Mounties raid home, seize $47,000 in stolen goods
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Veteran athlete and MLA takes first in 100-metre T52 race at Parapan Am Games in Toronto
A $5,000 mountain bike, a $12,000 distilling machine, specialized industrial electrical equipment worth $20,000 and numerous laptop computers were seized by police. A3
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Stilwell wins Parapan Am gold
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Police ask for public help after pit bull shot in Nanaimo SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
AARON HINKS-FREEPIK.COM/DAILY NEWS PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
City audits own green bin system SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
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anaimo’s green bin program, which collects organic kitchen waste, has halved the amount of garbage taken to the landfill each year, a new survey says. But the findings also suggest one in four green bins contains contaminants that do not belong in the waste stream. The city conducted the audit of the green bin system in recent months to get a better understanding of how well the system works. The city picked 50 bins at random and emptied the contents to see what residents had thrown away.
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Of the 50 bins, 12 contained items that such as plastic bags, packaging-related objects like bottle caps and break clips, and food contained in packaging, like cheese strings and yogurt tubes. City staff also found objects like foil-lined lids and filter materials. The results of the exercise show city residents do an overall good job of separating garbage from organics, said Charlotte Davis, manager of sanitation, recycling and public works administration for the city. But Davis said there is also room for improvement in the figures, adding she will “be putting more effort into help-
ing residents be clear on exactly which items are and aren’t compostable.” The city claims in the survey that the bins that were emptied and counted are a good indicator of how the entire program is working. A total 26,698 households and 171 businesses receive curbside organic waste pick-up. Organic waste collected through the service is transported to Nanaimo Organic Waste on Maughn Road where it is processed. The survey notes that although the 24 per cent contamination rate seems “alarming,” the overall level of non-organic waste that ends
up in the system is extremely small. Of the 291 grams of material that was analyzed, only 33 grams (or 0.01 per cent) did not belong in the bins. “I was really pleased, actually,” said Davis of the survey findings. It costs the city $122 per tonne to drop the organic waste off for processing. However, that is slightly cheaper than dumping it in the landfill, and also avoids approximately 1,600 equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255
Nanaimo RCMP are investigating after a pit bull was shot south of the city. The incident took place on Sunday, somewhere near Roberta Road and Frames Road in the Chase River area. At approximately 12:30 p.m., police received calls from several residents in the area reporting a dog had been shot. One caller reported hearing a gun shot and then a dog yelp. A resident was able to locate and catch the wounded dog. The resident took the dog to an animal care clinic but the office was closed. He then contacted local animal control and the dog was eventually transported to a veterinarian. An X-ray revealed a small bullet or projectile lodged under the animal’s skin. Police conducted interviews with neighbours to try to determine who might be responsible for shooting the dog. However, investigators were unable to glean any information on the identity of the culprit. Nanaimo RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Sheryl Armstrong said it is also unclear exactly where the shooting took place. Police are uncertain if the dog was injured on public road or path or on private property. Armstrong said one resident had reported seeing a pit bull running around the neighbourhood the previous and believed it to be the same animal that was shot. Another resident had reported seeing two pit bulls running loose the day before, Armstrong said. She said she was unaware of any previous complaints of dogs on the loose in the area, and said police generally receive complaints about dog barking, with only a small number of dog bite complaints each year. Reports of people shooting dogs are rarer. “This is the first one to my knowledge (in recent years),” said Armstrong. The pit bull is expected to make a full recovery and has been reunited with its owner. Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255 » We want to hear from you. Send comments on this story to yourletters@nanaimodailynews.com. Letters must include daytime phone number and hometown.
Nigel Wright testifies at Duffy fraud trial
Port authority spends $3.5M on new crane
Marquee witness said he didn’t tell former boss Stephen Harper that the deal involved someone else paying Duffy’s contested expenses. » Nation & World, A7
A ship delivered the machine July 25, and while it is now standing at its new site, it could be year-end before the machine is used to load and unload containers. » Nanaimo Region, A3
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