Police will not be stopping people on Vancouver Island’s roadways, according to an update on new travel restrictions delivered today by B.C. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth.

Farnworth’s message came one week into a legal order he gave under the province’s Emergency Program Act, prohibiting non-essential travel between three regions in B.C. to slow the spread of COVID-19 Those regions are Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley as well as B.C.’s Interior and north.

Two red dresses have gone missing from their display by Highway 4.

The disappearance was noticed today by Jennifer Touchie, as she and her partner checked on the location of the dresses 15 to 20 kilometres east of the Highway 4 junction to Tofino and Ucluelet. The discovery was disturbing, as the pieces were hung about 50 feet apart to recognize two women who are among the countless Indigenous females who have gone missing or were murdered. The dresses were hung on April 25, said Touchie.

Wally Samuel Sr. is still waiting for some younger individuals to step up to the plate.

But for now the veteran sports advocate, a member of Ahousaht First Nation, will continue to serve as a director for a provincial Indigenous sports board.

Samuel, 74, was one of nine individuals named to the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council (I-SPARC) board for a nine-month term last June.

A new public health order that came into effect on Friday restricts British Columbians from traveling between health regions for non-essentials reasons.

The move divides the province into three regional zones – Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, and northern and interior B.C.

British Columbians who break the restrictions are subject to a $575 fine, which is in effect until May 25, after the long-weekend.

Crime is down across the board in Port Alberni for the first quarter of 2021.

Inspector Eric Rochette of the Port Alberni RCMP presented the stats from January to March to Port Alberni City Council on April 26. Rochette said overall criminal offenses were down by 31 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter last year. Break and enters were down 52 per cent, violent offenses down 17 per cent and theft from vehicles were down 72 per cent. 

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) has released its report on the July 16, 2020 death of James Williams. The Tla-o-qui-aht/Yucluthaht father of five was found dead in his shelter unit less than a day after being detained in RCMP cells for public intoxication.

A new Community Situation Report released by the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) reveals the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on Indigenous people on Vancouver Island. 

Despite representing only 7.6 per cent of Vancouver Island’s population, Indigenous people account for 34.9 per cent of COVID-19 cases.

The rate of positive cases for the Indigenous population was 1,323 per 100,000 compared to 202 per 100,000 for the non-Indigenous population, according to the FNHA. 

As a teenager, Lisa Robinson lived in denial and repressed her emotions.

She could not name what was causing her pain, so she kept silent while living among all of her sexual abusers.

The loneliness and shame propelled her into a black hole.

“There were times where I felt like I didn’t want to live,” she said. “Because I didn’t have the guidance to help me [through] it.”

Robinson attempted suicide for the first time when she was in residential school at the age of 11.

“I was screaming for help,” she said. “But I didn’t have the words.”

Indigenous community groups and organizations across B.C. have outlined their concerns and frustrations about the new proposed travel restrictions in a letter addressed to B.C. Premier John Horgan.

On Monday, the province announced new travel restrictions prohibiting people from leaving their local health authority. The new order means that people could face a fine for non-essential travel, enforced through a roadside checkpoint program.

In January 2020, Robyn Samuel, youth navigator with Nuu-chah-nulth family and child services, found out she had fatty liver disease; a diagnosis that propelled her into a wellness journey that continues today.

According to WebMD, fatty liver disease occurs when someone has extra fat built up in their liver. Usually the first line of treatment for fatty liver disease is to lose weight, keep cholesterol down and exercise more.