The Pacific Rim School District has launched a co-governance model with local Nuu-chah-nulth nations, aiming to strengthen relationships, advance reconciliation and foster collaborative leadership in public education.
The Cowichan River and the Heart of Fraser are tied for first place in this year’s Endangered Rivers List, released by the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C. (ORBC).
Other rivers made it to the list, including the Elk River in Kootenay, Kettle River in the Okanagan, Stikine River in the northwest region, the Similkameen River in the Southern Interior and the Thompson/Chilcotin rivers steelhead in the Interior.
The decriminalization of illicit drug use in B.C. will end Jan. 31, as Minister of Health Josie Osborne admits that the three-year project “hasn’t delivered the results we had hoped for.”
The Nuu-chah-nulth Youth Warrior Program has expanded in a big way, thanks to new funding from various government departments.
The program seeks to strengthen the confidence and capacity of young Nuu-chah-nulth leaders by helping them prepare for the future through life skills and employment training. They work with elders and knowledge-keepers to guide the programs.
A baby Bigg’s (Transient) orca photographed travelling with T068C pod near Tonquin Beach off Tofino on Jan. 5 appears to be in poor health and will likely die, according to whale researcher and Executive Director of Bay Cetology Jared Towers.
He said the little calf is very skinny, very young and has an open wound on its dorsal fin.
Each winter coastal Vancouver Island can count on periods of a steady deluge of rain – but as residents wait out the storms, there won’t always be electricity available to heat homes and refrigerate food.
On Sunday, Jan. 11 power was again cut off to the island’s northwest region, affecting the communities of Zeballos, Oclucje and Kyuquot as another atmospheric river washed through coastal B.C. From Sunday to the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 13 up to 200 millimetres was expected to hit the west coast of Vancouver Island, more than anywhere else in the province.
Hesquiaht First Nation’s Mariella Huebner was one of seven Alberni District Secondary School (ADSS) Grade 12 students to run for the Totem Spirit award this year.
As part of her campaign, Huebner organized a Christmas community toy drive for the Salvation Army and volunteered at the hospital.
“We all have so much to offer in our own unique way. I didn’t really care about winning. Winning was giving the opportunity to be allowed to run for Totem Spirit,” said Huebner on Totem 70 finals day.
Totem fans trickled in slowly, starting with the senior girls final at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10, which saw Nanaimo’s Dover Bay Dolphins outshoot Victoria’s Pacific Christian Pacers 88-73 to win a Totem 70 trophy.
Dolphins head coach Shayne Pfeiffer said his team pushed hard throughout the three-day basketball tournament. They opened with a 50-44 win over Alberni Storm girls on Thursday.
“We are really proud of them. It’s always a circled date on our calendar to be here at Totem and to go away with gold medals is just icing on the cake,” said coach Pfeiffer.
British Columbia’s police oversight agency has determined that officers acted appropriately when they shot a Tla-o-qui-aht woman after responding to a domestic disturbance call in 2021.
While it wasn’t the worst fire season in B.C. history, the 2025 wildfires of central Vancouver Island impacted the lives of far more residents than in previous years.
The two wildfires near Port Alberni proved that west coast communities are vulnerable when it comes to road access. While one fire burned at Cameron Lake another fire broke out on Franklin River Road, cutting Port Alberni off from the provincially-established emergency detour route.