Woman warns people about diabetes

Vanessa Sim was constantly thirsty, needed the bathroom frequently and said random things before diagnosis

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Port Alberni, BC – Vanessa Sim, a Hesquiaht woman, wasn’t feeling well and decided to get checked at West Coast General Hospital on June 18, 2021. “I was endlessly thirsty, needed the bathroom a lot and was feeling confused,” said Vanessa Sim, a wife and mother and grandmother. She said her family was concerned about her because she would blurt out random things, not seeming to make sense. On top of that, her vision was going bad. Concerned about her worsening symptoms, Sim went to visit the emergency department at West Coast General Hospital to get checked out. She sat in triage for four hours before hospital staff asked if she had a blood test. She hadn’t been tested but answers came quickly once the results came back. “You have diabetes,” the doctor blurted from the foot of the bed. There was no sugar-coating it. Sim was left to process her new reality of being a type 2 diabetic. According to Diabetes Canada, type 2 diabetes is a disease in which your body cannot make enough insulin (a hormone that helps control the amount of glucose or sugar in your blood) or does not properly use the insulin it makes. According to the Canadian Journal of Diabetes, Indigenous people around the world are at higher risk for developing diabetes. “The higher rate of adverse health outcomes in Aboriginal peoples is associated with a number of factors, including lifestyle (diet and physical activity), genetic susceptibility, and historic-political and psychosocial factors, stemming from a history of colonization that severely undermined Aboriginal values, culture, and spiritual practices,” they wrote. In other words, our ancestors were more physically active and ate a healthier diet of seafoods, land mammals, roots, and berries. “People over the age of 40 with a parent or sibling with diabetes are at a higher risk of having type 2 diabetes,” says Diabetes Canada. Sim says her late father and her brother were both diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. But she didn’t recognize the signs. She only knew something was wrong with her body. “I craved orange juice and yogurt drinks,” she told Ha-Shilth-Sa. She drank a lot of water to try to relieve her unquenchable thirst. “Drinking too much water dilutes your sodium levels,” she said, adding that this is what brought on confusion. Sim had already started to make healthier food choices prior to her trip to emergency. She stopped taking sugar in her coff ee and began eating more salads. Once she started treatment for her Vanessa Sim condition, she said it was like doing a 180 – things got better quickly. In the fi ve weeks since her diagnosis she dropped 30 pounds. “I stopped having sugary drinks,” she said, adding that she mostly misses her red raspberry slushies from the convenience store. She also spends a lot of time reading food labels to avoid high sugar or carbohydrate foods. Sim began taking prescribed Metformin and spent 90 minutes with a dietician, who taught her what foods she can and can’t eat, and about portion control. “I can have as much veggies as I can,” she said, adding that she’s discovered that she loves hummus as a dip, rather than the commercial dairy dips and sugary salad dressings. She must monitor her blood sugars everyday with fi nger pokes to test her blood and she goes to the hospital lab every month for blood tests. “I’m sleeping better, my skin has improved and my vision…I don’t need to wear glasses for driving anymore,” she said. Sim also noticed that her stress levels have gone down. Prior to her diagnosis, Sim said her family ate a lot of take-out food but now she must change what she eats. “Sometimes I really want something I shouldn’t have, but I’ll just have my veggie sticks and hummus and my body feels so much better for doing that,” she said. Sim advises people to get to know their bodies and if something feels off , go get checked. According to Diabetes Canada, diabetes aff ects one in three Canadians. Diabetes can be managed with healthy food, regular exercise, and in most cases, medication. They go on to say a good fi rst step is to cut out highly processed foods, refi ned grains such as white bread, sugary food, and sugary drinks. Instead, plan your meals around vegetables, plant-based proteins, whole grains, dairy, lean meats, oily fi sh, nuts, and healthy oils such as olive oil. And remember to keep moving by going for walks or other regular exercise.

Upgrades and conversion planned for Beaufort Hotel

By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Port Alberni, BC - The Beaufort Hotel in Port Alberni’s Uptown could soon see renovations and upgrades that would convert the former convention centre into supportive and low-barrier housing. The Bread of Life and the Lookout Housing and Health Society from Vancouver have entered into a purchase agreement to buy the hotel. There are currently 19 units in the building, all of which are occupied. The Bread of Life and Lookout are hoping to renovate the building to accommodate at least 50 units. No current residents would be displaced during construction. John Edmondson, board member and offi cer at the Bread of Life, said funding for the purchase and renovations will most likely come from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) rapid housing funding. He said the Bread of Life had previously applied for the funding through the CMHC and were very close to being approved but funds ran out. “We were told ‘Don’t worry, when the next funds are announced we’re fi rst in line and we’ll get to you.’ Fortunately for us that next round was announced about a week ago,” Edmondson said at a July 26 Port Alberni city council meeting. “The reason this fund is so appealing to not only us, but the rest of Canada, is this is a grant, it’s a 100 per cent grant for all expenses except for operations.” Edmondson said while waiting for funding, the Bread of Life met with Lookout Society and started talking about their approach and plans for the Beaufort Hotel. “About a month ago we signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to purchase and renovate the Beaufort Hotel and turn it into an operation centre and housing for about 50 rooms,” Edmondson said. “Just last week, Lookout

Photo by Karly Blats The Beaufort Hotel could soon see renovations and upgrades that would convert the uptown building into supportive and low-barrier housing. entered into a purchase agreement on the Beaufort, so we feel like we’re making progress.” If the partners can secure the funding, they estimate about $3.5 million will be used for renovations. The purchase would also include the parking lot across from the hotel. Lookout Society has been providing minimal-barrier housing and services for homeless people for 50 years in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. They currently have 55 sites, including in Victoria and Duncan and about one-third of Lookout clients identify as Métis or First Nations. Chuck Puchmayr, president of Lookout Society, told Port Alberni council that he sees great opportunity for the Beaufort Hotel. “I’ve been to Port Alberni and looked at [the hotel]. It’s an amazing building, it looks pretty rough inside but there’s huge potential. It’s a very solid building,” Puchmayr said. “We don’t come in and evict people when we do make these purchases, especially when they’re a lowincome building. The only time we move them out is when they decide to move on to other places.” Puchmayr added that what’s left of a kitchen facility on the main fl oor of the building could be renovated and used for a culinary program that Lookout currently provides to clients on the mainland. Mary Campbell, long time staff member with Lookout, said they hope to have 24/7 staff on-site once renovations are complete. “All of Lookout services are trauma-informed, minimum-barrier. We understand that people who are homeless have a lot more challenges other than just not having money or a home,” Campbell said. “Many are suff ering with substance use, mental health challenges, physical disabilities and I’d say every single person we see has some kind of trauma in their background. We really have developed this large component of health supports.” Campbell said Lookout is confi dent in their ability to manage large construction and renovation projects, as they have constructed eight buildings from scratch making them suitable for homeless individuals. “We also have good relationships with funders, BC Housing and Island Health,” Campbell said. “We do have three contracts with Island Health in Victoria and Duncan right now. We’re quite confi dent in this and we’re excited about the possibility of this project and being successful on it.” The purchase of the Beaufort and bringing in an outside service provider like Lookout aligns with one of the recommendations on a BC Housing report released in March from a third-party review that looked into operational concerns surrounding the Port Alberni Shelter Society’s management of two Port Alberni shelters. It was recommended that an alternate shelter or housing facility with strong mental health and substance use supports be developed in Port Alberni by a diff erent service provider and with collaboration from local First Nation’s representatives. Port Alberni council will write a letter of support to help Lookout and the Bread of Life secure funding. “I’m really excited to see how this process goes for you and hopefully see this come to fruition in our community,” said Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions. “There’s certainly a need and I think you’ll be a great proponent to make a positive improvement here.”

Carving is underway to present three plaques that detail the importance of the site and past Maquinna chiefs

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Yuquot, BC - The most people in two years gathered at the traditional home of the Mowachaht in early August with the return of the First Nation’s Yuquot Spirit Summerfest. As Mowachaht/Muchalaht members resumed their annual camp out at the Nootka Island site, visitors fi lled the MV Uchuck to visit the First Nation’s ancestral village on Saturday, Aug. 7. The crowd of over 100 didn’t approach Yuquot’s historical population, but as Tyee Ha’wilth Mike Maquinna welcomed all to his traditional home in the village church, he noted that the Yuquot community gathering was the fi rst to be held since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Yuquot has always been the centre of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht’s social, economic and cultural world, and at one time was the capital of Nootka Sound’s 17 tribes. Archeological digs have uncovered evidence of continual habitation at the site for over 4,300 years, and Yuquot, which is also known as Friendly Cove, served as the focal point of West Coast First Nation trade with Europeans during the early years of contact. Demand for pelts and other resources in Mowachaht/ Muchalaht territory brought Great Britain and Spain to the brink of war during the Nootka Sound Controversy of 1789-94. In the early 1970s the First Nation moved its reserve community to near Gold River, but the Williams family remained at Yuquot, and in recent years the historical perspective of the site has shifted to consider those who lived there for millennia. This change in perception is evident on a cairn that stands by the entrance to Yuquot at the southern tip of Nootka Island. A plaque remains there from when the location was originally designated a national historic site in 1923. “It says nothing about the people,” said Margarita James, president of the Land of Maquinna Cultural Society. “It didn’t acknowledge the Mowachaht people or Chief Maquinna on that original plaque.” At the request of former Ha’wilth Ambrose Maquinna, this introductory information about Yuquot began a process of revision in the late 1990s. By 2002, two new plaques were produced by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada to provide a more rounded version of history. One plaque bears a message in Mowachaht followed by a translation in Spanish, the other carrying the same caption in English and French. “Whaling was a vital part of the life of the Mowachaht-Muchalaht, and of all the Nuu-chah-nulth peoples,” reads the 2002 plaque. “Near here once stood the Whalers’ Washing House, a unique ceremonial structure and the most signifi cant monument to a purifi cation ritual on the West Coast of North America.” While the community and visitors gathered in Yuquot’s church, carver Sanford Williams was working on pieces to carry the plaques in his work shed by the shore. The carvings show a wolf standing up, howling at the moon over three people who represent the clan of the wolf, explained Williams. “The wolf acts in our territory as a protector, a protector of the land,” he said. “It was one of my ideas because the q#ayac’iik, the wolf, in our culture is used quite a bit, like in potlatches to keep kids quiet when the wolf dancer has his mask

Photos by Eric Plummer The Mowachaht/Muchalaht community camp out returned to Yuquot this year. Tyee Ha’wilth Mike Maquinna welcomed visitors on Aug. 7 (below left), while Sanford Williams (below right) worked on carvings to present plaques about the historical site.

on. Plus it’s part of my family crest, so I use the wolf a lot.” The carvings are being formed from a cedar log Williams found on Yuquot’s beach. “It’s really hard to fi nd a good log with no knots, so it was a matter of looking around on the beaches for a good log,” he said. “The high tides are really big in the winter. I just scour the beaches every time I come out here.” A third plaque from the Canadian monuments board has also sat in the Yuquot church for nearly 20 years, but will soon be mounted on a carving made by Patrick Amos. This plaque describes part of the Maquinna legacy. “Two distinguished chiefs who led the Mowachaht people of Nootka Sound at the end of the 18th century bore the name Maquinna. The fi rst, skilled diplomat, helped establish the Mowachaht among the richest fur traders on the west coast, at a time when their land was threatened by Britain and Spain,” reads the plaque, which is presented in Mowachaht, English and French. “The second Maquinna had the more diffi cult task of trying to maintain his people’s prosperity in the face of declining fur resources and increasingly violent confl ict between the Mowachaht and Europeans.” Williams expects the carvings he’s working on will be completed by early September, although a permanent location for them is yet to be determined. He hopes that visitors will “take the culture with them” after seeing the fi nished pieces. “Our culture needs to be out there,” said the carver, who usually spends his summers in Yuquot. “A lot of people out there need to start knowing our culture. I’m hoping that they’ll take that with them and remember it, or pass it around of what they’ve learned out here.”

Sessions off er results of inundation zone mapping, but a data defi ciency limits how governments can prepare

By Mike Youds Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

A survey of residents on Vancouver Island’s northwest coast suggests most know the signs of an approaching tsunami but do not know evacuation routes, mustering points or where to turn for information if disaster strikes. The survey is part of the Northwest Vancouver Island Tsunami Risk Project, a collaborative study involving Strathcona Regional District (SRD), Nuchatlaht and Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations along with various other stakeholders in the region. SRD offi cials share project fi ndings and discuss next steps in a series of online presentations and public engagement sessions later this month. “Detailed maps of future tsunami fl ooding (inundation) are needed for the allocation of evacuation routes and long-term planning in vulnerable coastal communities,” said Brad Unger, SRD board chair. “We are excited to be at the project stage where we can now present people with the preliminary maps that shows how a tsunami will aff ect their community.” Since it was launched last August with $450,000 in provincial emergency preparedness funds, the project has gathered high-resolution aerial and bathometric mapping data together with public feedback in hopes of fi lling a “tsunami gap” in coastal risk assessment. Northwest Hydraulic Consultants and Ocean Networks Canada will show tsunami inundation zones in 11 coastal communities along the coast between Gold River and Holberg in presentations on Aug. 18, 19, 25 and 26 (complete schedule and Zoom link below). The area of study includes the territories of Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/ Che:k’tles7et’h’, Nuchatlaht, Ehattesaht, Mowachaht/ Muchalaht and Quatsino First Nations. No surveys of comparable scope and magnitude have been done before despite the region’s proximity to the Cascadia Subduction Zone and historic vulnerability to destructive, sometimes catastrophic tsunamis. The zone is a collision point of subsea tectonic plates that last wrought disaster for the Pachena Bay people with a devastating tsunami in the middle of the night 321 years ago. Large, prehistoric tsunami sites along the Island’s west coast have been identifi ed through geology. These include sites in the territories of every nation from Huu-ay-aht to Che:k’tles7et’h’. Earthquake early warning sensors, land-based and on the sea fl oor, have been installed in recent years, but there remains a gulf in understanding the physics of coastal fl ooding, the so-called “tsunami gap.” In a preliminary report, SRD staff pointed to a data defi ciency that limits the ability of local governments to adequately plan and prepare for the next major tsunami event. A total of 282 residents responded to the public feedback survey. All respondents in communities such as Quatsino, Zebal-

Brad Unger los and Kyuquot indicated they know the signs of an incoming tsunami: A rapid and unexpected recession of water level and a loud roaring sound coming from the ocean. There also appears to be a reasonable degree of preparedness with 67 per cent of respondents overall indicating they have enough disaster supplies to last two weeks, according to survey results. In contrast, a little more than half of respondents said they know their community’s tsunami meeting points. Forty-two percent said they do not know evacuation routes. When asked, “Do you know how your community will alert you if there is a tsunami threat,” only 52 per cent answered Yes. The survey fi ndings should help inform local and regional planners of emergency measures required. A similar wave-modelling project for the south Island’s Capital Regional District has been updated with results expected in September. “Their input has provided a great deal of support with helping us understand what the community’s concerns are associated to tsunamis and what they have learnt from their past experiences with tsunami on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island,” said Shaun Koopman, SRD protective services co-ordinator. Some of their accounts are included in survey results, which are available at https://srd.ca/wp-content/ uploads/2021/07/Community-TsunamiSurvey-Feedback-Report.pdf. “From Holberg and Winter Harbour to Cape Scott, residents and businesses are depending on old, obsolete analogue Telus service/phone lines in case of emergencies,” wrote one respondent. “These lines are no longer supported by Telus and with no cell service the only way to notify people of imminent danger is by going door to door.” “I’d like to see something much more like the Oregon coast which has clear tsunami signage and routes for safe places to go,” wrote another. Kyuquot respondents expressed interest in more public education, training, drills and exercises. No pre-registration is required for the 90-minute online sessions scheduled for Aug. 18, 1-2:30 p.m., Aug. 19, 7-8:30 p.m., Aug. 25, 1-2:30 p.m. and Aug. 26, 7-8:30 p.m. The same content will be presented in each session. Event Zoom links are available online at www.srd.ca/ nwvi-tsunami-risk-project.