The Province of British Columbia and BC Hydro are are working with First Nations and clean-energy companies to advance a call for power next spring.

In June 2023, the province announced that BC Hydro is moving ahead with a call for resources to meet the growing demand for electricity in B.C.

Objectives of the call are to acquire energy from clean or renewable sources that are cost-effective for ratepayers - projects that can come online as early as fall 2028 and initiatives that can be meaningful partnerships with First Nations.

This year DFO reported the largest herring spawn since the mid 1970s on the west coast of Vancouver Island, but Nuu-chah-nulth representatives will not consider a commercial fishery until they see a sustained recovery of the species.

Through the Clean Coast, Clean Waters (CCCW) initiative, the province has funded over $49 million for eight projects that will clean more than 1,400 kilometers of coastal shorelines, removing at least 70 derelict vessels and creating 630 new jobs.

For Nuu-chah-nulth, Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’, Tla-o-qui-aht, Yuułuʔiłʔath, Huu-ay-aht, Uchucklesaht, Tseshaht, Toquaht, Hesquiaht, Nuchatlaht and Mowachaht/Muchalaht are among the First Nations that will benefit from these projects as partners of recipient organizations.

A grieving father is disappointed that his former partner and her husband both pled guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in the 2018 death of six-year-old Dontay-Patrick Lucas. The couple were initially charged with first degree murder, which, by definition, involves planning and deliberation.

On the first day of a court hearing to determine the future of a class action lawsuit over health-care related costs from illicit drug use, the province is accusing drug companies of being “bad actors who are fueling this crisis.”

Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society has opened its brand-new treatment centre in Cowichan Tribes territory. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the bigger, new facility on Nov. 27.

Tsow-Tun Le Lum, which means Helping House in the Hul’q’umi’num’ language, is a fully accredited, registered, non-profit treatment society offering holistic and cultural supports for people, not only in addictions, but also for survivors of trauma. Tsow-Tun Le Lum has been helping Indigenous individuals break free from addictions and heal from trauma since 1988, starting at their facility in Nanoose.

As Canada’s goal of protecting 30 per cent of its lands and waters by 2030 approaches, this fall ambitious investments have been announced on the federal and provincial front, with governments saying this will lead to more First Nations-led conservation.

The Wintergreen Apartment property, known locally as “The Ghetto”, has, for now, closed its doors as a rental building for vulnerable people. Property owner Randy Brown is complying with city orders and has moved out of all of the dozen or so travel trailers in late November.

The travel trailers were placed on the vacant lot after one of the two apartment buildings burnt down in July 2013. The lone remaining apartment building also had a fire in May 2023, which killed one tenant and forced its closure earlier this year. The building was not insured at the time of the fire.

One year ago Tla-o-qui-aht, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District introduced a three-stream roadside collection in hitac̓u, Esowista, and Ty-histanis, a service which has since eliminated 175 kilograms of waste per household.

With tourism's major contribution to Tofino’s economy, the industry itself is “less likely” to offer the region's living wage, according to a recent report.

While the costs of food, shelter, and transportation increase, tight food budgets are likely as locals cut corners to shoulder expenses.

In early November, Clayoquot Biosphere Trust published their biannual Vital Signs report revealing the regions living wage of $26.51 per hour is almost 10 dollars over the provinces minimum wage of $16.75.