The West Coast General’s ICU remains closed a month a half after a staffing shortage forced the hospital to scale back critical care services - but three nurses have been hired to help with the situation, with several more candidates being considered.
Time to rock the tie-dye and bell-bottoms you Totem fans because this coming January 8, 9 and 10, Alberni District Secondary School’s (ADSS) legendary Totem high school basketball tournament is turning 70.
Mariella Huebner says the whole weekend is going to be ‘70s themed. She is one of eight Grade 12 students vying for the Totem Spirit award.
The Hesquiaht Descendants are confident they can improve upon their performance from last February at the upcoming All Native Basketball Tournament.
The women’s squad is gearing up for the 2026 tourney, which will be staged in Prince Rupert from Feb. 14-21.
The tournament, which will celebrate its 66th edition next year, is one of the most prestigious Indigenous hoops events in British Columbia.
The maximum of 64 squads will compete in the 2026 tourney. Clubs will be divided into five divisions.
For 30-minutes each week, students in Ucluelet Secondary School’s (USS) Reading for Pleasure are whisked away to the library to cozy up with a book and eat healthy snacks.
No phones. No social media. The only AI in the room is All Imagination.
“The key is to have books that they actually want to read,” said USS librarian and English department chair Lucas Anderson. “A lot of the books were outdated and not connecting with the kids.”
The public bus service connecting Tofino and Ucluelet is expanding in the new year.
Starting Jan. 4, 2026, West Coast Transit riders will benefit from more frequent midday trips and a late-night service will also be reintroduced, with buses departing Ucluelet at 9:20 p.m. and Tofino at 10:25 p.m.
Operated by BC Transit and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD), the West Coast Transit System has stops in Tofino, Ucluelet, Long Beach, the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ community of hitaću, and the Tla-o-qui-aht communities of Esowista and Ty-histanis.
It’s been just over fifty years since the 1975 International Conference of Indigenous Peoples was held on Tseshaht territory – a gathering for international Aboriginal solidarity that took place in the former Alberni Indian Residential School.
Indigenous representatives from 19 countries attended the inaugural conference, which made up about 260 participants and 135 observers.
A salmon restoration project involving the Ditidaht First Nation has received international recognition from the United Nations.
In recent years work has continued to repair salmon habitat in a part of Ditidaht territory that falls within the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Recognized as part of a Parks Canada initiative, this work in the Cheewaht watershed has been selected for the UN World Restoration Flagship award.
Campbell River’s Berwick by the Sea retirement community is lit up with holiday flair, while across the street a mural portraying the word L-O-V-E fades on the side of boarded up building that was once a lifeline for the homeless.
Six months ago, at the end of June 2025, Kwesa Place and Hem’?aelas Community Kitchen were forced to close after the City of Campbell River bought the properties for redevelopment.
Mike Roberts sinks into his chair after a full Totem 70 media day.
Going on 20 years as athletic director for Alberni District Secondary School (ADSS), Roberts is notably tired from the press blitz, but revs back up to sing praise about their new Indigenized logo.
“It’s the story of the great flood. It’s the storm,” he said as he pulls up a photo of a traditional woven basket on his phone.
The basket is crafted in a circular pattern to depict a tidal wave.
Through an agreement with B.C.’s Ministry of Children and Family Development, the Huu-ay-aht are marking another step in ensuring that more of its youngsters stay with family and remain connected to the First Nation.