Results from a snorkel survey last winter delivered an ominous clue about the status of Gold River’s winter steelhead run: Zero.

No steelhead — “qiwah” in Nuu-chah-nulth — were found when a crew co-ordinated by a half-dozen conservation groups went swimming in search of them along a six-kilometre stretch of the river in February.

Public consultation has resumed as the federal government edges closer to enacting Canada’s first specific aquaculture legislation.

Bounded by three oceans, Canada remains the only country in the world with an aquaculture sector yet no comprehensive legal framework governing the industry.

“The national association has been asking for an aquaculture act for probably 25 years, so it’s been a long time coming,” said Tim Kennedy, president and chief executive of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance. “We’ve been a lost child in Canada for some time.”

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic half a year ago, British Columbia’s other public health emergency has escalated, causing health officials to grasp at approaches to curb the crisis.

The road to Happy Hill in Ahousaht just got a lot smoother thanks to a fresh layer of asphalt poured over the old pothole-pocked gravel road. Residents were pleased to see the section of newly paved road that happened in early September.

But it may be a long while before more paving is carried out, thanks to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the federal budget.

Elected Chief Greg Louie says the nation has been negotiating with the federal government for more than six years to get the road upgrades done in the rapidly expanding village.

A fisherman reported to the Port Alberni Port Authority (PAPA) that he saw a large sheen of diesel oil on the water near Port Alberni’s Harbour Quay on Saturday, Sept 12.

Mike Carter, director of operations at PAPA, confirmed the call, noting that at this time of the year, when rain is falling, oily sheen on the water is a common thing.

Carter, who had been in Nanaimo when the call came in, reported it to Emergency Management BC but said they indicated that they needed to hear from the original caller.

It’s been a very different summer in Yuquot. The ancestral home of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht normally serves as a popular summertime destination for members of the First Nation, as well as travellers from around the world hungry for adventure on the rugged coast of Nootka Island.

Travelers on Highway 4 between Port Alberni and the west coast can expect scheduled road closures as blasting resumes at the Kennedy Hill construction site.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said in their information bulletin, released Sept. 20, that it has revised the blasting strategy to bring consistent and predictable highway-closure times to the people of Tofino and Ucluelet.

From the moment Gloria Frank opened her eyes for the first time, her grandparents elected her as the one they had to teach.

Not even her mother was called upon for the responsibility.

“They said there was something in my eyes when I was brand new,” she said.

And so began her life’s study of traditional plant medicines.

Now, it’s normal to catch Frank talking to plants. If she accidentally steps on one of their green stems, you’ll hear her apologize.

It’s no laughing matter.

“They’re all sacred to me,” said the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation elder.

Development at the Caycuse Recreation site at Nitinaht Lake is well underway, with the campground upgrade now 80 per cent complete.

The site is a remote campground area on Ditidaht territory and adjacent to Nitinaht Lake—a world renowned destination for windsurfers and kite borders and the third access point to the West Coast Trail.

Originally, the campsite offered 65 sites and would operate at full capacity during high seasons, limiting tourists and development of new businesses.

Josie Osborne is ready to make the leap into provincial politics.

Osborne, who has served as the mayor of Tofino since 2013, announced that she will be seeking the NDP nomination for Mid-Island Pacific Rim for the next British Columbia election.

Osborne announced her intention to seek a provincial seat on Tuesday, Sept. 15. That was one day after Scott Fraser, the current MLA for the riding and minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, publicly declared he would not be running in the next B.C. election.