Ferries Brace for Busy Weekend
B.C. Ferries has added 14 extra sailings on the Horseshoe Bay Departure Bay route for the long weekend.
Spokesman Darren Guenette expects ferry traffic to pick up Thursday night. He says the busiest traffic patterns are coming to Vancouver Island to start the weekend, and then the traffic will really pick up on Sunday and Monday out of Departure Bay.
Guenette urges passengers to make reservations for this weekend at bcferries.com.
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Nanaimo Man Dies in Kayaking Accident
A 26 year old Nanaimo man is dead after a kayaking trip went wrong near Port Alberni.
The drowning happened Tuesday night on the Cameron River.
Corporal Jen Allen with the Port Alberni RCMP says the victim was kayaking with a friend and began experiencing some difficulty. She says he flipped his kayak and then became trapped under a log.
Allen says the victim was known to be an experienced kayaker.
No name has been released.
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Coastal Fire Centre Applies Burning Ban
The Coastal Fire Centre is putting a Category 2 burning prohibition in place.
Spokeswoman Marg Drysdale says it applies to grass and debris fires along with burning in barrels and fireworks.
The ban starts on May 18th at noon and stays in place until September 15th.
Drysdale says there have been nine fires in the region in 2012 and all have been human caused.
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Man Flees after Crashing Stolen Car
Police in Oceanside are searching for a man who fled the scene of an accident Sunday night.
After finding the car crashed into a pole near the Shady Rest Pub, police contacted the owner of the car, and found out that it had been stolen.
Witnesses say the man driving the car grabbed two bottles of liquor immediately after the collision and ran away. He is described as a white male, 5'10, bald, with a medium build. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.
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People Reminded to be Bear Aware
With recent bear sightings, the B.C. government is reminding everyone to be cautious.
Camping season is kicking off for a lot of people this weekend and the government is encouraging everyone to remember the main cause of wildlife interactions are when non-neutral food items like pet food, ripe fruit, garbage or barbeques have been left out.
Ways to prevent bears or other wildlife from entering your area are keeping the ground clear of seeds and nuts, bringing all pet food dishes inside after using them or lock them in a vehicle, and only using bird feeders during the winter.
For more information on bear awareness visit bearaware.bc.ca.
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MP Crowder not Happy with Budget Bill
Nanaimo-Cowichan NDP MP Jean Crowder isn't happy with the government for not allowing more debate on their massive budget bill.
The opposition wants to split the 400 plus page bill into five pieces, but the government says it must be passed quickly to "deliver results for the economy".
Crowder says the bill contains much more than financial measures. She wonders why significant change to environmental policies is jammed into a budget bill.
The Conservatives have scheduled a vote on their budget bill for Monday.
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RDN Drafts Agricultural Plan
The Regional District of Nanaimo is hoping to adopt an agricultural plan soon.
The RDN's Manager of Current Planning Jeremy Holm says a draft version of the plan is in place and says it's primarily geared toward commercial operations. He says the hope is that small to medium sized farms will be profitable, so that young people will get involved in a thriving industry.
Holm says feedback is welcomed for the next month at growingourfuture.ca.
He expects their agricultural strategy will be approved by RDN directors this summer.
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