PQBeat: COVID-19 pandemic hits food service industry hard

Restaurant owners Oura and Kymon Giakoumakis visit the PQB News/VI Free Daily studio. (Peter McCully photo)
Podcast: Parksville Qualicum Beach restaurant owners share thoughts and advice

Saanich Fire Department on the scene after a car crashed into the Walmart in Uptown. (Photo courtesy Dan Wood)

Firefighters free workers trapped in freezer, after senior plows car through B.C. Walmart wall
Nanaimo RCMP are asking for the public’s help in identifying the man suspected of being involved in a stabbing. (Photo submitted)

Nanaimo RCMP trying to identify stabbing suspect who wielded rusty knife
New Mexico primed to join U.S. recreational pot wave

New Mexico primed to join U.S. recreational pot wave
Reservations open April 13 for these guided Rocky Mountain hikes!

Reservations open April 13 for these guided Rocky Mountain hikes!

The inside of the Campbell River Community Centre gymnasium has been marked off in order to facilitate the public flowing through the clinic as they receive their COVID-19 vaccination. Photo by Alistair Taylor – Campbell river Mirror

Leftover vaccines go into arms, not down the drain: Island Health
A man wears a face mask past the emergency department of the Vancouver General Hospital. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

Calls for stricter action in B.C. as COVID-19 variants projected to climb
Parry Gallagher, owner of Coombs Junction Furniture & Mattress, welcomes two exciting new British Columbia furniture manufacturers to the showroom floor this month: Ratana and Sahara Furniture.

Just in time for spring: new BC designs for home and patio
    Berwick Parksville will include pickleball courts and other outdoor spaces for active seniors. Register now to move in next spring! (Photo: Joshua Lawrence Studios Inc)

    Hear what these seniors have to say about resort-style living in a Berwick Retirement Community
      Video
      A man wearing a protective face mask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 checks his phone as the sun sets in English Bay in Vancouver, B.C., Monday, April 5, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

      From now on, all COVID-19 cases in B.C. presumed to be more infectious variants: Henry

      A server clears a table on a patio at a restaurant, in Vancouver, on Friday, April 2, 2021. B.C. has banned indoor dining at restaurants and bars as part of a three-week measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 amid growing concern about the spread of COVID-19 variants. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

      B.C. businesses hurt by COVID ‘circuit breaker’ can apply for grants up to $10K

      A basket of needles containing Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine waits to be administered to patients at a COVID-19 clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

      B.C.’s COVID-19 case count up to 1,068 on Tuesday

      A cross made out of hockey sticks at a makeshift memorial is silhouetted against the setting sun at the intersection of a fatal bus crash near Tisdale, Sask., on Monday, April, 9, 2018. A virtual tribute is planned to mark the third anniversary of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

      VIDEO: Humboldt Broncos team to be honoured on third anniversary of fatal bus crash

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      News
      Vancouver’s park board general manager issued a new order Friday restricting tents and other temporary structures from being set up in Strathcona Park after April 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

      Vancouver park board issues order to restrict tents in Strathcona Park

      The order issued Friday restricted tents and other temporary structures from being set up after April 30

      The Queen, centre, Prince Philip, right, and Princess Anne relax as they sail to Victoria, B.C., on May 3, 1971 accompanied out of Vancouver harbour by numerous small craft. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Croke

      A look at the more than 20 trips Prince Philip made to Canada

      The Queen and Prince Philip have lavished much attention on Canada over their lives

      More in News 

      Community
      Mary Ellen Berry is an SOS Thrift Shop Volunteer. National Volunteer Week is April 18-24 and this year the theme is ‘the value of one, the power of many.’ (Lissa Alexander photo)

      National Volunteer Week: ‘The value of one, the power of many’

      Programs at SOS highlighted April 18-24

      Suzie Bruce, left, and Ray Bruce, right, holding Ray’s heart after his transplant. His old heart was donated to the Cardiovascular Tissue Registry at the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, where it will be used for research and educational purposes. (Submitted photo)

      Qualicum Beach man ‘a true Canadian at heart’ following amazing transplant story

      Herculean effort from RCMP officer to make contact just in time

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      What GOOD are you seeing in your community?

      Tell us about your favourite cause. Celebrate friends, family, and neighbours for their acts of kindness. Show your employees volunteering in the community. Ask for needed supplies and volunteers for your cause. Share fundraising event details.  
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      Read more stories here

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      Sports
      Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning says the players who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 are recovering and the team still intends to play a 56-game season. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

      Canucks players ‘mostly on the other side’ of COVID outbreak: general manager

      The athletes have had a “whole range” of COVID-19 symptoms, said team physician Dr. Jim Bovard, but no one has needed to be hospitalized

      This photo provided by the New York Rangers shows New York Rangers NHL hockey defenseman Jacob Trouba receiving a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday, April 7, 2021. (Nick Homler/New York Rangers via AP)

      NHL grapples with vaccine inequity between U.S. and Canada

      Vancouver Canucks reported 21 players and four staff members tested positive for the virus

      More in Sports 

      Entertainment
      Karen Golden will portray Ann Landers in the ECHO Players digital production of ‘The Lady With All The Answers’ by David Rambo. Show dates will be May 7, 8 and 9, at 7:30 p.m., and tickets can be purchased online starting April 14. (Submitted photo)

      Qualicum Beach’s ECHO Players move from onstage to online with ‘The Lady With All The Answers’

      Play will be performed and recorded at the Village Theatre

      Susan White at her home studio in French Creek. Her work will be juried by senior members of the FCA during the organization’s exhibit at the MAC this month. (Mandy Moraes photo)

      French Creek artist Susan White to be part of FCA juried exhibit in April

      Showcasing floral pastel pieces for the first time

      More in Entertainment 

      Business
      Quality Foods plans to use electric trucks to help reduce its environmental footprint. (Photo courtesy Quality Foods)

      Vancouver Island-based Quality Foods plans switch to electric trucks

      Charging stations for Tesla semis to be constructed in Parksville

      A worker smooths concrete at a construction site in Toronto on January 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

      Economy adds 303,000 jobs in March, unemployment rate falls: Statistics Canada

      Figure released this morning outpaced the 259,000 gain seen in February

      More in Business 

      Obituaries

      Bruce Doak

      Apr 6th, 2021

      Mildred ‘Millie’ Say (nee Mousley)

      Apr 2nd, 2021

      Lubi ‘Lou’ Henne

      Mar 31st, 2021

      Robyn Willis

      Mar 29th, 2021

      Brian Hargreaves

      Mar 26th, 2021

      Helen Buholzer (née Docherty)

      Mar 25th, 2021

      See Celebrations of Life See More Obituaries 

      Opinion

      (Black Press Media file photo)

      POLL: Are you a registered organ donor?

      Question of the week

      (File art)

      EDITORIAL: Consistent COVID-19 messaging needed from B.C. leaders

      eEdition

      Parksville Qualicum Beach News, Apr 7

      Recent Issues

       

      More in Opinion 

      Trending Now
      St. John Ambulance therapy dog volunteer Ashley Desautels and her therapy dog Beau. (Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS)

      St. John Ambulance providing ‘pawsitive’ support with virtual therapy dog event

      With hospital, care home and school visits on hold, service finds another way to connect

      Scott Cave and Lucky free falling after leaping from an airplane at 10,000 feet. Cave says the stories you hear in drop zones can be very personal. Taylor “Moose” Cividino photo, courtesy of Skydive Vancouver.

      Abbotsford skydiver recounts heartfelt moment with 1st time jumper

      ‘How can I not love my job?’ Scott Cave says

      More in Trending Now 

      Life
      Marnie Naka . Photography by Darren Hull

      Secrets and Lives Interview with Marnie Naka

      Calgary transplant enjoys the Okanagan outdoor lifestyle on her mountain bike

        Chris Turyk, Marketing Director, stands outside the tasting room at Unsworth Vineyards. Don Denton photo

        Secrets and Lives Interview with Chris Turyk

        Marketing Director and Sommelier at Unsworth Vineyards talks wine and food

          More in Life 

          Impress
          Berwick Qualicum Beach has a gym for active seniors, plus an Active Living Team for fitness assessments, classes and more! (Photo: Joshua Lawrence Studios)

          Senior fitness: What’s possible (almost anything), and what to watch for

          Whatever your goal, the specialists at Berwick Qualicum Beach can help you get there

            The M+N Mattress and Sofa team boasts a plethora of awards, including multiple BBB Torch Awards. Here, Mark, his wife Neelam and daughter Natasha receive a Torch Award.

            Is your mattress keeping you up at night?

            Three ways to check if your mattress needs replacing

              More in Impress