For the second year running, 2 Rivers Remix Society (2RMX) and VirtualFeast.ca are bringing a free Indigenous music, art and culture festival to three communities on Vancouver Island.
Dubbed ‘Movable Feast’, the Island tour launches on Saturday, Aug. 23 in the Toquaht Nation community of Macoah in western Barkley Sound, followed by Ahousaht on Tuesday, Aug. 26, and ending in ‘Yalis (Alert Bay) on Saturday, Aug. 30.
Ever since the Mount Underwood forest fire cut off power and direct road access to the community of Bamfield and Anacla on August 11th, the town has been abuzz with talk on what it all means. For better or worse, Facebook has been the primary conduit for information sharing and discussion.
The Mount Underwood wildfire has been downgraded to “being held”, indicating that crews have gained control of the fire’s entire perimeter.
The new classification from “out of control” to “being held” was made by the BC Wildfire Service on Wednesday, meaning that Mount Underwood is not expected to grow beyond the perimeter that has been established.
“Fire behaviour and activity has been minimal on this incident, primarily Rank 1 – a smoldering ground fire with no open flame,” stated the wildfire service in an update issued today.
Electricity is expected to return to Bamfield, Anacla and Nitinaht by Aug. 30, but it’s unclear when a major road to the villages will reopen, as crews work in the aftermath of the largest forest fire Vancouver Island has seen in years.
Three suspicious deaths in early August have created public unease in Port Alberni, a city of over 18,000 located within the traditional territories of the Hupacasath and Tseshaht First Nations on Vancouver Island.
On Aug. 1, Port Alberni RCMP responded to a report of a suspicious fire in the 2000 block of 16th Avenue. Firefighters were on scene putting out the fire and performing life saving measures on an adult male resident, police said, and an adult female was located suffering from fire and smoke related injuries.
A widely seen online video of a man being beaten on the ground and arrested has sparked outrage among some Port Alberni residents, but police have responded to say that the larger context of the situation must also be considered.
Police report that a 33-year-old man was arrested on Sunday, Aug. 17, after they were called to a business on the 3900 block of 8th Avenue “to remove an individual who was unwanted”. This area has two shelter facilities and the RCMP detachment.
Parks Canada is reminding drivers to slow down after a black bear was struck and killed by a vehicle on Aug. 10 in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
The bear was hit on the Pacific Rim Highway 4, in the middle of the day, just north of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations community of Ty-Histanis.
“The driver of the vehicle involved is unknown,” said Todd Windle, Parks Canada human-wildlife coexistence team lead, in an email statement.
Nuu-chah-nulth language keeper Jeneva Touchie (Čakʷaasiqḥw̓iłim) is Ucluelet’s 2025 Citizen of the Year.
What began as an explosive wildfire that sent a mushroom-cloud-like plume of smoke above Port Alberni is now a steaming, charred mountain slope – thanks in large part to rain after three days of concerning growth.
With the rain pouring down on the Uchucklesaht village of Ethlateese, young Taylor Johnson carefully circles a newly unveiled totem pole on Aug. 15. Her elders watch, reciting a chant in a ceremony to reawaken the pole.
“We have to reopen the eyes,” explained carver Tim Paul, who led a handful of other artists in the totem’s creation over the better part of a year. “We had a closing of the eyes ceremony before travel down here, so we need to reopen the eyes of our grandparent. But also we need to make it come alive.”