Skye Ryan is a Jack Webster Award winning reporter based on Mid Vancouver Island for CHEK News. A runner, horseback rider & most of all proud mama of two.
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Articles by Skye Ryan
‘Nostalgic feeling’: McNab’s Corn Maze re-opens after 3 year break
At four years-old, Kyle McNab already knows his family business. “The maze is amazing. You walk around it, and you see it,” McNab told CHEK News on Friday. The pre-schooler is the fourth generation of McNab’s to work on the farm south of Nanaimo, and can be found working the cash register in the gift shop on weekends. Since 2000, the family has been carving out unique mazes from the corn it grows, for people to explore, along with hay rides around the farm. “And you know what else?
Missing woman was trying to ‘start a new life’ on Vancouver Island
Missing woman Melissa Harper moved to Vancouver Island in late August, seeking a fresh start. “She went to the Island thinking that’s where she could start a new life,” says Harper’s longtime friend Sasha Ali, on behalf of the young woman’s family. Watch the story below: Instead, that hope brought the Edmonton woman to an isolated property in Whiskey Creek, where all that remained Wednesday was the charred wreckage of the RV that Ali says Harper had been living in before she vanished on Oct. 21.
‘Every vote matters’: Closest election race in B.C. is separated by 13 votes
Kris McNichol was back at work at his Nanoose Bay business Tuesday, trying to keep busy as he awaited a recount that could change the course of his life – and determine his political future. “This is what democracy is all about. So count every vote; let’s see where this thing falls,” McNichol told CHEK News. Watch the story below: The Conservative candidate for Ladysmith-Oceanside was ahead by 89 votes late Saturday night, over NDP candidate Stephanie Higginson.
5 Vancouver Island ridings considered ‘toss-ups’ in B.C election
Change could sweep Vancouver Island in Saturday’s B.C. election. Experts say as many as five Island ridings that are currently held by the NDP, could be won by the Conservatives this time around. The lunch rush at B’s Diner in Errington, buzzed with people on Friday. What was on everyone’s lips was the imminent B.C. election. “I’m excited yeah. I think it’s going to be such an exciting movement tomorrow,” said 29-year-old voter Brooklyn Svenson.
‘It’s going to be missed’: Duncan Showroom is closing its doors
Music poured from the sidewalks outside the Duncan Showroom Thursday, as people played the music venue’s free pianos. Even as the owners of the legendary venue prepared to close its doors. “Every night that there’s a performance here, there’s something so special that takes place,” said Longevity John Falkner, co-owner of the Duncan Showroom. Watch the story below: “It’s a place of magic.
‘That’s a big jump’: Chinook salmon return to Cowichan River in big numbers
An unexpectedly large number of Chinook salmon are returning to the Cowichan River this fall, despite October’s dry weather. With weeks still to go, more fish have already been counted than all of last year’s total. Splashing from salmon rippled over the Cowichan River Wednesday, as Arthur Joe looked on with relief. “I really love it. Yeah, more than last year. I see an abundance of fish coming back up,” said Joe, a Cowichan Tribes member.
‘It’s very serious’: Staff shortage at Cowichan Hospital reaches crisis point
Cowichan doctors are calling for urgent action, as a major staff shortage at Cowichan District Hospital is impacting patient care. “This is extremely, extremely concerning, and somewhat dangerous as well,” said Dr. Fernando Polanco, a hospital physician at Cowichan District Hospital. Watch the story below: “It’s very serious. I’m an emergency room physician, and there’s already been two weekends where we haven’t had internal medicine coverage.
‘It’s terrible’: Comox seniors home loses all meal and laundry service
Tineke Schrander scootered to visit her friends Friday, in the dining room of her Comox seniors home. It’s a daily ritual that will be cut off to her and the 34 residents of Stevenson Place, as of Sunday night. “So we are very unhappy. Dining room is closed, kitchen is closed, everything,” Schrander told CHEK News on Friday. Their daily meal, laundry service, housekeeping, the building’s front office, and access to the dining room will be terminated, when service provider Nova Pacific Care Inc.
‘A second life’: Used campaign signs wanted for shooting targets in Nanaimo
One-time campaign signs were set up outside Nanaimo Thursday, to target eyes in a whole new way. “It means we get to use something a second or third time,” said Steve Cooper, a member of the Nanaimo Fish & Game Club. “I think that’s a great way to give them a second life,” said Nanaimo Fish & Game Club member Sara Grant.
‘Like a bomb went off’: Out of control SUV crashes through Nanaimo yards
Jesse Parsons watched in disbelief Thursday, as Nanaimo crews tried to remove an SUV from his patio. Witnesses say the driver of a white Acura lost control heading southbound on Bruce Avenue, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday near 10th Street. Then it crashed through two fences, drove through those homes’ backyards, and landed on Parsons patio, crushing his chairs, and narrowly missing his home by centimetres. “Uh, it’s kind of hard to put into words.
‘I was very sad’: Players fight to save indoor tennis in Nanaimo
As night falls on Nanaimo, training is just getting started for 12-year-old David Chen at the indoor dome of the Westwood Lake Tennis Club. The youngster’s tennis game is so good that he’s already beating seasoned adult players. “This is my sport,” Chen told CHEK News. His 10-year-old hitting partner Ashoka Graham dreams of turning pro one day. “Those are my dreams. I’ll follow them. Yes,” said Graham. But the young players have just been served a ball out of right court that they didn’t see coming.
‘Quite surprised’: Hullo Ferries workers stay calm facing passenger armed with knife
The union representing Hullo Ferries workers says a dangerous incident at Nanaimo’s terminal at 100 Port Dr. Sunday was de-escalated by a team of workers on the scene. “People were quite surprised that it escalated that quickly, but again, people were very happy that they had co-workers there, whether that was terminal or vessel crew, to support each other.
‘Good start’: New manufacturing jobs set to revive North Cowichan mill sites
Tuesday, construction crews were laying the groundwork to build out an already bustling manufacturing facility at the Chemainus Industrial Park; It’s home to Ron Anderson & Sons, which builds pre-fabricated walls and floors for new homes, and co-owner and COO Matt Kiley says business is booming. …The company that now employs 65 people, and is investing $8-million to put up more fabrication buildings on the old mill site.
‘Everyone hopes for a while’: Parksville shelter won’t open as planned this winter
Plans for an emergency weather shelter in Oceanside have been crushed again after the group leading the effort received tentative approval from Parksville council, but couldn’t secure support from neighbours for an October opening. When Miro Zaborsky climbs out of the rain into his car, in a Parksville parking lot, he is going home. “This isn’t a normal way to live,” Miroslav Zaborsky told CHEK News on Thursday.
‘Good start’: New manufacturing jobs set to revive North Cowichan mill sites
A new purpose is being found in North Cowichan’s old mill sites, and it’s driving job creation in a region hit hard by forestry layoffs. Tuesday, construction crews were laying the groundwork to build out an already bustling manufacturing facility at the Chemainus Industrial Park; It’s home to Ron Anderson & Sons, which builds pre-fabricated walls and floors for new homes, and co-owner and COO Matt Kiley says business is booming.
‘Very hard’: Fewer young farmers putting down roots on Vancouver Island
From high atop a hay wagon Sunday at Nanaimo’s Vancouver Island Exhibition, 18-year-old Ben Wyndlow pictured his future like generations before him. “We’ve been on our farm since the 1940’s. My great-grandparents bought it and yeah hoping to keep the tradition alive on our property there,” said Wyndlow, whose family grows organic vegetables. “This is my dad’s legacy pretty much. I’m just keeping it going, keeping the tractors going.
‘To bring everybody home’: New village opens on North Vancouver Island
A new village is opening on northern Vancouver Island to bring home generations of people who were forced to leave their homes over 60 years ago. Arnie Smith has wanted to return home for 62 years. Since the then eight-year-old boy and hundreds from the Tlowitsis First Nation were displaced from their village Kalagwees.
‘People loved her’: Family identifies victim of fatal Nanaimo crash
The victim of a fatal crash in Nanaimo is being identified as a beloved sister and mother, who was sleeping on the street when she was hit by a fuel tanker. Danielle Welch set a bouquet of flowers down Monday at the Nanaimo scene where her sister Jennifer, died tragically. “She was a mother, she was a sister, she was a daughter. People loved her, she had a big heart,” Danielle told CHEK News on Monday. On the morning of Sept.
Volunteers warn of new threat to salmon in Nanaimo’s Cat Stream
Volunteers dug deep with pickaxes and shovels Sunday, clearing invasive blackberries and piles of garbage from Nanaimo’s Cat Stream in an effort to restore critical salmon habitat. “It’s a beautiful story because there’s a lot of improvement, a lot of life returning. The salmon have been spawning here again over the last few years, in significant numbers, like big fish,” said volunteer and Nanaimo landscaper Shelby Drope.
‘Every single day it hurts’: Cowichan woman now missing for 8 months
Chrissy Seward was on alert while walking through Duncan Saturday, hoping and scanning faces for her missing sister Rosemarie Harry. “I am her youngest sister. I’m full of emotions right now, because a lot is happening and having her missing is just really devastating,” Seward told CHEK News on Saturday. Harry, 34, was last seen in downtown Duncan on Jan. 28, when her roommate dropped her off for an appointment.
‘It’s a wild story’: Video captures wild culprit damaging car in Lake Cowichan
When Bruce Roach walked to his car outside his Lake Cowichan apartment Monday morning, he was stunned to find the windshield smashed and mysterious fur stuck in the glass. “It’s a wild story, yeah. I walked over here and said, ‘ Holy, ‘ then I noticed all the hair and figured for sure it was either a bear or an elk, and it’s an elk,” Roach told CHEK News on Monday afternoon.
Slow start to salmon run is raising concern on Vancouver Island
Three generations of the Radoc family walked the Cowichan River Sunday, hoping to find salmon. “Just checking out the river to see what it looks like,” said Glenn Radoc, who was joined by his son and grandson. Watch the story below: “It’s amazing. Not many people get that opportunity to fish with their dad,” said Radoc’s son Keanu Radoc. Sixty-eight-year-old Radoc said the early run of salmon should be starting to fill the Cowichan River by mid-September. What he found on Sunday was concerning.
‘It’s a sigh of relief’: Island town is about to clear its wait list for family doctors
The wait list for family doctors is expected to be wiped clean in in Qualicum Beach this fall, when a new first-of-its-kind clinic opens there. Four family physicians have already signed on ahead of opening day on Nov. 2, and the Primrose Medical Centre has room for 15 family physicians once it is fully operational.
‘Unbelievable’: Thieves crash hole through wall to steal Ladysmith ATM
When trucks pull up to Radius Recycling, near Ladysmith, staff expect them to unload, to be paid for their metal. But Wednesday thieves chose to take, in dramatic fashion, instead. Leaving a gaping hole in the office wall, where the cash machine that is used to pay customers for their metal, should be. “It’s kind of unbelievable, actually,” said Dawn Cook, a Radius Recycling employee.
‘We’re all going to be out’: Non-profit evicts 17 small businesses in Nanaimo
Julie Stevens is savouring every order that comes into her family’s Five Star Pizza in Nanaimo – after all, she doesn’t know how many more orders they have left. “Until they tell us we have to go, which is Sept. 30, but we’re hoping- you never know,” Stevens tells CHEK News. Watch the story below: Stevens’ homemade, stick-to-your-ribs pizzas have gained a loyal following across Vancouver Island.
‘Remembered as a hero’: Funeral honours Nanaimo man killed in Ukraine
Grief and pride poured from a tiny Nanaimo church Saturday. As mourners gathered to honour Jessy Bourgeois who volunteered to fight in the war in Ukraine and gave his life for it. “This was something that Jessy believed in. His country, the Ukrainian people,” Bourgeois’ father James Bourgeois, told CHEK News outside St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church on Saturday. “I want him to be remembered as a hero, and a loving person.
‘We don’t know what to do’: Dozens remain homeless weeks after Duncan fire
Two weeks after a Duncan apartment fire killed two people and displaced 50 more, another tragic turn has just surprised residents. Dozens of low-income tenants just received notice that the damage requires long-term renovations and that they cannot return as hoped. Matt Franza, 17, was allowed into his family’s Duncan apartment Friday, to grab the essentials for his parents and younger siblings. So the teen bagged up food and clothes they could fit into their mini van.
‘It’s unreal’: Historic hidden garden opens up in downtown Nanaimo
Just beyond busy downtown Nanaimo’s Victoria Crescent is a secret garden. One that for years has been hidden away, behind the two oldest buildings in Nanaimo which are still in their original locations from the 1880s. “It does feel like you walked back in time. It’s an amazing space with a lot of history, and in a very important part of downtown Nanaimo,” said Nathan Randall, owner of Victoria Crescent business, Sound Heritage.
‘Don’t do this’: Tofino officer testifies he pleaded with suspect before shooting
Wednesday, the family of Julian Jones heard for the first time from one of the two responding Tofino RCMP officers about what happened the night the Indigenous man died. Const. Daniel MacIntosh took the stand via video link on the second day of the coroner’s inquest into Jones’ fatal shooting by police in an Opitsaht home on Feb. 27, 2021.
‘He did not deserve to die’: Inquest into fatal Tofino RCMP shooting begins
Laura Manson entered Port Alberni court Tuesday, carrying a collage of photos of her little brother Julian Jones. She held it up high in the courtroom when she took the stand on the first day of the coroner’s inquest into his death. “He was someone to everyone in this courtroom. I miss him with every fibre of my being. He did not deserve to die,” testified Manson. Watch the story below: “If he was White, he would be alive.
Nanaimo RCMP search for vehicle involved in fatal hit-and-run of pedestrian
Bouquets were laid near the scene of a fatal hit-and-run in downtown Nanaimo, where a man was struck and killed early Sunday morning. According to Nanaimo RCMP, the incident happened just before 2 a.m. near the marked crosswalk at Dunsmuir and Albert Streets. Witnesses tell CHEK News that the victim was an unhoused man who turned 55-years-old just the night before, when he was hit in the road, and the car involved then drove off before first responders arrived.
Nanaimo RCMP officer pleads guilty to breach of trust for having sex with vulnerable woman he met on duty
A Nanaimo RCMP officer pleaded guilty to breaching the public’s trust, after having sex with a woman he met while he in uniform, on duty, and driving a police cruiser. The abuse of his trusted authority, will cost him his job. Const. Mark Hilland wiped away tears Thursday in Nanaimo’s courthouse, as he faced sentencing and admitted to committing breach of trust. Court heard the 47-year-old had sex with a vulnerable woman that he met while on duty as a police officer.
‘It’s really, really bad’: Nanaimo Judo Club scrambles to find new home after fire
Nanaimo judo coach Eloy Fiandor was visibly upset as he took his first look inside the burned-up Nanaimo Judo Club building on Wednesday. “Just going here is a horrible feeling. My kids grew up here. I’ve been here for almost 40 years. It’s a huge part of the community,” said Fiandor, the head coach of the Nanaimo Judo Club. Watch the story below: A suspicious fire was sparked in the building’s exterior stairwell on July 14 and tore through the club’s home of 60 years, causing extensive damage.
‘He means everything’: Ladysmith para equestrian to compete in championship, credits horse with recovery
Saddling up to ride her horse, Istrano, Ladysmith equestrian Laura Hall concentrates on seizing every second with him. She knows very well that tomorrow isn’t promised, and one ride can change everything. “He is a heart horse. He means everything to me. He’s taken me so far. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs,” Hall tells CHEK News. The tall, bay-coloured mount has helped her take on a personal mountain.
‘This could happen to you’: Campbell River residents still out of their homes years after fire
At 87-years-old, Dorothy Morris is sick of waiting to move back into her Campbell River home. “I feel like my life is on hold. They keep putting it back, and putting it back and putting it back,” Morris tells CHEK News. Watch the story below: She is one of 41 seniors who have been out of their homes for two-and-a-half years and counting, since a fire tore through their 55+ apartment building at 255 Erickson Road in Campbell River in February 2024.
Courtenay hiker now missing for 3 days in Strathcona Park
A dangerous search and rescue effort is underway in Strathcona Park, as teams rappel down cliffs and scour mountainsides for a missing hiker. Searchers set out by helicopter by the dozens on Wednesday from Mount Washington, as they entered the third day of the search for missing hiker Keshav Jindal. The 25-year-old Courtenay man vanished in Strathcona Park on Monday afternoon.
Nanaimo man pleads guilty to barricading himself on tugboat in armed stand-off
A Nanaimo man that led RCMP on a five-hour long armed stand-off and barricaded himself in a tugboat tied in the city’s harbour pleaded guilty to several charges Tuesday. Marcel Alvin Fontaine, 44, pleaded guilty to break and enter and breach of undertaking in connection with the events that occurred on Feb. 1 in Nanaimo’s harbour. Surveillance video captured him breaking into a tugboat belonging to Trend Diesel and docked in W.E. Mills Landing.
‘I had the time of my life’: Country music fans pack Lake Cowichan’s Sunfest
With his thumb up and shirt off, Sunfest fan Cameron Cross tried to catch a ride home in the long lines of campers on Highway 18 Monday. The wrap up of three days of Sunfest sent thousands of long-weekend music fans out of the Lake Cowichan venue, many still buzzing about the live acts and memories made. “It was amazing. It’s my first year here and I had the time of my life to be honest. Now I’m screwed and I’m hitchhiking somewhere…Hopefully Victoria,” Cross told CHEK News on Monday.
‘I’m overwhelmed’: Father and daughter reunite in Comox after 34 years
Arriving at the Comox Valley Airport Friday, Coleman Taylor, had no idea his life was about to change in a heartbeat. His wife convinced him they needed to pick up a cargo package coming in on a WestJet flight, when instead he was about to reunite with his long lost daughter, Brittany and her two girls who were flying in from Ontario. “We’re excited to see the emotions pour from Cole and from them, because he’s never met his grandchildren. He hasn’t seen his daughter in so long.
Nanaimo breaks ground for new community centre at Long Lake
A fight to save trees in a popular Nanaimo park is reshaping the city’s planned improvements, and the community celebrated the groundbreaking on Thursday. Visiting Nanaimo’s Loudon park Thursday was a proud homecoming for Andrea Coutu.
‘One of the worst years’: Rescuers save salmon from shallow pools in Cowichan
Rob Bell grappled over rocks, and beneath log jams Thursday, to locate one of the few pools of water that remained in Cowichan’s Meade Creek. His mission: to save the few young salmon that are still alive and trapped in the drying pools. “This, Meade Creek, there was always tonnes of fish. That net, something like that I’d be barely lifting the thing out of it,” Bell a volunteer with Cowichan Lake & River Stewardship Society told CHEK News, as he remarked how few fry have been found.
‘It’s bringing a pride back’: Filming of HGTV’s Home Town Takeover begins in Port Alberni
Port Alberni is getting a new look and an increasing number of tourists are taking notice this summer. Shannon Vanderhill owns Turtle Island Fish & Chips in Port Alberni’s Harbour Quay, and says there’s been a steady stream of new tourists there, as filming of the HGTV Series Home Town Takeover Canada makes over several small businesses, homes and public areas. Watch below: “Seeing it all get redone and make it look pretty nice is pretty cool,” Vanderhill told CHEK News on Wednesday.
‘Just shocking’: Suspicious fire destroys home of Nanaimo Judo Club
Tearful families gathered in front of the Nanaimo Judo Club on Tuesday, in shock and grieving after a fire tore through the club’s historic training facility that has been home to aspiring martial artists for 60 years. “Looks like it started from the stairs over here, so stairs don’t usually catch themselves on fire,” said Nathan Eby, president of the Nanaimo Judo Club.
B.C. search and rescue crews train in critical scenarios on Nanaimo River
While swimmers and sunbathers enjoyed a hot day on the Nanaimo River Sunday, search and rescue crews were preparing for the emergencies that often accompany the summer crowds. Daniel Delvecchio is a swift water rescue team member from Campbell River Search and Rescue. He scrambled over rocks on the Nanaimo River, with rope in hand to pull a team member through rapids, against the current, as a nearby rope team rappelled down a cliff to rescue the patient from the canyon and get them to safety.
‘Its hard to know why’: Fourth dead humpback washes up on B.C.’s shores
Waves of the Pacific Ocean are revealing a growing tragedy off the West Coast this year. An alarming number of dead whales has washed up on B.C.’s beaches. Sunday, June 28 was the latest, when a Huu-Ay-Aht West Coast Trail Guardian, discovered the remains of a humpback whale on a beach north of the Pachena Bay trailhead. It marks the fourth dead humpback whale to wash up in B.C. waters this year. “It’s hard to know why the humpbacks, why we are seeing this pulse.
‘Ecological nightmare’: Opposition rises to proposed pipeline route in B.C. waters
Opposition is growing in B.C. to the new southern pipeline route that Alberta is proposing to ship its raw crude to Asian markets. Under the proposed southern route, the crude would travel to the soon to be built Robert Banks Terminal 2, next to Tsawwassen, and be loaded onto Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC), that are each three football fields long, six highway lanes wide, and 20 storeys tall, to ship Alberta oil to South Korea and Japan. “It’s my worst nightmare. It’s an ecological nightmare.
‘It feels very freeing’: B.C. girls join first ever female tackle football team
When Claire Gillan broke her wrist in a tackle, she taped it. When she tore the ACL in her knee, she put on a brace. For the 14-year-old, injuries are just obstacles to overcome on her way back to the hard hits and adrenaline of the football field. “At least I did it, playing a sport that I love. It’s just this wave of like you did something great out there, and you laid it all out there,” says Gillan. Watch below: Gillan is a player on B.C.’s first-ever U-16 female tackle football team.
‘It could have been any one of us’: Lisa Marie Young vanished 24 years ago
Carolann Bosma, wiped away tears Saturday as she paid tribute to her foster-sister, Lisa Marie Young, on the 24th anniversary of her disappearance. The Nanaimo woman said she will never forget the weekend it happened, when they were both 21, and enjoying a night out in Nanaimo, because it changed her entire life. “I was never the same after the phone call that I got about her being missing, and that we couldn’t find her,” Bosma told CHEK News on Sunday.
Sale of old elementary school sparks controversy in the Cowichan Valley
Dandelions are growing tall now where kids used to play at Duncan’s aging Koksilah Elementary School. The nearly 70-year-old K to 7 school was closed by the Cowichan School District in 2013. Then, it became a temporary home to Vancouver Island University’s Trades program. When VIU decided not to renew its lease, the Cowichan Valley Schools’ Board listed the sprawling property for sale on May 1st, for $3.15 million, to generate funds to repair its other facilities.
Ion lithium battery is suspected cause of large Parksville fire: Fire chief
A damaged ion lithium battery is the suspected cause of a large fire at a Parksville recycling facility on Wednesday that impacted recycling service to thousands of homes on the Mid-Island. “It was most likely started by a ion lithium battery,” said Errington Fire Chief Steve Ternes.
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