A Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation will soon no longer have to rely on diesel at one of its main facilities.

That’s because it was announced in late March that Hesquiaht First Nation will receive some substantial provincial funding which will allow it to proceed with a solar panel installation project at its community school located in Hot Springs Cove.

Through its Renewable Energy for Remote Communities (RERC) program, the province will provide $419,000 to construct a 136-kilowatt solar panel installation at the Hesquiaht Place of Learning.

Ten years ago, history was made when the Maa-nulth Treaty was signed on April 1, 2011.

The government-to-government agreement between Canada, British Columbia and five Nuu-chah-nulth nations was among the first Final Agreements reached under B.C.’s treaty process.

It established Huu-ay-aht, Uchucklesaht, Ucluelet, Toquaht and Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tl7et’h’ First Nations as self-governing nations. 

The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) education program is going paperless this year for their elementary and secondary scholarships.

Nuu-chah-nulth students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 from Ahousaht, Ditidaht, Ehattesaht, Hesquiaht, Hupacasath, Huu-ay-aht, Kyuquot, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, Nuchatlaht, Tla-o-qui-aht  and Tseshaht have until May 14, 2021 to submit their applications.

The four scholarship categories are academic, artistic, athletic and cultural.

When Ken Watts’ father, George Watts, passed away while he was in his third year of university, the elected chief of the Tseshaht First Nation made the decision to lead a healthier lifestyle and begin his wellness journey.

George Watts, a prominent Nuu-chah-nulth leader, suffered a massive heart attack at age 59 while he was helping his son move apartments.

Watts went on to finish university and became the Vice President of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) from 2012 to 2017.

On the evening of March 31, close family members in Tofino gathered on the First Street dock to celebrate what would have been Chantel Moore’s 27th birthday.

It was a way to “keep her memory alive,” said Grace Frank, Moore’s grandmother.

Moore, of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, was fatally shot in her New Brunswick apartment during a wellness check by an Edmundston police officer on June 4, 2020.

In a statement issued Apr. 1, 2021, the Port Alberni RCMP ask that the person that found the body of Clifton Johnston early Saturday morning to contact them.

“As the investigation into Port Alberni’s recent homicide continues, investigators are now looking to speak with the man that first discovered the deceased in front of the Friendship Center on Saturday March 27th,” reads the statement.

It goes on to say that the man who discovered the body was walking southbound on the east sidewalk of 4th avenue at approximately 7:15 a.m., Saturday March 27th.

Leading into Easter long weekend, the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks has issued a release reminding visitors to respect the ongoing closure of their tribal parks. 

“Regional members and concerned families in the region have mobilized to Sutton Pass to inform travellers of the circuit-breaker lockdown,” said Saya Masso, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation tribal administrator.

To tackle the record number of COVID-19 cases, the province announced a three-week “circuit-breaker” lockdown on Monday.

The Port Alberni RCMP have arrested a suspect in the Mar. 27 killing of an Ahousaht man, found on 4th Avenue near the Port Alberni Friendship Center.

“A suspect has been identified and arrested, however the work is not yet finished for our investigators as they continue to complete priority tasks” says Port Alberni RCMP Detachment Commander Inspector Eric Rochette in a statement issued Mar. 31, 2021.

“I just dropped him off for a visit and was supposed to pick him up,” said Iris Clarke through her tears as she clutched framed photographs her son to her heart.

Clarke is the mother of 20-year-old Clifton Johnston, who was found murdered in front of the Port Alberni Friendship Center on the morning of Saturday, Mar. 27. He had been stabbed to death.

Clarke, who lives in Abbotsford, BC, invited friends and family to a candlelight vigil on Monday, Mar. 29 to remember her son and to support one another as they grieve his loss.

Educators want to engage parents and caregivers in an online Zoom session focused on helping secondary students in Grades 8-12 get to graduation and beyond.

“We would like to increase the success and decrease the stress,” said Dave Maher, district principal of Indigenous education and Eighth Avenue Learning Centre in Port Alberni.

“We want to inform Nuu-chah-nulth families about what graduation will look like this year and what students have to do to graduate,” said Richard Samuel, NTC’s cultural development supervisor.