After months of eagerly awaiting resources to respond to mariner emergencies, members of the Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k'tles7et'h' First Nation were excited to spot the new Search and Rescue vessel’s arrival on May 18.
Since 2021 Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k'tles7et'h' and the Coastal Nations Coast Guard Auxiliary (CNCCA) have been working together to get a SAR vessel in their community. In January construction began on the vessel in Sidney, B.C.
For the first time since 2019, SD70 celebrated Springfest 2023 as they opened the doors to ADSS following the pandemic lockdown. There was excitement in the air a children donned regalia, waiting with excitement for their turn to sing and dance on stage.
Springfest is a celebration of Indigenous culture being learned in regional public schools, which includes schools in Port Alberni, Bamfield, Tofino and Ucluelet.
For the first time since 2019, SD70 celebrated Springfest 2023 as they opened the doors to ADSS following the pandemic lockdown. There was excitement in the air a children donned regalia, waiting with excitement for their turn to sing and dance on stage.
Springfest is a celebration of Indigenous culture being learned in regional public schools, which includes schools in Port Alberni, Bamfield, Tofino and Ucluelet.
Summer has not yet officially arrived but several forest fires are already being fought throughout the province, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
Since April 1 of this year there have been 21 wildfires throughout the Coastal Fire Centre , part of the 207 fires that have burned in the entire province this spring.
On Jan. 31, 2023, the province of British Columbia decriminalized personal possession of some drugs, which would allot for 2.5 grams of opioid (heroin, morphine, and fentanyl), crack and powder cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA (ecstasy) for personal use, for a three year period.
The aim of the decriminalization project is to address B.C. toxic drug crisis by reducing stigmas and barriers associated with accessing life-saving services, reads the provincial website.
On Wednesday, May 12, Damon Rampanen, Nuu-chah-nulth Education Worker (NEW), and Madison Lucas, grade eight student at ADSS, set off to make traditional Nuu-chah-nulth invitations to the NTC Executive for the ADSS class of 2023 graduation ceremonies.
For Lucas, this wasn’t her first invite, she had done many invitations with her father for her Coming of Age potlatch, held on April 8, 2023.
“My father and I used to go potlatches and just go invite the chiefs of all nations to come participate in my coming of age,” said Lucas.
The Port Alberni RCMP are investigating a late-night fire that swept through the notorious Wintergreen Apartment building, claiming the life of a Nuu-chah-nulth man.
In a statement released May 19, 2023, the RCMP say they were called to a residential building in the 3600 block of Fourth Avenue on May 18, at approximately 11:12 pm.
“Officers assisted Port Alberni Fire Department to ensure residents were out of the units while the fire was extinguished. A body was located in a unit of the building and the site is secured for investigation,” reads the statement.
Every Thursday and Friday, for the last six weeks, students of Tsuma’as Elementary School have been gathering during lunch to learn and perform two songs for SD70’s and Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal council’s Spring Festival.
The first class had roughly sixty students, and six weeks later there are around thirty students that attend the drumming and singing practice consistently, shared Jean Thomas, Nuu-chah-nulth Education Worker (NEW).
– It’s been about three years since the last baby welcoming celebration at the Port Alberni Friendship Center, thanks to crowd gathering restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So this years group of new young faces was not only larger than normal but also a little older.
Ahousaht Ha’wiih started their 2023 tourist season in grand style as invited guests joined them for an excursion to the place formerly known as Maquinna Park. The day began with a departure from the docks just behind Ahous Adventures, in Tofino, where visitors boarded for either a zodiac, or covered boat. The boats are part of a fleet managed by Ahous Adventures, owned by Maaqtusiis Hahoulthee Stewardship Society (MHSS).