Hammering chisels with rubber mallets, children helped hollow out a traditional Nuu-chah-nulth log drum at the spring Carving on the Edge Festival, which took place May 1 to 4 at the Tofino Community Hall in Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations territory. 

Tla-o-qui-aht artist Hjalmer Wenstob said the focus of the spring festival was all about coming together. 

“Our log drum is what we built the whole festival around. It was drop-in carving throughout the whole festival. Really, it’s just basically about learning about different tools,” said Wenstob.

Maria Clark opened the door to her home in the First Nations community of Ty-Histanis with a warm smile.

Caught on a day off as Tin Wis Resort’s assistant general manager, Clark was spending the day with her grandkids, family time she cherishes deeply.   

“Fortunately, a lot of young Indigenous women have come to me and said, ‘I like to see you speaking. I like to hear you speaking. I look up to you’,” says Clark.

“I feel like I am breaking barriers and creating space for Indigenous People. That is a good feeling,” she continues.

They were mothers, sisters, aunties, friends and they were taken too soon, but they are not forgotten. May 5th is Red Dress Day, a day to raise national awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S). It is a day to honor the memory of those lost, acknowledge the ongoing crisis of violence against Indigenous women, and call for justice and healing.

Changes have been brought to the province’s system of staking mineral claims, the result of a court case that determined the past process breached First Nations’ rights.

On March 26, 2025, the B.C. Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals introduced the Mineral Claims Consultation Framework (MCCF). This is in response to a 2023 B.C. Supreme Court ruling in Gitxaała vs. British Columbia, which established that First Nations need to be consulted at the time of claim staking.

A small Haida village is in mourning following death of 29-year-old Luke Pearson, who, according to the RCMP, died from his injuries after being hit by a vehicle. 

According to the Daajing Giids (Queen Charlotte) RCMP, they received a report of a pedestrian-involved collision in the 200 block of Front Street in Skidegate, a section of waterfront road near a cemetery. Police say a man was struck by a vehicle around 1:17 p.m. on April 22 and later died of his injuries. 

Stinging Nettle has had a long history as a popular, nutritious and helpful plant. Used by North American First Nations for over 2000 years. Stinging Nettle is found in every region of North America except Hawaii. 

Stinging nettles, burn nettles or ʕiiłmakt is an upright annual herb, with a four-sided slender stem, and its leaves are narrowly lance-shaped to oval and coarsely saw-toothed. Flowers are pinkish green with four tiny sepals and no petals. Stinging Nettle can be confused with the Dog Nettle, which is a smaller species introduced by Europeans in the mid-1700s.

Sipping organic Spirit Bear Coffee and snacking on sweet Bannock scones, 150 attendees of B.C.’s first-ever Indigenous Tourism Conference were on the same page about the upcoming 2025 tourist season.

Despite the uncertainty of U.S. tariffs slowing economic growth across the country, tourism industry professionals around the room thought B.C. is on track for a full-on summer. They shared their perspectives at the conference, which was held April 28 to 30 in Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet First Nation) territory.

Jennifer Touchie and the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government education department welcomed teachers and west coast community members to the Cixʷatin Centre in Hitacu on April 28 for a special day of learning about how to support youngsters impacted by generational trauma.

Indigenous counsellor and owner of Tiičmis Wellness Anita Charleson-Touchie opened the discussion in the morning and renowned parent educator Dr. Vanessa Lapointe gave a talk in the afternoon.

“The ultimate Nuu-chah-nulth law is the protection of its children,” said Charleson-Touchie. 

As the dust settles from the 2025 federal election, the Liberals have retained a minority government - but amid a growing Conservative presence in Ottawa and a devasted NDP party.