In March the Victoria region opened its first culturally supportive housing for Indigenous youth aged 12 to 19. Operated by Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH), the program is designed to connect youth to their culture and build skills that support their transition as they age out of care.

For several years ACEH has been providing services to the Indigenous population in Victoria’s downtown, said Julia O’Quinn, director of community programming for the organization.

Fifty plus years ago they were very small children being herded onto boats destined for Indian residential schools in Ahousaht territory – those raised in the Catholic faith went to Christie Indian Residential School on Meares Island while the Protestants went to Ahousaht Indian Residential School on Flores Island.

Today, the remaining survivors are elders, some walking with the support of a cane. On April 10 those that were able boarded boats heading to Ahousaht, to reflect on their experiences and to be supported in their healing. This time, they boarded the boats willingly.

Funded by both the provincial government and Island Health, Orca Lelum Youth Wellness Centre will open its doors to Indigenous youth aged 12 to 18 for detox and stabilization services, as the first of its kind in the province.

“The toxic drug crisis is a tragedy, one that disproportionately affects Indigenous people,” said Premier David Eby, in a recent press release. “Rooting treatment for addictions and mental-health issues in Indigenous knowledge has the power to transform a young person’s life.”

The smell of fresh paint wafts through the halls of Tofino’s new Headwaters North rental apartment building as site superintendent Keith Glen takes Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation officials on a tour of the mint 35-unit condo.

Easter Weekend was a celebrated move-in day for 30 or so west coasters, having likely endured vexing housing struggles over the years.

“This is needed in the worst way,” said Glen from the kitchen of one of five accessible, wheelchair-friendly units.

A Specific Claims Tribunal has found that Canada breached its fiduciary duty when it allowed a logging company to harvest timber on Huu-ay-aht’s IR 9 without a license.

A Tla-o-qui-aht man has made the best of a bad situation. After losing work in the service industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brian Quick launched into a new career that’s proving to be a winner in an otherwise competitive industry.

The Windy Clipper, a new barber shop, opened on the main street leading into the tourist town of Tofino in February 2024.

“I envisioned it to be a cool, funky little company,” says Quick, who designed the space. “It’s a good location, smack dab on the main drag into Tofino,” said Quick.

The Tseshaht and Ditidaht First Nations are receiving close to $30,000 each for emergency service equipment and training from the Province of British Columbia.

The B.C. government is launching a one-day training model for Emergency Support Service (ESS) responders in response to feedback from communities and input from the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies.

Over its first week of operating, the introduction of a public bus in Clayoquot Sound has already enormously benefitted those in Tla-o-qui-aht communities, says the First Nation’s elected chief.

With Indigenous women accounting for 50 per cent of the federal female inmate population - a statistic that has almost doubled since 2006 - the BC First Nation Justice Council released the final draft of a document aimed to build better and safer outcomes for women, girls, and two-spirit folks.

Despite high prevalence rates of diabetes in First Nation communities, gaps in education and healthcare services prompt diabetes educators to bolster culturally safe, Indigenous-led and accessible services for people with the condition.

Matilda Atleo, an Indigenous educator in diabetes for First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), takes every opportunity to educate people about the disease.

“I'm aware that there are people that have diabetes and don't even know it,” said Atleo. “There's likely a high prevalence of diabetes in First Nations.”