TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016
www.albernivalleynews.com
Vol. 10 No. 40
«INSIDE: Bulldogs make the BCHL playoffs; tickets go on sale Thursday. Page A17
«ARTS
CALM AMONG THE CHAOS Kamloops writer reads at NIC. Page A19
KATYA SLEPIAN ALBERNI VALLEY NEWS
The Port Alberni RCMP have arrested a suspect in the 2012 murder of Mervin Hankins. “On Feb. 26, 46-yearold Channon Coulter— previously a resident of Port Alberni—was arrested without incident for the second-degree murder of Mervin Hankins,” RCMP Inspector Mac Richards said at a press conference. Hankins was found dead in his Fourth Avenue home on Jan. 13, 2012 by a relative. He was 75. “His son-in-law discovered him unresponsive and lying on his living room floor,” said Richards. “Port Alberni RCMP responded and in speaking with Mervin’s son-inlaw, noted there to be a number of items missing from his residence. Cont’d on A2
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Huu-ay-aht purchase land for their future
KATYA SLEPIAN
ALBERNI VALLEY NEWS
he mouth of the Alberni Inlet will soon look a lot different as the Huu-ay-aht First Nations ramp up their investment in the area. The HFN purchased 11 properties in and around Bamfield in January. The purchases include Rance Island, the Bamfield Airport and the Kingfisher Lodge and Marina. According to Coun. Trevor Cootes, who is the councillor in charge of economic development, the purchases were an investment in the Huu-ayaht’s long-term future. “What would a strong Hua-ay-aht economy look like? A big part is that we need to have a strong presence within our traditional territory. We have treaty settlement land and we have traditional territory. Bamfield falls into that traditional territory,” said Cootes. The Huu-ay-aht’s economic plan—set for completion in the spring— was another reason
Make the Right Move!
with Chris & Alease Arcus OF RE/MAX Mid Island Realty
Robert Dennis from the Huu-ay-aht First Nation checks out Kingfisher Marina in Bamfield, one of 11 properties formerly belonging to notorious developer Jack Purdy. The Huu-ay-aht purchased the properties as a package from an asset company based in Alberta.
behind the purchase. “A large component of the economic plan is not to necessarily just looking at what we’ll be doing during my term or looking at five-year plans
but taking that idea of planning for the future,” said Cootes. “Something that’s often used right now is planning for seven generations down the road.”
The purchases will help not only Huu-ay-aht—they used to be owned by the notorious Jack Purdy, who owned many Bamfield properties as well as some in Port Alberni.
“Those properties were being held by an asset company, and they used to be Purdy’s properties,” said Cootes. “There was an asset company out of Alberta that wanted to unload all these properties.” Purdy—the subject of numerous police and FBI investigations—has promised since 2011 that he would invest “millions” into Bamfield, but nothing ever materialized and buildings sat empty. The Huu-ay-aht saw the opportunity to invest and jumped on the deal. “All 11 were a package deal... the seller didn’t want to break up the package,” Cootes said. Some of the 11 properties are unlikely to be developed anytime soon. “The airstrip is a longterm investment. We want to keep the opportunity open,” said Cootes. “Half the properties wouldn’t be necessarily desirable for businesses to come in but for Huu-ayaht, it’s very desirable... Cont’d on A3
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Arrest in Hankins murder
Hope for Bamfield: T
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PHOTO COURTESY HUU-AY-AHT FIRST NATION
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