Infrastructure in Remote Communities

As Vancouver Island black bears emerge from hibernation, Ucluelet residents and businesses are also waking up to the reality that fines are coming for not being bear aware when it comes to garbage disposal. 

Violation of a Wildlife Attractant Bylaw - which was adopted on March 17, 2026 - is punishable by a fine of up to $50,000.

Violations include putting cooking fat/grease directly in refuse containers instead of a “metal grease collection bin with a secured metal lid”, leaving bins outside overnight and using damaged bins. 

As gas prices continue to climb due to the conflict in the Middle East, calls for a frequent and affordable bus service in the west coast and central Vancouver Island region are being amplified. 

For west coast residents, there is no bus service to Port Alberni, leaving folks without vehicles dependent on family, friends, rideshares or hitchhiking. In Port Alberni, there is a privately operated bus service with daily service to Nanaimo Departure Bay ferry terminal, but it’s prohibitively expensive for many people, with round-trip tickets costing $90.

Residents of a community adjacent to Huu-ay-aht First Nations’ Anacla are thrilled a major submarine watermain project is now complete.

Officials from the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Mar. 6 to celebrate its new $1.2 million project, which saw the construction of submarine line replacement.

Living in a small, remote community can make it hard to get fresh fruit and vegetables in a pinch. Add to that road closures due to wildfires or storms, making access to grocery stores tough for residents of Anacla and Bamfield. It also makes bringing in fresh produce equally difficult for the local grocer.

Huu-ay-aht Elected Chief Sayaacath (John Jack) said that the nation runs one small grocer in Bamfield and if it doesn’t have what you need, you’d have to drive 90 minutes to Port Alberni to the nearest grocery store.

After over two decades of negotiations with the federal government, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation (TFN) broke ground on Phase Two of their community development plan for Ty-Histanis this January.

The path to reaching this milestone dates back more than 20 years to 2003 and the initial signing of an agreement between TFN and the Government of Canada.

Each winter coastal Vancouver Island can count on periods of a steady deluge of rain – but as residents wait out the storms, there won’t always be electricity available to heat homes and refrigerate food.

On Sunday, Jan. 11 power was again cut off to the island’s northwest region, affecting the communities of Zeballos, Oclucje and Kyuquot as another atmospheric river washed through coastal B.C. From Sunday to the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 13 up to 200 millimetres was expected to hit the west coast of Vancouver Island, more than anywhere else in the province.  

The public bus service connecting Tofino and Ucluelet is expanding in the new year.

Starting Jan. 4, 2026, West Coast Transit riders will benefit from more frequent midday trips and a late-night service will also be reintroduced, with buses departing Ucluelet at 9:20 p.m. and Tofino at 10:25 p.m. 

Operated by BC Transit and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD), the West Coast Transit System has stops in Tofino, Ucluelet, Long Beach, the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ community of hitaću, and the Tla-o-qui-aht communities of Esowista and Ty-histanis.

On Friday, November 21 the Huu-ay-aht’s government office in Anacla issued a water advisory to its citizens due to a biofilm inside the water tank.

Biofilm is a bacterial film composed of a mixture of different micro-organisms that are held together and protected by glue-like materials (carbohydrates). The glue-like material that micro-organisms secrete allows them to attach themselves to surfaces.

Increased ACCESS, an Indigenous-led nonprofit that helps with animal management solutions, has created a new day to raise awareness about public health and safety inequities in Indigenous communities across Canada.

Nov. 1, 2025, marks the first Red Collar Day, a national day for truth, healing and shared responsibility — to ensure every community has the care, infrastructure, and respect needed to make dog culls, and the grief they cause, a thing of the past, says Increased ACCESS.

A Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation has been recognized provincially for its dealings with climate action.

The Uchucklesaht Tribe was one of seven communities within the province that received climate and energy action awards at the Union of BC Municipalities convention held in September in Victoria. Uchucklesaht was honoured for its climate action plan, released earlier this year.

The Nuu-chah-nulth Nation, which has its headquarters in Port Alberni, has about 350 members.