Close to a dozen people were displaced after the former CJAV building (2976 Third Ave.) was given a Do Not Occupy order by the City of Port Alberni.

The building was deemed unsafe to occupy by Port Alberni fire chief Mike Owens, and everyone sleeping in the building was evacuated on Dec. 29. Inside the building, load bearing walls and posts had been removed, causing the possibility of collapse. In addition, proper fire protection systems were not in place.

Drive BC is reporting that Highway 4 is closed in both directions east of Port Alberni due to a serious motor-vehicle accident.

The accident, involving a commercial vehicle, occurred early in the afternoon of Jan. 6, 3 kilometres east of the Port Alberni Summit. Traffic is backed up for several kilometers, waiting for the estimated 5 p.m. re-opening.

Witnesses on social media report several emergency vehicles, including, police, fire and ambulance responded to the scene.

Please see Drive BC for further updates.

An investigation into the sudden death of a child in Tofino is ongoing.

After it was reported that a child had suffered injuries within the community of Ty-Histanis on Dec. 13, 2020, Tofino RCMP assisted BC Emergency Health Services paramedics to deliver medical assistance.

“Tragically, on Dec. 16 the child succumbed to their injuries,” said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Chris Manseau, in a statement.

Originally launched by Vancouver Island General Investigation and the Tofino RCMP, the investigation is now in the hands of the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit.

In what must feel like the beginning of the end of a pandemic, Ahousaht leadership say they are grateful to be selected as one of the first communities to receive the vaccine for its residents.

It was in late December 2020 that elected Chief Greg Louie said he received an email from the First Nations Health Authority telling him that Ahousaht is among the first remote Indigenous communities selected to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

After a day of severe winds and heavy rain that resulted in power outages throughout Clayoquot Sound, the sky over Tofino cleared up today.

A storm swept across all of Vancouver Island’s coast today, with residents along the west coast reporting some of the strongest wind seen in years.

“High winds may toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break,” stated an alert from Environment Canada. “Strong winds developed this morning ahead of a frontal system pushing across Vancouver Island. The winds will ease this evening with the passage of the front.”

Rainfall in excess of 100 millimetres was expected by evening, with winds in some locations surpassing 100 kilometres an hour.

Police have ruled out homicide in the death of Leonard Williams, a Tla-o-qui-aht member whose body was found in downtown Nanaimo on Dec. 26 near the tent where he lived.

Early in the morning of Dec. 26 the 59-year-old’s body was found on Fitzwilliam Street, near Wallace in Nanaimo’s Old City Quarter. Indications of a disturbance in the area were reported from the preceding night, but police have not linked these noises to Williams’ death.

Immunization is underway for six remote Nuu-chah-nulth nations, as the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is administered within the communities.

Based on their remote locations and previous exposure to positive COVID-19 cases, Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k:tles7et'h' First Nations, Huu-ay-aht First Nations, Ehattesaht First Nation, Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation, Nuuchatlaht First Nation and Ahousaht First Nation were selected as some of the first Indigenous communities to receive the vaccine, said Jeanette Watts, manager of nursing services for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC).

Friendship centres, tested as never before, are expecting 2021 will be no less challenging than 2020.

“We’re planning to be in this for the long haul,” said Lesley Varley, executive director of B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAABC). “We expect to be in this pandemic for some time yet.”

One-time COVID-19 funds totalling $7.8 million, announced Dec. 11 by the provincial government, bring an added measure of relief.

The search for Hesquiaht elder Harry Lucas has come to a tragic end today when his body was found in Clayoquot Sound. 

A ground search crew from Hot Springs Cove located the 80-year-old’s remains on a beach near the remote village north of Tofino. Lucas had gone missing on New Year’s Eve during a trip in his skiff from Tofino to Hot Springs Cove. He landed briefly in Ahousaht at the General Store at about 3 p.m., but did not make to his final destination.