General

The Quu?asa team from the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council’s Mental Health department hosted Picnic in the Park for urban Nuu-chah-nulth living away from home in Port Alberni. The event was held June 15 at Harbour Quay.

Organizer and outreach worker Justin Dorward, who works with urban Nuu-chah-nulth-aht struggling with addiction issues, said the annual event was initiated some years back by former outreach worker John Gomez who wanted to make sure that those living away from their home communities knew they were not forgotten.

Ahousaht’s Maaqtusis Schools' Sports Day was held June 6. The day started out with the 50m race, and went through the 100, 200 and 400 metre races.

Relays and spin and run games and a marathon race were also held. The school saved the fun games—the Spoon and Ball and the Hokey Pokey — until last.

The community came out to watch the kids and teaching staff compete. 

It was a fun day for all.

Staff of NETP (the Nuu-chah-nulth Employment and Training Program) opened the doors of their Port Alberni offices June 13 to invite people for a tour of their facility and to see what they have to offer.

Operating since 2010, NETP offers training and employment readiness services to all Aboriginal, Metis and Inuit people residing in Nuu-chah-nulth territories. Besides the main office in Port Alberni, there are regional offices in Gold River and Ucluelet to serve people living in coastal communities.

The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council executive, President Debra Foxcroft and Vice President Ken Watts, presented First Nations Summit Task Force member Ed John with a traditional rattle in recognition of his hard work on behalf of Indigenous people over the years.

Nuu-chah-nulth oral history was used to emphasize the need for earthquake monitoring and, better yet, prediction.

Naomi Yamamoto, minister of State for Emergency Preparedness, told Ha-Shilth-Sa the devastating mega-quake that struck the West Coast of Vancouver Island in January 1700 left behind many lessons, some of which are only now being fully understood.

Students and Nuu-chah-nulth Education Worker Jason Sam celebrated the end of the Ucluelet Secondary School classes by thanking all the people that came in to teach them throughout the year.

On June 8, Sam invited guest teachers to the school garden to enjoy some tlup-chus (a traditional salmon barbecue), bannock and fresh vegetables.

Ditidaht First Nation hosted the fifth annual TRC Paddle Days June 8 and June 9 at their home in Malachan with participation from about 160 students from kindergarten to Grade 12 from five B.C. schools (Ditidaht, Haahuupayak, Pacheedaht, Windsor House, a school from north Vancouver, and Saturna Educational Centre, a school on Saturna).

See our photos here: http://www.hashilthsa.com/gallery/ditidaht-paddle-day-june-8

8:45 am Thursday: Tseshaht First Nation Office

At the edge of the Somass River, Scott Lorette of the Vancouver-based Heavy Urban Search And Rescue team is setting up a mobile water desalination/disinfection system.

According to the Exercise Coastal Response scenario, the previous day, Tseshaht Emergency Coordinator Lisa Gallic contacted HUSAR to advise that the Tseshaht water supply was unusable. (This was the scenario hinted at by HUSAR Training Officer Kirk Heaven on opening day.)

As part of the ongoing coverage of Exercise Coastal Response, Ha-Shilth-Sa was invited to cover the arrival of the elite Vancouver-based Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) team.

According to the exercise scenario, a Magnitude 9 earthquake struck at 7:45 am Tuesday, followed almost immediately by a 20-metre tsunami.

The squad set up its base of operations on Tuesday morning at the Fall Fair Grounds. HUSAR Training Officer Kirk Heaven pointed out that, in the event of a genuine earthquake/tsunami emergency, his unit would likely not arrive for two or three days.

At 7:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, a Magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Twenty minutes later, a 20-metre tsunami surged up Alberni Inlet, causing catastrophic damage all the way up to the City of Port Alberni.

Don’t feel bad if you missed the shaking and flooding. It’s all part of Exercise Coastal Response, now unfolding across the city and beyond, involving an unprecedented mobilization of federal, provincial, municipal, regional and First Nations resources.