Alert Bay leaders ban alleged assailant after nurse attacked

Alert Bay leaders ban alleged assailant after nurse attacked

Village of Alert Bay mayor says assailant attacked nurse on the street while she was on an evening walk

The leaders of a small community off north Vancouver Island have agreed to ban a woman from the area after she allegedly assaulted a travel nurse serving the local hospital.

Don Svanvik, elected chief with the 'Namgis First Nation on Cormorant Island, called the incident "a really unfortunate and tragic event."

"It's a really troubling, difficult one to sort out," Svanvik said. "This whole community is ours and we need to protect ourselves and protect visitors."

Svanvik said the nurse was out for an evening walk when the assault happened.

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Village of Alert Bay Mayor Dennis Buchanan said the assailant came out of a house and allegedly attacked the nurse on the street. Buchanan said it wasn't clear what provoked the attack.

Two young women who witnessed the assault intervened, he added.

"We're very grateful to those two young ladies for stepping up and putting themselves at risk to stop an assault," he said.

Buchanan and Svanvik said the female assailant is not from Alert Bay, and was visiting from another community.

The nurse is from Calgary and has since gone home, Svanvik said, adding that she had worked at the hospital in Alert Bay on several occasions.

"She's a wonderful lady," Svanvik said. "We're hopeful that she's willing to come back."

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Svanvik said community leaders have banned people from Cormorant Island before, but it hasn't happened very often.

Buchanan said he supported the decision.

"I wholeheartedly agree," he said. "We have decided in this community that if people really step out of line here, we don't want them here."

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The assailant is know to some in the community, he said, and photos of her have been circulating — so if she is spotted, she will be escorted back to the ferry that connects Cormorant Island to Port McNeill and Malcolm Island.

CBC News reached out to RCMP about the alleged assault, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Maryse Zeidler is a reporter with CBC British Columbia who covers news from Nanaimo and north Vancouver Island. You can reach her at maryse.zeidler@cbc.ca.