A massive undersea volcanic eruption triggered a weekend tsunami alert and sent surges of waves up Vancouver Island inlets on Sunday morning.
Hunga-Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai is an undersea volcano located in the Tonga region of the South Pacific, more than 9,000 kilometres from Vancouver Island. According to reports, the volcano has been active in recent weeks, having previously erupted on Dec. 20 and Jan. 13.
It’s been over three months since 109 shipping containers were knocked from a cargo ship traveling through rough seas off the west coast of Vancouver Island, yet the location of all but four remain unknown.
Ashley Tapp, co-founder of Epic Exeo, said her initial optimism that the ship’s owner would be held accountable for the missing containers has begun to fade.
“I’m starting to get pretty discouraged,” she said.
Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. is introducing nine camera sensor units to its fish farm operations along the east and west coast of Vancouver Island.
Designed by OptoScale, a Norwegian technology company, the sensors and software enable real-time analysis of fish biomass and welfare.
Up until now, Grieg Seafood said the only way to acquire accurate data about farmed salmon populations’ growth and performance was through harvesting.
British Columbia has plans to expand its inventory and distribution of rapid COVID-19 tests that can be used at home by individuals experiencing symptoms of the virus.
Case rates from the latest variant, Omicron, have risen to the highest levels seen during the pandemic, according to the BC COVID-19 Modelling Group.
The modelling group, which works on rapid response modelling of the pandemic, estimates that prior to Christmas, Omicron cases in B.C. were growing 21 to 26 per cent each day, doubling every three to 3.6 days.
Mariah Charleson is disappointed she won’t be showcasing her basketball skills in Prince Rupert next month.
But Charleson, who founded the Hesquiaht Descendants women’s basketball squad in 2015, is hoping she will indeed have the opportunity to travel with her teammates to the British Columbia city this spring.
The Descendants had registered to compete in this year’s All Native Basketball Tournament (ANBT), which had originally been scheduled to commence on Feb. 13.
Keith Henry is much more upbeat now than he was just a few months ago.
Henry, who is the president and CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), was rather gloomy this past September.
At the time he said research indicated it would take until 2028, and possibly even 2030, for the country’s Indigenous tourism industry to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
An innovative trades education program is bringing much-needed infrastructure to Nuu-chah-nulth communities, while delivering trades skills to students.
The future of pacific salmon will depend on how effectively global greenhouse gas emissions can be controlled, according to a 2022 forecast on West Coast returns delivered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
With an emphasis on the continued effects of global warming - including higher ocean temperatures, drier streams, increased forest fires and heavy flooding - this year’s overall returns are expected to be below the historical average.
A Nuu-chah-nulth leader is urging people to follow provincial health guidelines after contracting COVID-19. Ken Watts, Tseshaht elected chief, said in a social media post that he started feeling rough on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 6.
“I had my COVID-19 test yesterday and today my results came back positive for COVID-19,” he wrote.
Watts said that he considers himself a healthy person and is fully vaccinated except for the booster.
Christmas arrived a week early for Tseshaht First Nation with a $350 specific payment to each member, a dispersal of forestry revenues the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the 1950s.
“We had a good, successful year this year and we were able to give a bit of what we earned,” said Tseshaht Chief Councillor Ken Watts.
Some extra cash — a modest sum in relation to the soaring cost of groceries — would go a long way to easing financial constraints and hardships, but there was more behind the specific payment than earnings alone, Watts explained.