Bobby Rupert grew up with his grandparents who lived a few houses down from the Tseshaht First Nation’s Maht Mahs Gym in Port Alberni. He remembers being lured in by the sounds of basketballs hitting the ground floor as a young boy.

At the time, Rupert’s grandparents couldn’t afford basketball shoes or a net for him to practice. So, he took matters into his own hands. 

The self-described “Mr. basketball” created makeshift nets by cutting holes into the bottom of buckets that he nailed to the wall. He’s been hooked ever since.

Beach clean-up efforts are underway to remove the debris from 109 shipping containers that were knocked off a cargo ship in rough seas off the coast of Vancouver Island on Oct. 22. 

Hazardous chemicals are in at least two of the adrift containers that have not been located. Other contents, including Christmas decorations, sofas, poker boards, metal car parts, clothing, toys, yoga mats, stand-up paddle boards, as well as industrial parts, are starting to wash up on beaches along the northern coast of Vancouver Island. 

Ten new childcare spaces have been created at a daycare centre located at EJ Dunn Elementary School, doubling their capacity from 10 spaces to 20.

At a grand opening on Oct. 26 Early Learning Principal Stacey Manson said the new spaces, which includes the development of an outdoor playground, were possible through a $50,000 grant from the B.C. Ministry of Child and Family Development’s Childcare Rapid Renewal Fund.

The new spaces will add to services provided by the Family Hub, a centre located behind the preschool at EJ Dunn Elementary School.

As a young student many years ago, Hugh Braker read in a school history text a deeply hurtful reference to Indigenous people in Quebec as “savages.”

“I still remember that today,” he said. “It really hurt at the time and it continues to bother me today.”

It has also been a long time, decades in fact, since First Nations began negotiations to take back control of their children’s education. Braker is Tseshaht’s negotiator for what is referred to as the “education jurisdiction initiative,” a long-track process to achieve that goal.

It was a proud moment for Pacheedaht members as they witnessed the blessing and launch of the first community carved canoe in nearly 70 years, according to PFN elder Bill Jones. He recalled the names of four elders that made the last canoe in the 1950s or 60s.

PFN Hereditary Chief Charlie Queesto Jones made another dugout canoe under contract with retired researcher Eugene Arima in the early 1970s, but that one left the community when it was completed. It is on display in a Tofino-area museum. Born in 1876, Chief Charlie was nearly 100 years old when that canoe was made.

The Grassroots Homelessness Coalition (GHC) will once again be providing temporary warming places for Port Alberni’s unsheltered population during the colder months. 

As part of Port Alberni city council’s commitment to reconciliation and infrastructure renewal, the city has begun the process of repurposing the 40-year-old clock tower at the Harbour Quay.

The clock tower will be redesigned to highlight Tseshaht First Nation culture. The two large clocks will be removed at the top of the tower and replaced with two larger pieces of Tseshaht art depicting the wolf. The redevelopment will highlight the narrative of the former site of Tlukwatkwuu7is, the Tseshaht Winter Village, where Tlookwaana (wolf ritual) was held.

Hupacasath First Nation artist Klehwetua Rodney Sayers was granted one of three Jurors’ Choice Awards during the Salt Spring National Art Prize’s (SSNAP) ceremony on Oct. 23.

The $3,000 prize was selected by Art Gallery of Nova Scotia senior curator David Diviney and recognized Sayers’ piece, “Hot Rod Pink.”

As one of Canada’s largest visual arts competitions, SSNAP received over 2,750 submissions from across the country that were narrowed down to 52 finalists.

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

Booster shots will soon be coming to remote Nuu-chah-nulth communities, as health authorities prioritize First Nations that got their first two vaccinations for COVID-19 early this year.

“We will be focusing on communities that have had significant outbreaks,” noted Dr. Shannon McDonald, the First Nation Health Authority’s acting chief medical officer.

Organizers are preparing for what could potentially be the largest All Native Basketball Tournament ever.

The event, which features Indigenous intermediate men’s (21 and under), women’s, men’s and masters (35 and over) squads from across British Columbia, was not held this year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

But officials of the annual tournament, which is always staged in Prince Rupert, announced earlier in October that they have started to accept registrations for the 2022 event.

The tourney has been staged annually since 1960.