Latest news with #Nanaimo
National Post
10 hours ago
- Health
- National Post
FIRST READING: B.C. politician pushes bill to force schools to say drugs are bad
Article content TOP STORY Article content The B.C. Conservatives are calling for measures to keep 'radical drug lobbyists' out of schools after a school event that featured info cards on how to do drugs such as cocaine, meth and GHB. Article content Article content 'This isn't education. It is grooming kids into drug culture,' said B.C. Conservative MLA Steve Kooner in a Tuesday statement endorsing his private member's bill that, if passed, would compel schools to 'explicitly discourage drug use.' Article content The event in question was a Pride festival sanctioned by the Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools District. Article content After accompanying her 10-year-old to the event, Nanaimo, B.C. mother Ruth Taylor alerted local media to the presence of postcard-sized leaflets that local media described as 'drug use information cards.' Article content A card labelled 'meth,' for instance, details the drug's euphoric effects, its reported ability to increase libido and even includes recommended dosages. Article content The NDP invite the pro-drug lobby into BC schools. Conservatives are fighting to get them out. — Steve Kooner MLA (@SteveKooner) June 24, 2025 Article content 'A light dose is around 5-10 mg, a common dose is around 10-30 mg, and a strong dose is 30-40 mg,' it reads. Article content A card for GHB, a common date-rape drug, reads that the substance can 'make the user feel more relaxed and more sociable.' It adds, 'G can also increase libido.' Article content The cards were among the literature offered at a booth run by AIDS Vancouver Island, a harm reduction non-profit funded in part by government bodies such as Island Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Article content Taylor told Chek News that she confronted AIDS Vancouver Island about the materials being inappropriate for schoolchildren, but that 'they were not receptive to what I was saying' and 'the cards stayed for the remainder of the event.' Article content AIDS Vancouver Island didn't respond to a National Post query before press time. In a statement provided to Global News on Monday, the group said it was told the event was for older children and that they stood by 'the fundamental importance of youth receiving honest, factual and appropriate substance use and sexual health materials.'
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Ruby Liu lacks ‘foundational' experience to run former HBC stores, Cadillac Fairview CEO says
Landlords have yet to receive a 'meaningful business plan' from B.C. mall owner Weihong (Ruby) Liu, or any evidence that she has the experience necessary to run department stores in former Hudson's Bay spaces, the chief executive officer of one of Canada's largest commercial real estate companies says. Sal Iacono, the head of Cadillac Fairview, said in a statement on Wednesday that information on Ms. Liu's plans for the spaces are still lacking, 'despite multiple requests.' Ms. Liu, the chairwoman of Nanaimo, B.C.-based real estate investment company Central Walk, received court approval Monday for a $6-million deal to acquire the leases of three former Bay stores in malls that she owns. But court records show that her plan to acquire up to 25 additional leases has faced significant opposition from landlords. Landlords for 23 former Hudson's Bay locations oppose plans for Ruby Liu department stores Last week, The Globe and Mail reported that the pushback followed meetings between Ms. Liu and landlords earlier this month, in which she was unable to provide details about how she will operate the stores, according to two sources with knowledge of those meetings. In his statement, Mr. Iacono confirmed that was the case for Cadillac Fairview. 'Our sole meeting was brief, as she was unprepared to discuss her plans or present a business plan,' he wrote. 'We have not received any evidence of retail management expertise, established supplier relationships, logistical/e-commerce capabilities, or robust and realistic financial projections — elements that are foundational for even a single retail store, let alone 28 stores of this size.' In the days after those meetings, Ms. Liu sent a letter to landlords laying out further details of her plan, including a commitment to set aside more than $300-million to fund the operations of the business, according to a third source who has a copy of the document. The Globe and Mail is not naming the source because they were not authorized to discuss the confidential matter. The letter describes contact between Ms. Liu's team and more than 50 existing Hudson's Bay suppliers, who had expressed willingness to work with her, the source said. It also outlines plans to hire 2,500 to 3,000 employees and to hire executives with retail experience. It also specifies that Ms. Liu's team had already received more than 500 résumés from former Bay store employees. It also provides a financial forecast that predicts those stores would begin to turn a modest profit starting in 2026. In his statement, Mr. Iacono said the financial projections were not realistic. 'Drawing from our decades of extensive experience owning and managing the most prominent shopping centers across Canada, we believe that her claims of enabling retail jobs in Canada – a goal that CF supports – would be much better served if CF and the other professional landlords could proceed with securing established retailers with proven track records to occupy these former HBC boxes,' he said. 'This approach would provide real retail careers in firms that offer stable employment with proper training, benefits, and career progression in a professional retail environment.' Hudson's Bay was granted court protection from its creditors on March 7, as the company faltered under $1.1-billion in debt and faced mounting losses. Canada's oldest retailer has since closed all of its stores across the country. Ms. Liu has bid on the leases under a court-supervised sale process intended to generate funds to repay some of Hudson's Bay's lenders. Hudson's Bay granted creditor protection to restructure its business In an interview on Monday, Ms. Liu accused the landlords who oppose her of attempting to wait out that process, in hopes that they would be able to take back their spaces without paying for them. Department stores traditionally acted as anchor tenants, drawing foot traffic to malls. In return, those types of tenants negotiated leases with valuable conditions, including below-market rents and rights to approve any developments elsewhere in the malls. Some landlords may want to take those leases back, in order to redevelop the spaces and choose new tenants that would be a draw for shoppers and would be likely to succeed, paying higher rents over a number of years. The three HBC leases Ms. Liu has received court approval to acquire are located in the Mayfair Shopping Centre in Victoria, Tsawwassen Mills in Tsawwassen, just south of Vancouver, and the Woodgrove Centre in Nanaimo. In those and other spaces she may take over, Ms. Liu has told landlords that she plans to open a chain of department stores called Ruby Liu. The stores would offer a mix of fashion and jewellery products, dining spaces and would host events. Ms. Liu has made a $9.4-million deposit on her bids for the other 25 leases, according to court documents. That suggests that she has offered up to $94-million for those leases, because the sale process required deposits of no less than 10 per cent of each bid. Landlords who represent 23 out of the 25 remaining leases wrote letters to Hudson's Bay's lawyers and the court monitor overseeing the process, expressing concerns about the deal. Hudson's Bay to change its name, landlords express 'concern' over lease deal Those letters declared that 'based on the information provided to date, those Landlords would not consent to the assignment of their Leases to the Potential Lease Purchaser and would oppose any potential future forced assignment' by the court, according to a report filed by the court monitor, Alvarez & Marsal Canada Inc., last week. After Monday's hearing in Toronto, Ms. Liu said she believes landlords will support her if she wins court approval. 'Since everybody is mature businessmen, when the right decision comes, they will support it,' Ms. Liu told reporters on Monday, speaking in Mandarin while Central Walk chief executive officer Linda Qin translated. She added that work has already begun to plan for the future of the Hudson's Bay spaces. 'We need innovation. We need new ideas. And we want to bring in new blood, new things,' she said. 'Without new things and creativity, the industry will go down, not go up.'
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Woman headbutted in assault at mall, Nanaimo RCMP say
Mounties in Nanaimo are looking for a man who allegedly kicked a dog and headbutted a woman during an incident at a mall last week. Officers were called to North Town Center Mall around 7:30 p.m. on June 16 for reports of an assault, the Nanaimo RCMP said in a news release. 'A woman's dog, which was off leash, ran aggressively at a male and his leashed dog. The male stepped in to prevent his dog from getting hurt and kicked the woman's dog,' the statement from the detachment said. 'The woman tried to intervene, and the male pushed her to the ground. The woman got up, facing the male and he struck her head with his head, causing her to crumple to the ground.' Witnesses told police the man fled the scene in pursuit of his dog, which is described as medium-sized and white with black spots. The RCMP is trying to identify the man, describing him as white, between 35 and 45 years old, with a 'stocky build' and short dark hair. At the time of the alleged assault he was wearing a red shirt and tan shorts, police added. Anyone with information is urged to call 250-754-2345.
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
Nanaimo, B.C., debates joining municipalities that ban invasive species
The City of Nanaimo might soon join a list of municipalities that prohibit the sale and distribution of invasive plants, in absence of provincewide laws on the matter. On Monday, city councillors are scheduled to consider a staff report that recommends a bylaw to ban specific species on the Invasive Species Council of B.C. (ISCBC) list, including some common household vines and flowers like English ivy, baby's breath and foxgloves. "Over 60 per cent of our invasive plants are actually intentionally planted," said Gail Wallin, ISCBC's executive director. "So great work, great step forward." The report says invasive plants can harm the environment, human health and even the economy. "They can thrive on land and in aquatic environments and can impact biodiversity and natural habitats," according to the report. "Since the plants are introduced, they have limited natural predators and tend to grow rapidly, out-compete native plants, and can be challenging to manage even with a long-term approach." Invasive plants can damage infrastructure, alter water flows and become fire hazards, according to the report. It also states that provincial regulations like the Weed Control Act have outdated species lists and little effective means of enforcement, but the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations has been reviewing current legislation regarding the sale of invasive plants and their seeds in B.C. Other municipalities with similar prohibitions include Squamish and Oak Bay. "There is a need for stronger provincial regulation on on invasive species," Wallin agreed. Many invasive plants can be found at nurseries across B.C., where they're sold on their own or as part of ornamental baskets, she said. Worries about implementation Walter Pinnow, operations coordinator at Green Thumb Nursery in Nanaimo, said his workplace doesn't sell invasive plants — even though some customers still ask for them. "We just had a customer asking us for foxglove the other day," Pinnow said, adding people often ask for chickory, a plant with little blue flowers commonly seen on the side of B.C. highways. Gardeners don't always know that many of the flowers they see are actually invasive, Pinnow said. He supports the report and the creation of a bylaw to ban the sale of invasive plants, but said he worries about how it would be regulated or enforced. Pinnow also cautioned the city to list plants under their proper Latin names if the bylaw does go through, to ensure that plants that are sometimes categorized under their common names aren't included — like ivy.
CTV News
20-06-2025
- CTV News
Man charged with impaired driving in fatal crash in Nanaimo, B.C.
A 47-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving and impaired driving causing death following a two-vehicle collision last year on Vancouver Island. Samuel Brody Taylor, born in 1978, was arrested and charged this week in relation to the collision that killed a 42-year-old woman in Nanaimo, according to court records and the RCMP. A statement from the Nanaimo RCMP on Friday says Taylor was located and arrested on June 17, one day after the charges were approved by provincial prosecutors. Police were called to the crash on the Nanaimo Parkway, between the Dunster Road overpass and the Doumont Road bridge, at approximately 8:30 p.m. on August 10, 2024. Joy Pecknold, the one occupant of a northbound SUV, died in hospital after her vehicle was struck head-on by a dark-coloured sedan. The man driving the sedan was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. Witnesses told investigators the car crossed a median into oncoming traffic before colliding with the SUV. The Nanaimo Parkway was closed in both directions for several hours following the collision. Taylor has been released from police custody pending his first scheduled appearance in Nanaimo provincial court on June 24. 'The victim's family were advised of Taylor's arrest,' the Nanaimo RCMP statement said. 'As the matter is before the courts, no further information will be released.'
