Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation signed an agreement with the province that will guide future negotiations of reconciliation on Oct. 14.

Located on the west coast of Vancouver Island near Tofino, the Nuu-chah-nulth nation has long been fighting to be acknowledged in their pursuit of reconciliation.

"The signing of this important document represents 19 years of discussions," said Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Elected Chief Moses Martin, in a release. "We are pleased that we are finally moving forward on the path of reconciliation.”

The Huu-ay-aht First Nations has released an independent evaluation of its Social Services Project that reveals the number of children in care is decreasing.

Launched in 2017, the goal of the project was to ensure all Huu-ay-aht children grow up in safe and healthy homes that are connected to culture. 

When 21 per cent of the nation’s children were in foster care in 2018, Huu-ay-aht declared a public health emergency.

A task team has been created to help resolve Indigenous-specific racism in British Columbia’s health care system.

It comes in response to one of the 24 recommendations made in the In Plain Sight Report, which identified that Indigenous peoples in B.C. have inequitable access to health-care services.

In the report, Independent reviewer Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said thousands of interviews created a picture “of a B.C. health care system with widespread systemic racism against Indigenous peoples. This racism results in a range of negative impacts, harm, and even death.”

Island Health has declared an outbreak of COVID-19 at Tofino General Hospital.

In a statement issued Oct. 12, Island Health said, “Four patients have tested positive for COVID-19 related to this outbreak. The outbreak at TGH is limited to the inpatient unit.”

Island Health immediately implemented precautions including enhanced cleaning. They are working on contact tracing and are in communication with patients, family, and hospital staff.

Days after the B.C. Supreme Court denied a request to continue an injunction against protestors interfering with forestry activities near Port Renfrew, another judge has heeded the concerns of Teal Cedar Products, granting a temporary extension to police enforcement.

A new Virtual Indigenous Justice Centre (VIJC) is offering Indigenous peoples in B.C. access to legal services online for free.

The initiative is a collaboration between the BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) and the province. It initially began as a response to COVID-19 but will continue to have a life beyond the pandemic, said Renzo Caron, BCFNJC provincial director of Indigenous justice centres.

The order to close the Ahousaht village of Maaqtusiis to non-residents has been lifted as COVID-19 numbers dropped from 23 cases in mid September to three, elected chief Greg Louie said in a video update to membership on Thursday, Oct. 7.

The update, delivered via live video on social media, began with Chief Louie sending condolences out the families of loved ones lost in the past few weeks. The video was recorded on the evening of Oct. 7 after the third funeral that week. The recent losses were not COVID-related.

A sleek, hot pink paddle hangs on a wall inside the historic Mahon Hall on Salt Spring Island, off the coast of Vancouver Island. The art piece by Klehwetua Rodney Sayers is part of the Salt Spring National Art Prize’s 2021-2022 Finalist Exhibition.

The prestigious biennial competition and exhibition of Canadian visual art received 2,700 submissions, which were narrowed down to 52 finalists from across the country, and abroad.

Sayers was among them for the second time in the four years it’s been running.

The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council is looking for any information from the public on the whereabouts of Ivan Glaim-Frank, an 18-year-old who has been missing since Sept. 26. Glaim-Frank was last seen on this date in Kelowna, where he was temporarily staying. Any information can be sent to Provincial Centralised Screening at 1-800-663-9122.

A new four-part documentary that shines a light on British Columbia’s complex multi-cultural history is about to debut on the Knowledge Network. The series features interviews with people from a variety of cultures knowledgeable about history from their perspective, including Nuu-chah-nulth-aht Joe Martin, Cliff Atleo Jr., and Johnny Mack.