INVENTORY OVERSTOCK
NANAIMO REGION
Part of schools facilities grant to go to Cedar The Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district will direct $500,000 from its annual $2.3 million facilities grant for 2015-16 toward costs to reconvert Cedar Secondary School back to being a high school. A3
July 1 celebrated ated coast to coast st
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Canadians all over the country mark the nation’s 148th birthday
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3rd 2015!
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The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Thursday, July 2, 2015
CITY
POLICE
Planners concerned with traffic snarls in Nanaimo
Man’s body discovered in water off Gabriola JULIE CHADWICK DAILY NEWS
Typical noon-hour traffic at the Highway 19A and Bowen Road intersection. The city is planning for traffic delays as a result of a number of road construction projects set for later this summer. [SPENCER ANDERSON/DAILY NEWS]
Variety of construction projects set to begin SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
A
busy summer public construction season has city planners preparing how to manage traffic that will inevitably pile up once construction begins. The project of most concern is a major intersection upgrade at Northfield Road, Boundary Avenue and Highway 19A. The $3-million project will affect traffic travelling not just along the highway, but also along the Northfield corridor, the main route for ferry traffic connecting the Nanaimo Parkway to and from the Departure Bay BC Ferries terminal. Construction is slated to begin in September. Traffic to and from Nanaimo Regional General Hospital will also be affected.
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Sunny High 31, Low 18 Details A2
“We need to talk to (the Ministry of Transportation) and see what kind of disruptions they’re willing to tolerate.” Steve Ricketts, construction manager
“It’s huge,” said city construction manager Steve Ricketts of the logistical challenge of handling what the city has warned will be “significant” traffic delays from the project. “We’re thinking of what we can do and we need to talk to (the Ministry of Transportation) and see what kind of disruptions they’re willing to tolerate,” Ricketts said. Ricketts said the impact to traffic will be comparable to last
year, when parts of Bowen Road were closed throughout the summer to replace underground utilities and to add bike lanes. “Certainly the Northfield/ Boundary (intersection) is going to be as challenging, if not more challenging for traffic,” he said. This month will also see the city replace a culvert on Wakesiah Avenue, another main road that runs alongside Vancouver Island University and Nanaimo District Secondary School. Luckily, the area is surrounded by residential streets, which will ease congestion. “There’s some reasonable detours, we’re planning to do (the work) before school is in,” Ricketts said. Other work done throughout the summer will be in mainly residential areas of the city and won’t affect most drivers, Ricketts said.
But the city is urging residents to take extra care while driving, walking or cycling through constructions zones to avoid injuring themselves and others. Ricketts said the city is also considering asking ferry users driving off vessels into Nanaimo at Departure Bay to avoid using Northfield Road to get to the Island Highway. Similarly, hospital employees may be encouraged to access the hospital via Waddington Avenue instead of Boundary Avenue, said Ricketts. Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255 » We want to hear from you. Send comments on this story to letters@nanaimodailynews.com. Letters must include daytime phone number and hometown.
Family flee fire after man pounds on door
Arnold returns in new ‘Terminator Genysis’
That simple action is believed to be the reason the young couple and their two-year-old daughter survived the fire, which engulfed and destroyed their home. » Nanaimo Region, A3
The new movie is kind of like a wedding DJ remixing period hits with a modern beat. Which is to say, ‘Terminator Genysis’ is no fresh start — it’s a mess. » Movies, B1
Local news .................... A3-5 Markets ................................A2 B.C. news ............................. A8
Editorials and letters ..... A4 Sports .................................. B2 Scoreboard ........................ B3
Classified ............................ B5 Obituaries ........................... B5 Comics ................................. B4
Police are searching for the identity of a man found dead in the water near Gabriola Island on Tuesday afternoon. The body was discovered by a passing private sailboat near Thrasher Rock at approximately 1:15 p.m. Those aboard the vessel contacted the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre, and both the Canadian Coast Guard and the RCMP West Coast Marine vessel Inkster were launched to the site. They recovered the body and transported it to the government dock in Nanaimo, where a coroner confirmed the death. Police have not yet released information about the man other than he is an adult, was clothed and did not have any identification on him when found. A photo has been sent to the Gabriola Island RCMP to assist in the investigation. “It’s a barren rock with a beacon on it near Silva Bay,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, spokesman for the Nanaimo RCMP, of where the man’s body was recovered. “Our efforts to determine the next of kin are at a standstill right now.” There was no indication of where the man is from, how his body got into the water or how long it was there, added O’Brien. Late Tuesday afternoon, Coast Guard vessels and a Cormorant helicopter from 19 Wing Comox ended a search of the area for a vessel or other bodies. There is no indication yet that other people were involved. The body, taken to the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital morgue, may have to be identified through DNA or dental records if not through other means first, said O’Brien. Anyone with information that may relate to the incident is asked to contact the Gabriola Island RCMP at 250-247-8966 or Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345. Julie.Chadwick @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4238
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