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.
In the aftermath of a court injunction that generated over 1,100 arrests in Pacheedaht territory this year, the First Nation is reiterating an earlier request, asking protestors to leave the Fairy Creek area.
A film featuring Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation master carver Joe Martin will have its world premiere on Wednesday, Oct. 6.
But Martin will not be at the screening, which will be shown at the Vancouver International Film Festival, which began Oct. 1 and continues until Oct. 10.
Though he was also one of the writers for the short film titled ƛaʔuukʷiatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) Dugout Canoe, Martin has yet to view the finished product, which is 10 minutes long.
It seemed like a glimmer of hope in the dark days of pandemic – the federal government offered free money in the form of CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) to help Canadians who lost income. The application process was easy and many people across the country received the benefit in 2020, including some pensioners.
Those eligible could have received $500 every seven days for up to 28 weeks. But what they may not have known is the CERB is taxable income and, if it was later determined that the recipient was not eligible for the CERB, it would have to be repaid.
An official opening ceremony of an innovative new commercial food production service opened at Port Alberni’s waterfront on Oct. 1, 2021.
Several dignitaries were on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony of The Dock+, located at 3140 Harbour Road. The former fish processing plant has been reinvented and now offers a commercial food production facility with a focus on local, sustainable foods.
Ditidaht First Nation has released a kid’s video game that takes players on a cultural journey by canoe through the nation’s traditional territory, off the coast of Vancouver Island.
The game was designed as a tool to prepare children aged 3 to 6 for attending kindergarten at Ditidaht Community School (DCS), where they begin taking diiʔdiiʔtidq language classes.