This is article is part of a series of stories on Nuu-chah-nulth clam gardens.
From the captain’s seat of his fishing boat called ‘La Fortune’, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation (TFN) fisherman Leo Jon Manson popped the lid off the proverbial can of worms labelled ‘float homes’.
The Bamfield Huu-ay-aht Community Forest Society is doing its bit to boost local tourism.
Thanks in part to a grant from the Island Coastal Economic Trust, the Bamfield society, a non-profit organization, has begun work on the Bamfield Majestic Old Growth Trail.
The project, which will establish an accessible pathway to ancient forests, is aimed at connecting visitors to nature while also advancing cultural and economic development in the area.
It was a łaakt’uuła to remember as hundreds of Charleson family and friends gathered to spend the day celebrating the lives of a sister and brother that left lasting legacies during their short time on earth.
Winiikinux (Jazmine) and her brother nuksʕaqƛ (Johnson) Charleson had large families and a mother determined to celebrate their spirits and goodness at a drying of the tears potlatch held at the Alberni Athletic Hall on March 15, 2025.
The 2025 B.C. Junior All Native Tournament (JANT) and Spring Basketball Fest is underway in Kelowna, B.C. this week and 19 teams from Nuu-chah-nulth territory are on the schedule, ready to shine on the courts.
Tseshaht First Nation based in the Alberni Valley has five teams in JANT this year: Lightning U13 girls (coached by Ed Ross, Len Watts and Memphis Dick), Pride U17 girls (coached by Joe Charleson Jr.), ťaťuus U13 boys (coached by Oswald Felsman IV and Mercedes Brown), Hupał U17 boys (coached by Shane Sieber) and U10 Tatuus.
Hundreds filled the Alberni Athletic hall on Saturday, March 15 for a potlatch held in honour of two members of the Charleson family who left their loved ones too soon.
The ƛaaktuła tłak tuu łath filled the large hall in Port Alberni with song and dance, as pictures were finally brought out of Jazmine and Johnson Charleson after their passings a few years ago. With Nuu-chah-nulth-aht in attendance from across the West Coast, hours of cultural performances included new songs composed in recognition of ovarian cancer and the opioid crisis.
More to come…
The village of Tahsis recently announced the construction of a new public marina as part of the Tahsis Marine Gateway project in partnership with the Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICET).
“There’s so many reasons to have this dock," said Mayor Martin Davis, “it’s going to be really good for the community, the people, and for tourism, too.”
B.C.’s fish farms appear to be facing an increasingly challenging situation, with pressure mounting on both sides of the border.
For decades ocean-based net pens have been the industry standard. But the 65 sites that still remain in British Columbia now have the looming deadline of June 30, 2029 – a date set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada when all open net pens must be out of water.
The cold weather did not deter Haahuupayak’s Grade 7 class from wowing onlookers by launching their rockets made from recycled materials on the morning of March 13.
Scott McLeod, a retired RCMP officer who has been running the John Howitt Rocketeers for five years now, approached the elementary school about participating in his rocketry program. He spent one hour a week mentoring the class on how to build real launchable rockets.
Sarah Stefiuk, a Grade 7 teacher at the school, said fabrication materials included old library cards, pool cards and debit cards.
A long-time phys ed teacher and vice principal at Ucluelet Secondary School has been disciplined by the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation after a report was made in June 2023. It is alleged that Michael Rhodes made inappropriate physical contact with students over a period of five years.
Dozens of Nuu-chah-nulth high school students have attended and graduated Ucluelet Secondary School during Rhodes’ tenure there.
It was nearly 30 years ago that Art Thompson spoke before the Port Alberni courthouse, after the sentencing of the former dormitory supervisor who had terrorized him and others at the Alberni Indian Residential School.
“It’s not our shame,” said the residential school survivor on March 21, 1995. “I want to encourage all of you to have the strength to tell your story.”