacia St.

Officers were called to the scene and found a 28 year male being attended to by several bystanders. The injured male had injuries to upper body which he said where caused when a male assaulted him with a knife.  The suspect was known to the victim and apparently an altercation ensued in which the victim was injured. The victim was later transported to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital where he was treated and later released.

After the altercation the male suspect fled in a car belonging to a friend of the victim. At approximately 9 pm that same day, the suspect and vehicle were located at a south Nanaimo home. The suspect was arrested without incident and remains in police custody.

The 28 year male suspect was arrested on charges of Assault with a Weapon, Assault Causing Bodily, Uttering Threats, Driving While Prohibited and Fail to Comply with a Recognizance and Probation Order. He will be appearing in Nanaimo Provincial court on Monday January 24. 

Fire Displaces Strickland Street Tenant

No evidence of smoke alarms

Nanaimo Fire Rescue is currently investigating a fire in which no one was injured and there was no evidence of working smoke alarms, which could have reduced the damage caused.

Nanaimo Fire Rescue responded to a late night fire on Strickland Street that displaced one tenant. The fire  caused damage to the lower suite's kitchen area. When crews arrived, there was no evidence of smoke alarms working. RCMP and BC Ambulance were on scene. Emergency Social Services provided temporary accommodation for the displaced resident.

Only 27% of residential fires in Nanaimo are found to have working smoke alarms in place.

"Smoke alarms need to be checked monthly and replaced every 10 years. Just because there is a smoke alarm in your home, it does not mean that it will work when it needs to. This fire could have resulted in tragedy." Karen Fry, Nanaimo Fire Rescue

60 Year Old Man Dies In Accident

Fatal pedestrian MVA

A 60 year old male has died after being struck by a semi-trailer near the intersection of Aulds Road and the Nanaimo Parkway. The incident was reported at 4:10 pm on Wednesday January 18, 2017 and occurred approximately 600 meters south of the Aulds Road intersection and the Nanaimo Parkway. It was initially reported the deceased had been transported to the Nanaimo Regional  General Hospital. That information was incorrect.

Investigators spoke with numerous witnesses and the driver involved. They have determined the deceased attempted to cross the Nanaimo Parkway and in doing so was struck by the semi-trailer. The driver remained at the scene and co-operated with investigators. Drugs and alcohol have been ruled out as contributing factors. It was raining and roads were wet at the time of the accident. The deceased male was found to be wearing dark non-reflective clothing. Both northbound lanes were closed for several hours while investigators and an RCMP Traffic Analyst examined the accident scene. The Nanaimo RCMP Victim Services personnel attended to the scene and provided assistance to the driver.

The BC Coroners Service attended and is working collaboratively with the Nanaimo RCMP. Next of kin of the deceased have been notified and the accident is actively being investigated.

If anyone witnessed the incident or saw the deceased prior to the crash, please contact Constable Martin Kortas of the Nanaimo RCMP Municipal Traffic Unit at 250-754-2345.

Is Downtown Nanaimo Getting Worse??

Busker compares downtown with 'the east side'

The following post appeared on Facebook yesterday and is an observation from well known local busker Catherine Davis: "I busked downtown Nanaimo today for the first time in ages I felt like I was downtown east side Random people screaming and swearing acting crazy I did not feel warm and fuzzy I felt really on edge I was glad there were police everywhere Back to Vancouver tomorrow At least I can have some shelter in the stations Downtown Nanaimo is not the way it used to be".

I have heard from more than one person that downtown Nanaimo seems to be becoming less and less attractive all the time with more and more disturbing behaviour from public intoxication to aggressive panhandling among other things.

Are Bylaw Officers Addressing This Issue??

My memory may be a bit shaky on this point but I recall a time when the city employed a private security company to help make downtown a friendlier place for all. One particular female agent was well known and respected as being able to compassionately and effectively deal with the people who might be considered 'the problem'.

When the city decided to take parking in-house and out of the hands of Robbins Parking they had to hire some more staff to patrol downtown for parking tickets etc. One of their tasks was to be replacing the work of the private security company which was subsequently let go. Some I have spoken with say that the city never came up to the same level of service which had been provided by the private security company.

Is this a case of people such as Catherine being mistaken about the downtown area, or in fact has the city dropped the ball with the level of service the bylaw officers are providing in patrolling the downtown core?

Kayman Winter & Corey LeBlanc Warrants Issued

 Corey LeBlanc

Kayman Winter

Warrants issued for fraud suspects

Warrants have been issued for 22 year old Kayman WINTER and 24 year old Corey LEBLANC for fraudulently using and possessing fake credit cards. In total, 19 charges have been sworn against the two.

On December 5, 2016, their crime spree came to an abrupt halt at Home Hardware, located in the Brooks Landing Mall in Nanaimo. It is alleged WINTER and LEBLANC attempted to purchase upwards of $1100 of merchandise using a VISA but when the receipt was issued, it indicated a Mastercard had been used. When the two were questioned, they grabbed the card and fled. Employees were able to record the license plate number of the vehicle they left in and a short time later the vehicle and the suspects were located.

 WINTER, LEBLANC and a 43 year female were arrested and when their vehicle was searched numerous credit cards, stolen identification and laptops were found- all of which are used in the production of fraudulent credit cards. The three were later linked to several other fraud files in Nanaimo.

A Judicial Bail hearing was held on December 8^th, for both WINTER and LEBLANC. They were released on a Recognizance of Bail with their next appearance set for January 10^th. Neither appeared and warrants have been issued for their arrest. The 43 year female is complying with her conditions and currently there are no warrants for her arrest.

Kayman WINTER is a 22 year old First Nations male. He is 5 ft. 11, 170 pounds with short black hair and brown eyes. WINTER has a tattoo of faces on his right forearm and a cross on his upper left arm. Corey LEBLANC is a white male, 6 ft. 1, 150 pounds with short blonde hair and blue eyes. He has a tattoo of a skull on his upper right arm and letters tattooed on his right hand. WINTER and LEBLANC are both thought to be residing in the Lower Mainland.

If you have information on the location of Kayman WINTER or Corey LEBLANC, call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com text 274637, keyword Nanaimo or all 1-800-222-8477.

Kerry Chang Charged With 7 Firearms Offenses

ERT Arrest Prolific Offender

A 49 year old Nanaimo prolific offender with a history of violence was arrested this weekend and when his vehicle was searched, officers found a loaded handgun.

On Sunday January 15, at approximately 1:30 am, Kerry CHANG was arrested while driving a vehicle, near the intersection of the Nanaimo Parkway and Jingle Pot Road. Due to CHANG's propensity for violence, the possibility of weapons and the inherent risk to the public, the Vancouver Island Emergency Response Team (ERT) was utilized for the arrest.

ERT affected the arrest of CHANG and he along with two passengers, a 33 year female and 34 year old male, was arrested without incident. A search of the vehicle located a loaded semi-automatic handgun tucked between the front seats. A search of CHANG located $7138 dollars in Canadian currency and several knives. Several small baggies containing suspected cocaine and crystal methamphetamine were found on the female passenger.

"CHANG has a long history of violence, drug offences and property related occurrences throughout Nanaimo. His designation as a prolific offender chronicles a well-documented history of criminal activity and his arrest should bring some degree of comfort to the citizens of Nanaimo,” said Constable Gary O'Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.

CHANG has been remanded into custody on a various firearm related charges and other criminal code offences. On Monday January 16 CHANG was charged with 7 Criminal Code offences relating to the firearm seized. The two passengers were later released on a Promise to Appear for drug charges and are expected to make their first appearance in Nanaimo Provincial court on February 4.  

Hotel Proposed - Front & Chapel Street

Screengrab - Nanaimo Bulletin

Six Storey Ninety Unit Hotel

Proposed For Downtown Nanaimo

The Nanaimo News Bulletin reports a proposal for a 90 unit hotel at the corner of Chapel and Front Street overlooking the Nanaimo harbour.

Nanaimo Woman $100,000 Scam Victim

Scammer On Match.com

An elderly Nanaimo woman is reeling after losing almost $100,000 in a notorious dating site scam.

Her ordeal began after the recent death of her husband. In late 2016, lonely and looking for friendship, she signed up on Match.com, a free dating site. It wasn't long before she was exchanging emails, texts and phone calls from a male who went by the name of Jonathan LUCRON. Soon she felt a relationship had started with LUCRON, who claimed to be a civil engineer working in China. After several months, he began asking for money to support his various work projects. She willingly agreed to wire him money after he promised to pay her back. Soon, she was sending money to various accounts around the globe. At this point, she had never met LUCRON in person.

Several weeks ago, LUCRON told her he was travelling to a nearby city and planned to ask her to marry him. Thrilled at finally being able to meet the man she planned on spending her golden years with, she travelled to the city to await his arrival. After two days and checking with every possible airline, she realized he wasn't going to show. It was then that she realized she had been scammed and decided to report it to the Nanaimo RCMP.

Investigators have been unable to find any record of Jonathan LUCRON. The area code of the phone number he provided has been traced to southern Ontario; however, there is no record of this phone or Jonathan LUCRON in any police databases.

If you enter Civil engineer dating scam or simply Dating scam in a google search, there are multiple testimonials from women around the world who suffered the same fate. Some lost money while others heeded the warning signs and broke off contact. If someone whom you have only met online starts asking you for money, alarm bells should be going off and it is time you forget you ever met them. said Constable Gary O'Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.

To learn more about dating site scams or to report a scam, go to Anti Fraud Centre  

Nanaimo Gas Prices - January 11/17

Nanaimo Gas Prices 

Nanaimo gas stations continue to hose motorists with their continuing inflated prices. The recent uptick in gas prices (not sure what the excuse is this time) was shock enough, but Nanaimo gas stations charging at least 5 cents more per litre just rubs salt in the wound.

Following prices taken from Gas Buddy at 12:00 am January 11/17.

Victoria 120.9

Duncan 123.9

Comox 123.9

Nanaimo 128.9

Calgary 103.9

Toronto 103.9

Ottawa 101.9

RCMP Officers Suffer Smoke Inhalation

Help Evacuate Tenants

3 Nanaimo RCMP officers suffered smoke inhalation early this morning while removing tenants from an apartment fire. The fire was reported at approximately 3 am on Wednesday January 11^th, 2017 at the Willow Grove Estates, located at 501 6th St in Nanaimo.

Upon arrival they saw that the entire south west side of the apartment complex was on fire. The officers entered the building prior to the arrival of Fire Crews to assist with the evacuation of tenants. Inside the  building they located an elderly male who was having difficulty walking. The officers carried him out of the building to safety. 

Fire Crews were able to contain the fire and the majority of the occupants were later allowed back into the building. The officers suffered various degrees of smoke inhalation and were taken to local hospital for an assessment. Two were released after being examined while one remained for several hours. This officer has since been released. No injuries were reported to occupants of the building.

Investigators with both the Nanaimo RCMP and City of Nanaimo Fire and Rescue are examining the scene and the investigation remains active

Unsolved Nanaimo Crimes

Crimes of the Week to December 23 - 

January 4, 2017

Nanaimo File 2016-42021: On Friday, December 23^rd, 2016 a storage container on the property of Saint Paul’s Anglican Church was broken into. The culprits stole a Black & Decker leaf blower and a box of garbage.   

Nanaimo File 2016-42327: On Monday, December 26^th, 2016 a car in the 500 block of Stewart Avenue was broken into. Items taken include wine, chocolate, cash, and gifts. Regardless of where a vehicle is parked or for how long, valuables should not be left in side or in plain view.  

Nanaimo File 2016-42734: On Friday, December 30^th, 2016 a 2014 silver, black, and red Cannondale CX1 road bike was stolen from in front of Serious Coffee on Commercial Street. The bike had a rear rack and saddle bags attached.  

Nanaimo File 2016-42775: On Friday, December 30^th, 2016 Nanaimo RCMP received a report of a possible rental fraud on craigslist. The complainant replied to the ad, but became suspicious when they requested money up front, and provided vague details about the property. The complainant found the property was currently listed by a real estate agent. After contacting the agent, it was confirmed that someone fraudulently posted the rental add.  

Nanaimo File 2017-91: On Sunday, January 1^st, 2017 a house in the 800 block of Douglas Avenue was broken into while the home owners were sleeping. The suspect stole a laptop computer and miscellaneous items. It is believed the suspect(s) entered through an unlocked door.  

Nanaimo File 2017-255: On Tuesday, January 3^rd, 2017 a child’s bicycle was stolen from a front yard in the 600 block of Nicol Street. The bicycle is described as a purple Huffy Brazen BMX with pink handle bars.  

Nanaimo File 2017-308: On Tuesday, January 3^rd, 2017 two complainants arrived at the Nanaimo RCMP Detachment and reported they were being followed by a male in a pickup truck. They reported seeing the truck in a local drive through, and the male began following and tailgating them for unknown reasons. Upon arrival at the detachment, the male threw a hamburger at the complainants and then left. The complainants made a wise choice by driving to the police station rather than confronting the male in the truck.  

Nanaimo File 2017-333: On Wednesday, January 4^th, 2017 a blue Clark brand Mig welder was stolen from a residence in the 400 block of Bruce Avenue.