As community members from Ahousaht First Nation gathered inside the gymnasium at Maaqtusiis Secondary on Flores Island, deep roars of thunder penetrated the room.

“The ancestors are here in full force,” said Rebecca Atleo, Ahousaht Education Authority director of education. “It's very indicative of the excitement that we have for today.”

Addressing those gathered on August 10, Atleo revealed that the nation received $8.3 million towards the construction of a new bighouse through the federal government’s Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program. 

This year’s sockeye salmon return in the Somass River came in around double what the pre-season run size estimate was.

While the Somass River pre-season forecast hovered around 400,000, it was re-forecasted to 950,000 as of July 28.

It’s a trend that is being observed coast-wide – from Bristol Bay to the Fraser River, according to Tseshaht First Nation Fisheries Manager Dave Rolston.

“I think all the fisheries benefited from increased numbers,” he said. 

The 30th anniversary of Yuquot Summerfest included a screening of a recently completed film that introduces the ancestral home of the Mowachaht people to a wider audience.

Showcasing what’s possible by Indigenous-owned businesses was the main message behind the second annual Cims Fest at Chims Guest House on Tseshaht territory.

Naomi Nicholson and her husband Ed hosted the event for the second consecutive year at their property on Aug. 6. The couple, who own Chims Guest House at 6890 Pacific Rim Hwy., want to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together to build a relationship through a shared cultural experience. The festival showcased Indigenous artwork and vendors, a fashion show, traditional food, storytelling, song and dance.

When Sanford Williams returns to his home at the south edge of Nootka Island each summer, there is little time to waste. The carver has made a practice to starting work at 6 in the morning, usually finishing by 7 or 8 in the evening.

With more than 40 years of experience of crafting with the knife, Williams knows just what lies before him when he returns to Yuquot each June. The period usually lasts three months before he returns to his wife Marlana in Hope.

The importance of reading the fine print became blatantly clear to Arni Robinson, after he was almost stuck with a payment he didn’t negotiate for while recently buying a new electric car.

For years the retired commercial fisherman and his wife have pondered getting an electric car, but it wasn’t until recently that prices became reasonable enough to make the transition viable.

The Huu-ay-aht and Western Forest Products unveiled a design this week to be placed throughout their partnership company, with attention to a more holistic approach to using natural resources than what has been practiced in the past.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the next phase of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan on July 19. It comes with a commitment to add $2 billion over nine years.

This builds on the $1.5 billion that’s been directed towards the program, which was launched in 2016.

Established to strengthen the protection of Canada’s coasts and wildlife, the Oceans Protection Plan is being labelled as a “Canadian success story” by the prime minister’s office (PMO).