Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News, April 11, 2018

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SGT. SWANN HONOURED

ELECTION 2018

Ukee’s former top cop named B.C. Achiever

Ucluelet mayor and council mull re-election

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Wednesday, April 11, 2018 West Coast Tea in the Great Room! Sunday April 15th 11:30am - 3pm

Westerly News

All proceeds support elementary schools in Tofino and Ucluelet

TOFINO-UCLUELET

$18 adults $8 children under 12 Reservations recommended

$1.25 (including tax)

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Fentanyl suspected in tragedies Ucluelet First Nation mourning loss of lives ANDREW BAILEY andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca

Fentanyl is the likely cause of two deaths in Hitacu over the past two weeks, according to local police. The victims’ identities have not been released. Both are believed to be have been in their late 20’s. Sgt. Steve Mancini of the Ucluelet RCMP said toxicology reports are pending in both cases, but fentanyl is the primary suspect. “To say it’s fentanyl would be premature, however, in light of the province-wide and country-wide epidemic opioid crisis, I would think that that would probably be a safe assumption,” he said. “It’s pretty recent for us here in Ucluelet and on the West Coast in general. We haven’t had issues with fentanyl related deaths up until the past couple weeks…A first time use can be all it takes to end your life, so we’re going to be gearing up and doing some educational campaigns to try to make local people aware of the dangers of it.” The most recent victim was discovered deceased in a parked vehicle around 10 p.m. Friday night. “It’s very disturbing to our citizens. It’s very, very, difficult. We’ve been gathering with the family since Saturday morning to give strength to them to get through these difficult times,” said Ucluelet First Nation president Les Doiron.

ANDREW BAILEY PHOTO

PLASTIC BEGONE: Barkley Cafe staffers Brendan Bridgefoot and Cali Mitchell share happy sips through new, reusable, metal straws that the popular Ucluelet eatery has brought in as part of an overall effort to phase out single-use plastics. The cafe is also putting together a program that will dish out free fare to anyone who walks in with a container of debris collected from local shores.

Tofino blazing trail towards pot legislation ANDREW BAILEY andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca

Tofitians are helping their local government blaze a trail towards cannabis regulations. The district hosted a second cannabis open house event on April 3 where the feedback from the first open house was shared and potential directions were proposed. “We took everything that we heard at that meeting, as

well as everything we received online, and separated it into themes and, from there, we’re starting to develop policy,” said Tofino’s community sustainability manager Aaron Rodgers. “What we have today at this meeting is some of the ideas that we’re starting to think about.” Cannabis has been a fiery topic in Tofino since the district proposed a temporary restriction on the sale of it, which prompted an outcry from locals loud enough to convince its municipal council to set a new course.

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