This week a court in Vancouver hears from First Nations affected by residential schools to determine if Canada should proceed with a $2.8-billion settlement to help communities recover from long-standing harms caused by the assimilationist institutions.
A tradition that’s been happening for more than 30 years is returning to the Ucluelet-Tofino area in March.
The 35th Pacific Rim Whale Festival will be running during spring break, following limited festivities over the past few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Started by whale watcher Brian Congdon in the 1980s, he realized that the industry every year was waiting for the return of grey whales to the area, and proposed a festival to celebrate this.
First Nations people living on reserve who had water advisories for extended periods of time could be eligible for compensation if they lived somewhere listed in the settlement agreement.
According to the First Nations Drinking Water Class Action website, the courts have approved a settlement. The agreement is between Canada and certain First Nations, concerning members who were subject to a drinking water advisory that lasted at least one year between November 20, 1995, and June 20, 2021.
Bill C-21, gun control legislation that is currently being considered in Ottawa, was intended to address firearm violence and strengthen laws by controlling handguns and assault rifles. In late November, the Liberal party proposed amendments to the bill that would impact hunters with its broader scope of banning rifles.
At the beginning of February, the amendment that would include some long guns and rifles used for hunting had been withdrawn, though it has been speculated that is only temporary.
After a disappointing first trial, the second batch of fish being raised in a semi-closed system in Ahousaht territory is “exceeding expectations”, raising hope that the technology will add another stage to salmon farming that removes contact between farmed and wild stocks.
This month the Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia reported that the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) did not provide Indigenous peoples in correctional centers with adequate or consistent mental health and substance use services.
In British Columbia, Indigenous people are starkly over represented in corrections centers. With Aboriginal people making up 5.9 per cent of the population in the province, 35 per cent of those in custody at correction centers identify as Indigenous.
The Ahousaht Wellness Center, under construction on the site of the former Ahousaht Indian Residential School, is near completion and plans are to have it up and running by the end of May, according to elected Chief n̓aasʔałuk (John Rampanen).
“Construction has been ongoing for just over two years and there was a financial hiccup but that has been resolved,” he told Ha-Shilth-Sa.
Les Doiron of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ First Nation has been named the next vice-president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, after being voted into the position today by NTC society members.
The tribal council held an extraordinary general meeting to fill the position, which was vacated with the resignation of former vice-president Mariah Charleson in November. Doiron was the only Nuu-chah-nulth member to step forward for the role, but a vote from society members was still required, which saw the new VP earn 67.8 per cent of votes cast by 59 society members.
Editor's note: This article contains material which may be disturbing to some readers
Through over a year of research that included ground-penetrating radar and extensive analysis of testimonials from former students, an investigative team has announced that at least 67 children died while attending the Alberni Indian Residential School.
The Hesquiaht Descendants were able to enjoy some success at this year’s All Native Basketball Tournament (ANBT).
But an early loss to the eventual champs of the women’s category at the event, which concluded this past Saturday in Prince Rupert, hindered the Descendants’ chances of even more glory.