A police watchdog agency is investigating the death of Bronson Paul, a member of Tobique First Nation, in an RCMP-involved shooting on Sunday, Jan. 18 in New Brunswick.

According to the RCMP, members from the Perth Andover detachment responded to a report of a domestic dispute at a residence on Main Street at the Neqotkuk First Nation (also known as the Tobique First Nation) at about 5:06 p.m. on the Sunday afternoon.

A policy that guides how much salmon can be caught by various groups is due for revisions, and while the sports sector warns that “Your right to fish is in danger”, Nuu-chah-nulth organizations are pushing for more balanced allocations that reflect court-affirmed rights.

More than six years since his cancer diagnosis – a period that has included multiple surgeries and two rounds of radiation treatment and chemotherapy – Mike Lambert admits that he prays a lot more than he used to.

“Think positive,” said the 66-year-old Tseshaht member. “I’m not ready to go. I’m not done down here yet.”

After over two decades of negotiations with the federal government, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation (TFN) broke ground on Phase Two of their community development plan for Ty-Histanis this January.

The path to reaching this milestone dates back more than 20 years to 2003 and the initial signing of an agreement between TFN and the Government of Canada.

Ball hockey took over Maht Mahs on the last weekend of January, drawing 15 teams for a fundraising tournament to help seven individuals fighting cancer.

Ten men’s and five women’s teams took part in the eighth cancer benefit tournament on Tseshaht territory, a ball hockey event that took place annually until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. The fundraising tournament returned last year to help those struggling with the disease.

Nearly 70 schools from across British Columbia came to compete in an invitational wrestling tournament this weekend at Alberni District Secondary School.

Matches began this afternoon for the two-day tournament, which brought teams from as far as Salmon Arm in B.C.’s Shuswap region.

Opening festivities included a welcoming performance by members of the local Tseshaht First Nation.

“We’re singing because we’re proud. We’re proud of this school,” shouted Tseshaht member Martin Watts to the packed gymnasium.

The provincial government is postponing the introduction of proposed amendments to the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) that had originally been anticipated for spring 2026.

Last year, it was announced that legislation determining how British Columbia’s heritage sites are protected would be updated. The Heritage Conservation Act applies to more than 64,000 protected sites on the provincial registry – 90 per cent of which are of First Nations origin. The act, that was last revised 30 years ago, regulates how these sites are protected when work is done at the locations.

The BC Conservation Officer Service (COS) killed 13 black bears in Ucluelet last year, making the town of roughly 2,000 residents the deadliest community in British Columbia for the animals.

For the small tourist town nestled on the west coast of Vancouver Island, it’s not the kind of list you want to be at the top of. 

The BC Centre for Disease Control has issued a warning about the increase in drug poisonings seen throughout the province of British Columbia. The warning was issued January 26 to people that use illicit substances.

The warning follows an alert issued for the Cowichan Valley on January 20, where health officials saw an increase in overdose events. 

“Drug poisoning events have been increasing in British Columbia, and novel substances in the unregulated drug supply are putting people who use substances at risk province-wide,” said the BCCDC in a written statement. 

TJ Hernandez is excited to hit the mat, as the Alberni Invitational approaches at the end of this month.

“I can’t wait,” said the Grade 10 student, an Ahousaht member in his second year of wrestling at Alberni District Secondary School. “I’m trying to work on techniques and learn a few different moves.”