Media
The last stand: Thousands flock to logging blockades near Port Renfrew
After over a decade of documenting B.C.’s last remaining old-growth ecosystems, TJ Watt said he hadn’t come across anything quite like the grove of red cedars hidden in the upper reaches of the Caycuse watershed, near Port Renfrew.
“It was truthfully one of the most stunning old-growth…
Tseshaht sing for 215 children buried in Kamloops
A crowd assembled outside of the Tseshaht First Nation’s administrative office today to recognise 215 souls lost at a residential school elsewhere in the province.
Elders sat in the shade in front of the building by the Somass River as dozens sang in honour of the recent discovery that…
Arrests continue at the Caycuse blockade
Dozens of police officers descended upon the Caycuse camp near the Fairy Creek watershed, enforcing a court injunction against blockades preventing Teal-Jones from accessing several stands of old-growth forest.
As of May 20, there have been 21 arrests made since the RCMP began enforcing…
School garden opens up possibilities amid COVID restrictions
On a crisp morning in early May, a group of teenagers from Port Alberni’s Eight Avenue Learning Centre were working the field in front of their school, realizing the garden they had conceived over the previous winter months.
Within a metal fence that had been erected a month prior, the…
RCMP begins enforcing court injunction at Fairy Creek
The RCMP moved into an area near the Fairy Creek Watershed on Monday to enforce a court injunction banning blockades from preventing old-growth logging in southern Vancouver Island, within Pacheedaht First Nation’s traditional territory.
In a statement, RCMP said that anyone who breaches…
Fisheries warriors: A look back at Nuu-chah-nulth-aht prior to the Ahousaht case
“If we lose the herring we will have no salmon!” said Simon Lucas at a Nuu-chah-nulth fisheries meeting more than 30 years ago. Nearly four years after the Hesquiaht elder’s passing, Julia Lucas recalled how passionate her husband was about Nuu-chah-nulth-aht’s right to harvest and to manage…
Tla-o-qui-aht muschim mark Red Dress Day in solemn ceremony at Sutton Pass
A carved wooden sign at Sutton Pass summit marks the entrance to Tla-o-qui-aht territory. That is where a small group of people gathered to remember Nuu-chah-nulth loved ones that are missing or were murdered in an event organized by Nora Martin of Tla-o-qui-aht.
May 5 is recognized…
Returning to Kelsmaht’s traditional territory
The tide was out in the early morning as Genevieve Mack ran towards her grandmother who was carrying a burden basket loaded with wood.
While returning home on the east end of Vargas Island, they walked past a row of canoes that neatly lined Yaksis, otherwise known as a white-sandy beach…
Mountain hut at 5040 Peak is named Hišimy̓awiƛ
As the darkness of night set in, Hayden Seitcher resorted to his headlight to guide the way up 5040 Peak. It was only the beginning of October but the mountain was already covered in snow. Pushing through, the Tla-o-qui-aht man mounted higher until he noticed faint lights glimmering in the…
Indigenous-owned kelp company launches in Tofino
Stevie Dennis and Jordan White live in their respective boats that are moored across from each other on Strawberry Island, in the Tofino inlet. For the business partners and friends, the ocean is their very lifeline.
Recently, they further cemented their ties to the sea by launching…
Remembering Clifton Johnston: more than 100 people attend candlelight vigil
“I just dropped him off for a visit and was supposed to pick him up,” said Iris Clarke through her tears as she clutched framed photographs her son to her heart.
Clarke is the mother of 20-year-old Clifton Johnston, who was found murdered in front of the Port Alberni Friendship Center on…
Herring integral to B.C.'s ecological health and preservation of Nuu-chah-nulth traditions
Outside of their Port Alberni home, Hesquiaht elected chief Joshua Charleson and his wife, Letitia, were busy at work preparing herring for their smokehouse.
Having only smoked herring once before, Letitia was supported through the process by Charleson, who was taught by his mother.
…