Denise Titian

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.

Keeping your mind healthy: A cultural approach to grief

The extremely busy walk-in clinic in Port Alberni announced that it has been forced to reduce its hours for a period of one month due to a doctor shortage.  According to a recent post on the Mapleway (sic) Medical Center Facebook page, “from October 10, 2024 until November 12, 2024, the urgent care opening hours will be drastically reduced due to lack of medical doctors.” 

Ceremony, prayer and plenty of singing and dancing marked the re-opening of treatment centre Tsow-Tun Le Lum at its brand-new facility located at 2850 Miller Road, on the south end of Duncan, B.C., in Cowichan Tribes territory.

The Best Western Barclay Convention centre was packed with Indigenous leaders and foresters who were there to share ideas, resources, and successes as they move forward in a new era of sustainable, First Nations-led forestry practices in their territories. Sponsored by Indigenous Forestry, the First Annual Indigenous Forestry Conference brought together First Nations leaders, policy makers and industry experts to allow an opportunity to  network, strategize and gain insights into traditional Indigenous knowledge.

A founding member of a network serving coastal communities in Clayoquot Sound says that Canadian Indigenous communities are underserved when it comes to government funding for animal welfare programs, and this contributes to the problems seen on many reserves.

Nuchatlaht Tyee Ha’wilth Jordan Michael and the legal team of E.J. Woodward Law Corporation hosted a victory celebration in Campbell River June 1 after their partial Aboriginal title court win last April. While it was a time for celebration, they acknowledged that the judge’s decision fell far short of their original land claim, vowing to appeal the decision to a higher court.

Tenants of Port Pub, a 30-room, run-down nuisance property that is home to some of Port Alberni’s most underprivileged, woke to troubling news on Wednesday, May 29 – they had just a few short hours to pack what belongings they could and move out. At 9:35 that morning the City of Port Alberni issued a statement detailing the events that led up to the latest evacuation of Port Pub.

Chef Ximana Nola Mack of Nuxalk works with traditional foods that she grew up on. Highly sought after, Chef Nola was invited to cook for the Prime Minister of Canada. She was a guest at the Island Indigenous Foods Gathering on March 21-22 and delivered a presentation on how traditional foods, medicines and alternative recipes can be used to heal our gut and improve the overall wellness of Indigenous peoples. Ximana Nola Mack started off by saying that she was raised up in a smokehouse, learning…

Time is running out to apply for a share of the First Nations Drinking Water class action settlement fund. Application forms can be found online and must be submitted before March 7, 2024. In 2019 the Neskantaga First Nation, Curve Lake First Nation and Tataskweyak Cree Nation started a national class action lawsuit to address drinking water advisories in their communities, drawing in other First Nations across Canada. The lawsuits addressed Canada’s failure to take all reasonable steps to ensur…