A new stewardship centre in Ucluelet will educate and engage visitors through interactive activities and exhibits showcasing the relationship between human activity and natural ecosystems. 

The project is led by the Redd Fish Restoration Society, a registered charity focused on ecosystem restoration, research and education. The project is moving forward through collaboration with the five nuučaanuł Nations located in Clayoquot and Barkley Sounds.

When he was about 16 Lyle Billy was travelling alone on a bus from Gold River to Victoria. In his pocket was an address for a home in upscale Oak Bay, a neighbourhood he had never been to.

“Here we go again,” thought Billy at the time. “There was nobody there to help me, there was nobody there to give me directions. I was just on my own.”

With no one meeting him at the bus depot, the teenage Billy had to somehow find his way to the Oak Bay home, where he would reside as a boarder while continuing high school. There were two other Aboriginal boarders there.

Fun-filled, family-friendly Urban Community Holiday Gatherings are scheduled up and down the Island, in Vancouver and Seattle this December.

It’s been a good few years since the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) hosted the turkey feasts for members living in the cities.

“I’m excited,” said NTC President Judith Sayers. “Urban Gatherings were something that when I first got elected, was an important part of connecting with those living away from home. I really enjoyed going out to each of the cities, talking to people, sharing a meal, some songs and culture.”

Two days without power, Ahousaht and Tofino residents are heading into their third night without electricity, as BC Hydro works to recover transmission after the worst storm the utility has seen in almost six years.

With the Nov. 19 ‘bomb cyclone’ moving away from west coast Vancouver Island, people are assessing the damage while others are stranded due to road closures.

The massive storm approached Vancouver Island late in the afternoon of November 19. Environment Canada warns that strong winds will continue Wednesday morning with southeasterly winds gusting to 110 kilometres an hour.

One meteorologist stated that a wind buoy located at the north end of Vancouver Island recorded a wind gust speed of 101 miles per hour, or 162.5 km/hr. 

Several Nuu-Chah-Nulth First Nations are expected to benefit from the news that a professor from the University of Victoria (UVic) has been given a prestigious position.

Maycira Costa has been named the BC Leadership Chair in Environmental Remote Sensing. 

“It’s a huge deal,” Costa said. “It’s kind of a very prestigious position. In the field of remote sensing, using satellites to monitor the earth, I’m the only person in British Columbia with this focus. I think it will open many doors in terms of how to support the Indigenous people and communities.” 

Residents in Port Alberni woke up to a light dusting of wet snow on the morning of Nov. 19. Other than the weather forecasts, there was no hint that a freight train of a storm is set to hit coastal British Columbia in a few hours.

The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness issued a bulletin advising residents to prepare for stormy weather that is expected to continue through to Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Two Nuu-chah-nulth women were awarded the King Charles medal in recognition of their decades of service to the community. Cyndi Stevens and Jeannette Watts received medals from MP Gord Johns at an elder’s dinner at the Port Alberni Friendship Center on November 12.

The Vancouver Indigenous Fashion week showcases culture by bringing over 30 designers together from across the country for four nights of art and fashion, Nov. 20 to 23 at the Queen Elizabeth Theater. 

This is the eighth year for VIFW. 

“At VIFW, we highlight how fashion can build connections with Indigenous values, wisdom, and history, becoming a powerful tool for the cultivation of strength and resiliency in Indigenous communities, as well as a vehicle for understanding and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples,” reads a VIFW statement.

Sweetness is the $1 million milestone Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks crossed this year in ecosystem stewardship contributions from Tribal Parks Allies businesses.

Since launching the program in November 2018 with four Allies and $15,000 in donations, the number of participating businesses has increased to 127. In the 2023-2024 fiscal year those partners contributed a combined total of $444,318 to support Tribal Parks coastal restoration initiatives, salmon enhancement, trail building, community outreach and more.