On Friday afternoon Alberni District Secondary School filled with students from local elementary schools and their families for their final wrestling tournament of the season.

Match after match, students shook hands and then took to their wrestling stance. As the whistle blew they tried out the offensive and defensive skills they had been working on at practice against their opponents.

For Liam Horbatch of Ahousaht, a Grade 6 student at EJ Dunn, he was in Grade 4 or 5 when he first tried wrestling and thoroughly enjoyed it.

As the Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA) calls for federal support for initiatives in British Columbia, the Victoria Native Friendship Center (VNFC) works to provide a full spectrum of services, including support for full-time workers and students amid the housing crisis.

“[The] number one [challenge] is affordability,” said Ron Rice, executive director of VNFC. “It's a crisis nationwide, it's not exclusive to here, but it is probably one of the most extreme versions of the challenge across the country.”

It started with alcohol addiction for 50-year-old Jacquie Dennis of Huu-ay-aht, and eventually this led to hard drugs. In 2013 Jacquie first used crystal meth with her boyfriend in Vancouver.

“He used, I saw it always happening everywhere, so I decided to try it,” she recalled.

It was her boyfriend that gave her the first shot of crystal meth.

“That first rush, the first high is what I chased, but you keep trying and never get it,” she said.

A growing collection of photos featuring Nuu-chah-nulth war veterans was featured at a dinner hosted by Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services on Wednesday, Oct. 25. But the purpose of the event was not only to pay tribute to heroes, but also to demonstrate the family connections between Nuu-chah-nulth children and war veterans ahead of Remembrance Day.

According to Leisa Hassell, Usma connections worker, the event is the second one the agency has hosted.

Since the Maa-nulth Final Agreement came into effect over a decade ago, a hole has existed right in the middle of the Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k'tles7et'h' First Nations treaty settlement land. Amid an ongoing housing shortage in its village on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island - with pressing needs for infrastructural upgrades - the 40 acres that remained under the ownership of the region’s school district lingered over the years as a barrier to the First Nation gaining the full self-determination that it had fought decades for leading up the Maa-nulth treaty.

According to comedian Don Burnstick, there are four actions needed to improve the wellness of First Nations: Pray, share, cry and laugh.

“If you want to heal the trauma, do these things – but you have to do all four,” said Burnstick during a recent talk in Port Alberni, part of the NTC Disability Access Awareness Committee Health Ability Fair, held Oct. 25-26 at the Alberni Athletic Hall.

Tseshaht Pride, a team of mainly under-17 youth, fought for first place against the Hesquiaht Descendants in the final game of the women’s division in AV Thunder’s basketball tournament, placing second overall.

“I'd say it's a bit different going to a tournament and playing people my age and then going against women,” said Natalie Clappis, a player on Tseshaht Pride. “A lot of people are a lot older than us. It's more challenging, but I like the challenge, it's fun.”

Over seven years into British Columbia’s public health emergency, a sobering message on the overdose crisis has come from a nurse who has worked with First Nations for 20 years.

Tanya Dick, a registered nurse with the B.C. Ministry of Health, said that relying on the provincial health care system to treat substance addiction “is like jumping in a boat with holes in the bottom.”

It was a neck-and-neck battle between the Vancouver Outsiders and Alberni Valley (AV) Thunder in the final game for the men’s division of this past weekend’s annual AV Thunder tournament. Both teams battled it out with fierce offense and an even fiercer defense for a captivating and close game where AV Thunder, the host team, ultimately took the win.

The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation is seeking the public’s support in changing the name of Mackenzie Beach in their homeland of Tofino back to its Indigenous name—Tinwis.

Mackenzie Beach in Tofino is where you’re likely to spot paddle boarders or kayakers rather than surfers because of its calm sheltered waters and gentle waves. The beach is home to several campgrounds and resorts including the Tla-o-qui-aht-owned Best Western Plus Tin Wis Resort.