HEU Files Grievance over Suspension
The Hospital Employees Union is upset that a nurse in Parksville has been suspended for a week and a half without pay.
HEU Spokeswoman Margi Blamey says Tina Irvine spoke recently at a public meeting about the impacts that staff shortages and turnover are having at Stanford Place.
Blamey says the union has filed a grievance to have Irvine's suspension reversed. She says it's outrageous, and it seems like it's nothing more than an effort to intimidate HEU members and keep them from speaking out about working conditions.
Stanford Place has yet to return phone calls seeking comment.
|
RCMP Nab another B&E Suspect
RCMP have arrested a man accused of breaking into homes off Wakesiah Avenue.
Constable Gary O'Brien says 47-year-old James Abraham was taken into custody Monday night. He says Abraham is believed to be responsible for 2 break and enters in the Sarum Rise area. Since January, O'Brien says there have been 5 B&E's in the area, and numerous thefts from vehicles.
O'Brien says Abraham is a primary suspect for other break and enters but says there isn't enough evidence to charge him for those yet.
|
Snuneymuxw and City at Odds Over Looming Water Shortage
Snuneymuxw First Nation Chief Doug White took aim at Mayor John Ruttan at City Hall on Monday.
Ian Holmes reports.
|
Nanaimo's Unemployment Rate Rises
Nanaimo's unemployment rate has risen for the first time in nine months.
Statistics Canada data shows Nanaimo's jobless rate was 8.2% last month, up from 6.3% in December.
Nationally, the unemployment rate went up slightly to 7.6% and in B.C. it dropped by a tenth of a percentage point to 6.9%.
|
Debit Skimmer Scam Hits Qualicum Beach
A debit card skimmer scam has been uncovered at Qualicum Beach.
Saturday afternoon Oceanside RCMP received a report of a card reader installed at a Royal Bank ATM. They then found another one in the CIBC.
Card readers are used to store the victim's bank card information, and a small camera records the PIN numbers. With this information, the criminals can access and use funds from the victim's account.
Oceanside RCMP is still working to determine how many victims were impacted by the scam and urge anyone who has used these ATMs to check their banking records.
|
Nanaimo RCMP to Escort Man out of Town
Nanaimo RCMP Constable Gary O'Brien says a decision to escort an accused criminal out of the city is a first for the detachment.
Ian Holmes reports.
|
Morning Fire Destroys Coombs Trailer
An early morning fire has destroyed a mobile home in Coombs and sent a man to hospital with smoke inhalation.
Coombs-Hilliers Fire Department Captain Erik Lacey responded to the call at around 7:30. He says when he arrived on scene the trailer was fully engulfed in flames and the occupant was just being taken into an ambulance.
Lacey says it appears the fire started in the living room area but says the cause is unclear.
He adds there was damage to a neighboring trailer.
|
Candles Blamed for Nanoose Blaze
Candles being used to provide light during a power outage have been blamed for causing the January 25th fire on the Nanoose First Nations reserve.
7 year old Devon Drake and his 9 year old brother Jordan died in the blaze.
Fire officials say a candle was knocked over and caught a couch on fire. The residents tried to put out the couch, but couldn't before the flames spread.
Nanaimo RCMP have concluded their investigation and have ruled out foul play.
|
Charges Laid in Coombs Police Chase
Charges have been laid in this week's art theft and car chase in Coombs.
40-year-old Nelson Meggitt of Qualicum Beach is facing 5 counts, including three assault charges.
Two of those stem from an alleged altercation with police in the interrogation room.
Meggitt will undergo a psychiatric assessment.
A 47-year-old woman facing theft charges was released from custody and has a court appearance on the 21st.
|
VIHA Named Top Employer
A new survey puts the Vancouver Island Health Authority as one of the top employers in the province.
The Authority was recognized in areas like employee development, education subsidies, maternity leave programs and alternative working arrangements.
This is the third straight year VIHA has been honored.
|
Regional Leaders Meet with Ferry Boss
Regional government leaders on the coast had a meeting with B.C. Ferries Commissioner Gordon Macatee.
His review of the Coastal Ferry Act had 24 recommendations, including tying fare increases to the price of inflation and more financial support from the province.
RDN board Chair Joe Stanhope says he believes B.C. Ferries can be run more efficently. He says in some cases some destinations are over served. He points to an instance when Macatee took a ferry ride and him and his assistant were the only people on the boat.
Stanhope says increasing fares was the main topic of this week's meeting in Victoria.
|
Man Takes Advantage of Unlocked Dressing Rooms
An opportunistic thief took advantage of an unlocked dressing room at the Nanaimo Ice Centre on Tuesday.
Sometime between 11:45AM and 1:15, a male with a slim build in his early twenties, was seen on camera walking into a dressing room being used by some pick up hockey players.
He made off with rings, wallets and car keys. The suspect then used the car keys to get into several vehicles in the parking lot.
Police are reminding people to always lock their dressing rooms while on the ice.
|
Serial Thieves Caught in Nanaimo
Two men are in custody after a number of stolen items were found in a central Nanaimo home.
The 26 and 28 year olds may be responsible for nearly 20 break and enters in the city.
Constable Gary O'Brien says a search warrant in the 1000 block of Oakley Crescent led to the arrest of the two men inside the home and the discovery of a number of stolen items.
The items seized include computers, guns and passports.
RCMP will have a media viewing of all of the recovered items tomorrow.
|
Four Vehicle Crash Closes Highway in Coombs
A man and woman were arrested following a police chase which closed Highway Four in Coombs for nearly five hours.
RCMP Sargeant Darrell Robertson says a car spotted in the Coombs area matched a suspect vehicle linked to the theft of art from a Qualicum Beach business this Wednesday morning.
Robertson says the suspect vehicle turned around and chased the police cruiser in downtown Coombs. He says it approached the police vehicle from behind and rammed it twice, pushing it into another two vehicles.
Robertson says an RCMP officer and a bystander in one of the vehicles were taken to Nanaimo Hospital with minor injuries.
Robertson says charges are pending against a 40-year-old man and 47-year-old woman, both from the Qualicum Beach area.
|
Raid at North Nanaimo Home Yields Drugs and Guns
A 26 year old male is in custody after police raided a north Nanaimo home and found drugs and guns.
Early Wednesday morning the Emergency Response Team carried out a search warrant on a home on Somerset Drive.
Inside police say they found 2 handguns, one of which was loaded, 1 ounce of cocaine, half an ounce of heroin and $2000 cash.
Firearms and drug charges are pending.
|
Teen Sentenced for Beating at Maffeo Sutton Park
One of the teens who allegedly beat up and robbed a 61 year man at Maffeo Sutton Park was in court yesterday.
RCMP Constable Gary O'Brien says one of the three suspects, Keith Prince, was sentenced to one year in jail. He says a second male who can't be identified because of his age is awaiting sentencing, and a third male had charges against him stayed.
The victim is still convalescing at home after the January 7th incident.
|
B.C. Conservatives Gaining Ground
B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Cummins addressed party members at an executive meeting in Parksville Saturday.
He says that if elected to office, one of his primary priorities would be to reform the provincial court system. Cummins says one of the first things would be to ensure people can have their cases heard in a reasonable amount of time.
The provincial Conservatives are now tied with the liberals at 23% support.
|
