INTERESTING NEWS
Slow recovery after homeless woman run over
Reckless driving charges in incident causing severe injuries after altercation between driver and tent inhabitants
By Denise Titian & & Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter & Editor
Campbell River, BC – Campbell River, BC –ANuu-chah-nulth woman is lucky to be alive after being run over while sleeping in her tent in a downtown Campbell River alley.
Darlene Smith, 53, a Nuchatlaht woman and Christie Indian Residential School survivor, has been living on the streets of Campbell River since 2019. She admits an addiction to alcohol for many years now and is known to the local police, who describe her as a nice person.
But in early November, Smith hadn’t been feeling well. She hadn’t been drinking but would sleep a lot in her tent set up in a downtown alley behind a pub. It was just after midnight on November 10th when the unthinkable happened.
Dan Samvidge was alerted to unusual sounds in the alley. Dan lived in an apartment that overlooked the alley and his cousin, Darlene, had set her tent up almost below his window.
“I was downstairs and, for some reason, I took the stairs instead of the elevator that night,” he recalled. “I heard the car revving, then it went down the alley fast, hitting a shopping cart.”
From the stairwell window, Samvidge heard the occupants of the car arguing with people from the street community that were sitting together under a tarp. He said he heard a woman’s voice from the car scream that she’s Cape Mudge and her family are going to come back to “get rid of you guys”. Cape Mudge is also known as the We Wai Kai Nation.
According to Samvidge, someone in the passenger seat flung the door open and it struck a woman. He then heard the car rev again as the driver slammed the car in reverse, running over Darlene Smith, who was sleeping inside her tent. The car then hit a pole and bounced back onto the tent, running Smith over a second time.
According to Campbell River RCMP Constable Maury Tyre, police attended to the back alley in the 1300 block of Cedar Street at 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 10 after a call came in that a 53-year-old female was struck by a vehicle while in a tent in the alley.
“The woman was transported to hospital with very serious injuries,” wrote Const. Tyre in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa.
“The driver of the vehicle, a 38-year-old Campbell River woman, was arrested at scene for dangerous driving causing bodily harm.”
“There has been internet rumour that the incident was purposeful, but the investi-
gation does not indicate that the victim was targeted,” added Tyre.
While intoxicants have not been ruled out as a cause, the investigation continues.
Samvidge said there were people in the alley that came to help stop what they saw as an attack on Darlene Smith and the others in the alley. He said there were four people besides Darlene sheltering behind the building, with five or six other people who were sheltering in a neighboring property.
“They jumped the fence to come help,” said Samvidge.
He said there were awful screams and people were slashing tires and smashing windows on the car while he called 911.
Samvidge said he’s been clean and sober for four years, but the trauma of that night was too much.
“I fell off (the wagon) after what I saw and heard…the screams, I can’t get it out of my head,” he said.
Constantly on the move
Why were those people sheltering in the alley?
Const. Tyre said that the City of Campbell River set aside two designated safe locations for the unhoused prior to this incident.
Stefanie Hendrickson is the coordina-
tor for the Campbell River and District Coalition to End Homelessness. She confirms that there are two designated areas for overnight camping within the municipality as per the City of Campbell River bylaw.
“The hours of operation are from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. So, yes, people must pack up in the mornings,” she told Ha-Shilth-Sa. And because they are homeless, there is no place to store their belongings, so they must haul them around wherever they go during the day.
Campbell River has nearly 200 people experiencing homelessness, according to a 2023 point-in-time count, and half of those identified as Indigenous. The total number is up 70 percent from the 2021 PiT count.
Hendrickson said that since early November Kwesa Place opened up a temporary seasonal shelter for the third year in a row.
“It has 20 beds available and is open every night untilApril 30th, 2025,” she told Ha-Shilth-Sa. “This is in addition to the 22 beds at the year-round Evergreen Shelter. The SoberingAssessment Centre also has 16 beds open 24 hours a day. And finally, Homewood, a 40-unit temporary housing site, has just begun welcoming people to their new units there.” Samantha and Darlene come from a
large family.
“We went to Christie Residential School in Tofino, and our parents went to Mission on the mainland,” Samantha told Ha-Shilth-Sa.
Darlene has five children of her own.
“She had six children, she lost her son,” said Samantha of her sister. “She’s been struggling with that. She’s been through a lot in her life. She’s had a really rough life, right from residential school.”
Since Campbell River has tightened up rules around encampments in the city, those experiencing homelessness must be on the move constantly, during the day. If they are not packed up by 8 a.m. they risk losing their belongings.
Darlene says in the past the bylaw officers took her tent and belongings, and she didn’t get them back.
“They take her clothes, her backpack, her blankets, and then she has to start over again,” said Samantha. “They closed off all the safe spaces where they could stay and moved them into the alley. It’s the worst place for them to be, and it’s a lot of people.”
Russell Billy, Darlene’s oldest son, has lived in the homeless encampment in Campbell River. He said they usually set up tents around 5 or 6 p.m., after work hours.
Continued on page 3
Eric Plummer photo
Samantha Billy holds the hand of her sister Darlene Smith on Dec. 3. Darlene is recovering at Vancouver General Hospital after being run over by a car on Nov. 10 while she was resting in her tent in Campbell River.
Urban gatherings see large crowds after absence
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, December feasts are held for city-dwelling Nuu-chah-nulth-aht
This year’s Urban Holiday Gatherings began in Campbell River on Dec. 3, where Nuu-chah-nulth-aht from the northern tribes converged at the Thunderbird Hall for an evening of feasting and celebrating their ancestral culture.
Put on by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council for members who live in cities away from their home territories, the Christmastime urban gatherings were held every December until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic halted the social events. But they are back in 2024, with gatherings in Campbell River, Victoria at the Edelweiss Club on Dec. 4, followed by Vancouver on Dec. 10, Seattle Dec. 12, Nanaimo Dec. 17 and a feast at PortAlberni’s Italian Hall on Dec. 19.
After a five-year absence, the urban gatherings attracted large crowds, including a packed Edelweiss Club in Victoria and a Vancouver venue that saw close to 180 participants.Ateam from the NTC went on tour in December to hold the gatherings, offering cultural performances to accompany the meals.Avideo screen was set up at each event, presenting a collection of over 8,000 photographs from the Ha-Shilth-Sa archives.
Tent residents are forced to pack up each morning
Continued from page 1
“There’s tents there throughout the night. They take them down at 7,” he said.
Darlene said she used to stay at a shelter called the Rose Bowl, but it closed. Her brother Eli said that the number of shelter spaces in Campbell River is inadequate for the local needs of the unhoused.
“There’s not enough room,” he said. “Some of them are even going from Campbell River to here [Vancouver]. There’s not enough places for them to go.”
Russell Billy said that the homeless were previously at Spirit Square and Nun’s Creek in the forest, but bylaw officers pushed them out after drugs were discovered.
“From what the homeless people reported to me, they said that they’ve been targeted,” said Samantha. “This isn’t the first incident. There’s been a lot of incidents unreported and uninvestigated by the police.”
“One week before that they were trying to light the tents on fire in the alley,” she added.
With nowhere to go during the day, the homeless say they’ve been pushed to the alleys.And that is why Darlene Smith was sleeping in a tent in that alley on November 10. She was ill and needed a place to rest.
“My cousin Melissa and her son Jasper had just left her sleeping,” Samantha. “She was feeling sick for about a week before this happened. She wasn’t even drinking. She was just sleeping in the tent.”
‘Her will is really strong’
When the ambulance arrived, it took 20
minutes to half an hour for the paramedics to reach Darlene, as the police cleared other tents and things out of the alley, says her relatives. With severe injuries, Darlene was rushed to hospital in Campbell River, then immediately flown to Vancouver General, where she remains. Her injuries include broken front and back ribs, spinal injuries and skull fractures.
“She has rods in her back and pins on her spine to fuse her spinal cord, so she was able to get up and walk,” said Samantha of her sister, who was able to briefly walk on Dec. 3.
By then, Darlene’s condition had improved, although she could barely talk in a whisper.
“She will need mind therapy,” said Samantha. “She is having a hard time remembering the date and why she is in hospital, forgetting she has so much barriers keeping her in here.”
Samantha has been by her sister’s side since the incident, and the family is struggling to find the means to stay in Vancouver as Darlene heals. The sister hopes that Darlene’s condition improves enough for her to be moved to Nanaimo Regional District Hospital, closer to home and family.
“So, the doctors are working towards finding the best place to accommodate her multiple needs. Her body is healing much faster and needs her mind to catch up,” Samantha shared, adding that it is hard to see her sister go through such a difficult recovery.
“She’s really strong, her body is really strong, her will is really strong,” she said.
Dan Samvidge, who witnessed the entire incident, is grateful for the homeless people who were there and stood up to fight for Darlene that night.
“I hope she gets the justice she’s seeking. Darlene wouldn’t want the punishment to be too harsh, as long as that lady knows what they done was wrong,” he said.
Those who stayed around Darlene in the alley have been asking about her condition, as one of their own lies in the aftermath of a nearly fatal incident.
“These people deserve a voice,” said Samantha. “They came from someone. They belong to people.”
The alley where Darlene Smith was sheltering is behind Shoppers Row in downtown Campbell River.Although tents often are set up there at night, bylaw prohibits the encampments from being there during office hours.
Groups want action after Southern Resident deaths
Feeding on chinook and sensitive to growing vessel traffic from pipeline expansion, endangered orcas decline
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
Conservation groups are demanding the Canadian government take immediate emergency action to save the Southern Resident killer whale population.According to Ecojustice, only 72 remain in the species three pods, following the recent deaths of three killer whales, including an infant.
The Center for Whale Research, based in Washington State, says that two adult male SR killer whales died since the summer of 2023. One was last seen inAugust 2023 and appeared thin. The other, last seen July 2023, had poor body condition at the time.Acalf, born December 2023, also disappeared and is presumed dead.
These deaths bring the Southern Resident killer whale population down to 72.
“Ecojustice and their clients have learned that according to a November 29, 2024 assessment by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the last remaining 72 Southern Resident killer whales face an imminent threat to their survival and recovery despite existing protective measures. However, the ministers are yet to recommend emergency protection measures to ensure their survival,” Shayo Mehta of Ecojustice wrote in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa.
Several conservation groups are calling on the government to immediately enact emergency measures as required by the Species at RiskAct.
“Despite measures introduced since 2018, the critically endangered population of only 72 whales continues to decline. Without immediate and aggressive action, the Southern Resident killer whales risk being lost forever,” reads an Ecojustice statement.
They go on to say that since Ecojustice submitted a petition for an emergency order six months ago, there have been two losses, an adult male and a calf.
According to the US National Oceanic andAtmosphericAdministration, the Southern Resident killer whale population began shrinking in early the 1970s when whales were being captured for marine park exhibitions, a practice that took place from 1965 to 1975. The first US count of the southern resident orcas was in 1974, when there were only 71 whales.
In 2005 the US government listed Southern Resident killer whales as endan-
gered under their Endangered Species Act.
The numbers rebounded in the 1990s when 97 Southern Residents were counted in 1996. But the numbers are falling again, and this time three factors are being blamed: lack of food, noise pollution and chemical pollution.All three threats are human made.
The species consists of three family pods, each organized around the mothers. They range from central California to southeastAlaska. However, the core portion of their range centers on the coastal waters of southern Vancouver Island and Washington State and the inland waters of the Salish Sea.
Southern resident orcas are fish-eaters and prefer Chinook salmon most of all.
Conservation groups say that science clearly supports more robust measures to reduce the compounded threats of underwater noise, depleted prey availability, and the risk of oil spills from increased tanker traffic in critical habitats. They are pressing DFO for an emergency order with the following measures:
-Expand SRKW vessel approach distance to 1,000 metres to harmonize with Washington State laws.The vessel approach limit in B.C. is currently 400 metres, or 200 metres in certain coastal areas.
-Establish and implement meaningful underwater noise reduction targets for the Salish Sea
-Limit new vessel traffic until a long
overdue regional cumulative effects management plan has been implemented as recommended by Canada’s Energy Regulator.
-Implement Chinook salmon recovery strategies to ensure the whales’primary food source is abundant and accessible. Ecojustice says orcas are acoustic animals. Vessel noise and disturbance make it harder for the whales to forage, rest and socialize. The number of boats near the whales is also harmful as vessels modify and change the whales’behavior. They go on to say that orca and all marine mammals are affected by the high levels of environmental pollutants, such as PCB’s and flame retardants. These cause issues within the immune and reproductive systems and toxins are transferred from mother to offspring.An oil spill in the Salish Sea would be detri-
mental to this population.
“When the government approved the Trans Mountain Pipeline, it made a promise—to all of B.C.—that it would take the steps necessary to sustain and recover our beloved orcas,” said Michael Jasny, director of Marine Mammal Protection at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “It’s clear from the new findings that what has been done so far isn’t enough. The government has the opportunity to change things for the whales; it needs to seize that opportunity.”
“Despite measures taken since 2018, underwater noise continues to increase as the predicted sevenfold rise in tanker traffic from the Trans Mountain Expansion project begins to materialize,” said Karen Wristen, Executive Director at Living Oceans. “Noise pollution will continue to increase with the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 and Tilbury LNG projects. Voluntary measures just aren’t going to be enough to mitigate this threat.”
“We’re counting on Ottawa to make the right decision as it is likely now or never for these orcas,” said Beatrice Frank, executive director of the Georgia Strait Alliance. “They are an apex predator that support healthy marine ecosystems from which a myriad of other living beings, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, are tied to and greatly rely on. In line with this new imminent threat assessment, Ottawa must immediately implement new protections and extend a much-needed lifeline to Southern Resident orcas.”
Another threat, perhaps the most important to the SR killer whale, is the low population number. There are few females alive that are within reproductive ages, and a dwindling number of mature males capable of producing offspring and contributing to the population.
Miles Ritter/Fisheries and Oceans Canada photo
The current population of Southern Resident killer whales has declined to 72, leading conservation groups to push for stronger protective measures.
Province announces nine new wind power projects
Electricity purchase agreements show shift towards wind, as run-of-the-river limited by transmission capacity
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
Vancouver, BC - The province is looking to the wind as it seeks to power a growing British Columbia.
On Dec. 9 the government announced electricity purchase agreements with nine new projects, all harnessing wind power through turbines that will be constructed throughout B.C. The result of BC Hydro’s first call for power in 15 years, the agreements represent an estimated $5-6 billion in private capital investment to build four wind projects in the south interior, another four in the north interior, plus one on eastern Vancouver Islandthe 197-megawatt Brewster Wind Project that involves a partnership with the Wei Wai Kum First Nation.
During the announcement Premier David Eby claimed the project will make B.C. “a clean-energy superpower” at a time when other parts of NorthAmerica are moving away from renewable sources.
“The moment we’re in, we’re seeing major jurisdictions move away from clean energy;Alberta with new rules restricting wind energy, for example,” said the premier. “South of the border we’ll see what decisions the new administration makes around clean energy…that presents a huge opportunity for us.”
Eby spoke of a benefit in the province exporting power as other regions face a growing need for electricity.
“We know that our neighbours to the south and to the north want to buy our electricity as well, buy it at a premium that helps keep rates low for British Columbians,” he said.
But in the coming years B.C. will need more sources of electricity, according to BC Hydro’s 10-year capital plan, which predicts that 15 per cent more electricity will be needed by 2030 to meet rising demand driven by things like electric cars and household heat pumps. The nine
wind projects are expected to produce an additional eight per cent of B.C.’s powerproducing capacity.
“The energy profile of these projects is well-suited to our needs, delivering more energy in the fall and winter months when demand for power is the highest,” said Chris O’Riley, president and CEO of BC Hydro. “These are larger projects, delivering between 316 to 714 gigawatt hours per year, or enough to power half a million homes in total.”
This is about equal to what the $ 16-billion Site C dam will be able to produce when it becomes fully operational by fall 2025, said Minister of Energy and Climate SolutionsAdrian Dix. The wind
chah-nulth communities along Vancouver Island’s west coast have built run-of-theriver hydro projects, harnessing the heavy stream flows during the rainy fall and winter months. But the viability of building more of these micro-hydro projects is currently hamstrung by a maxed-out transmission capacity on many parts of the island, where transmission lines like the one from Tofino to PortAlberni cannot handle the additional load that more hydro developments would bring.
When asked about the prospect of improving transmission capacity, BC Hydro responded to note plans to upgrade lines in the Victoria area, and an improved cable from the B.C. mainland that passes through the Gulf Islands.
Vancouver Island’s generating capacity is 532 megawatts, but the peak demand is 2,258, meaning that approximately three quarters of the region’s power comes from the mainland.
projects will sell the power they generate back into the BC Hydro grid, at a cost lower than what was agreed upon by the provincial utility in the past, said Dix.
“The prices will be considerably lower than the price BC Hydro paid for new energy procured in the last open call for power 15 years ago,” he said. “In fact, when adjusted for today’s dollar, the average price for these successful projects in this call is more than 40 per cent lower than it was in the last call for power in 2010.”
This call for power was also different in how it required at least 25 per cent First Nations ownership. Eight of the selected projects have a majority ownership by First Nations.
“The projects selected today will power First Nations and drive sustainable economic growth,” said Kwaatuma, Cole Sayers, executive director of Clean EnergyAssociation of BC, noting that the developments represent $3 billion in First Nations equity. “These projects will provide access to jobs, training and education, laying the foundation for economic and energy sovereignty and uplifting communities.”
Over the last two decades several Nuu-
The last call for power also had a requirement of at least 40 megawatts, a relatively large-scale development that leaves any prospective projects in Nuuchah-nulth territory out of the immediate equation for purchase agreements with BC Hydro. During the First Nations Energy Summit in early December Cloy-e-iis, Judith Sayers, president of the Nuu-chahnulth Tribal Council, asked Dix if her communities would be excluded in the future. BC Hydro expects to issue calls for power about every two years.
“I’m not looking for answers as much as I’m looking for commitment,” said Sayers to the provincial minster in Vancouver. “Alot of the projects in our communities are smaller; a 40-megawatt project costs a lot. We’re asking for you to help us to ensure that the money and the opportunity are there.”
“If there’s a misalignment there, I’m happy to sit down with you and talk about it,” responded Dix.
During that summit Dix stressed the urgency of the province building renewable power projects faster, as in the past the permitting process has at times taken longer than construction.At the Dec. 9 announcement he said the nine wind projects will not be subject to environmental assessments to ensure speedy builds.
“This means that wind projects will be able to advance through development, construction and completion more quickly,” he said.
The nine wind power projects are expected to be operational by the fall of 2028.
Province of B.C. photo
Premier David Eby speaks at a press conference on Dec. 9 in Vancouver, where the province announced nine wind projects that will enter into purchase agreements with BC Hydro when they are built.
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The cost of living in Tofino and other parts of Clayoquot Sound ranks the region second highest in British Columbia, behind only Whistler, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for PolicyAlternatives.
Living wage rises in Clayoquot Sound
Food prices are 21 per cent more expensive on the west coast than in Port Alberni
By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor
Clayoquot Sound’s living wage has risen again, making it the second highest in the province behind Whistler.
The living wage for Clayoquot Sound, which is calculated by the Canadian Centre for PolicyAlternatives, BC Office and Living Wage BC., is $27.42 - a 3.43 per cent increase from last year. It is the hourly rate that each of two parents working full-time must earn to support a family of four based on the actual costs of living in a particular community. Minimum wage is B.C. is currently $17.40 an hour.
According to the Canadian Centre for PolicyAlternatives, the increase in living wage can be attributed to the region’s cost of living—primarily due to soaring housing costs, transportation, groceries and other essentials.
According to the 2023 Vital Signs report by the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust, 37 per cent of residents living in Clayoquot Sound earn less than minimum wage and 51 per cent earn less then the living wage.
Canada Mortgage and Housing states rent should not exceed 30 per cent of someone’s income. In 2021, 22.3 per cent of households on the Vancouver Island’s west coast spent more than 30 per cent of
their income on shelter.
In 2022, the average price for a onebedroom rental in Tofino or Ucluelet was $925, a two-bedroom was $1,970 and a three-bedroom was $2,850.
The Vital Signs report states that a comparison of 10 healthy food items showed that food prices are 21 per cent more expensive on the west coast than in Port Alberni.
Living in remote communities means many Nuu-chah-nulth members in Clayoquot Sound have an added expense when it comes to purchasing groceries with transportation costs. The Vital Signs report shows that return costs by boat or car to the closest grocery store for members in Esowista is $18.50, Opitsaht is $14,Ahousaht is $60, Macoah is $40 and Hot Springs Cove $150.
“Hundreds of thousands of BC workers earn less than the living wage and face impossible choices like buy groceries or heat the house, keep up with bills or pay the rent on time.” saidAnastasia French, provincial manager of Living Wage BC, in a press release. “Racialized workers and women are disproportionately affected by low wages in a region where the cost of living keeps climbing.”
More than 450 certified living wage employers across the province have
Ha-Shilth-Sa belongs to every Nuu-chah-nulth person including those who have passed on, and those who are not yet born.Acommunity newspaper cannot exist without community involvement. If you have any great pictures you’ve taken, stories or poems you’ve written, or artwork you have done, please let us know so we can include it in your newspaper. E-mail holly.stocking@nuuchahnulth.org. This year is Ha-Shilth-Sa’s 50th year of serving the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. We look forward to your continued input and support. Kleco! Kleco!
stepped up to pay both direct and contract employees wages sufficient to support families. Employers who pay their workers a living wage have found real benefits from doing so, says French.
“Voluntary action alone, however, cannot solve the serious affordability crisis felt across the province. We need coordinated efforts from all levels of government to both increase wages and lower cost pressures so that all workers can thrive,” said French.
In Clayoquot Sound, there are currently three living wage employers—Toki Doki, the Coastal Restoration Society and Saltwater Building Co.
Madi Greyson owns Toki Doki, a Japanese street food diner in Tofino. She and her partner had made the decision that if they were going to start a business they wanted to pay a living wage and offer benefits.
“It didn’t make sense to us to start something that wasn’t sustainable for our employees,” Greyson said in a living wage forum.
French added that many employers want to be paying the living wage but it can be challenging when their community has one of the highest living wages in the province.
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Time running out for $47.8B child welfare agreement
Assembly of First Nations votes to renegotiate with Canada, as Liberal government could topple at any time
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
Ottawa, ON - The clock is ticking for First Nations and the federal government to agree upon the terms of a $47.8-billion child welfare agreement, as a change in Ottawa appears likely if the Liberal minority government is toppled.
At a gathering in Ottawa on Wednesday leaders at theAssembly of First Nations voted to launch new negotiations with Canada on the specifics of the multi-billion-dollar funding agreement designed to ensure long-term reform of the child welfare system and compensate those who have been discriminated against.
The Dec. 4 vote at the Special ChiefsAssembly represents a shift to work out an agreement with the federal government, after in OctoberAFN chiefs voted down a deal proposed by Canada.
Valued at nearly $48 billion over the next 10 years, the child welfare agreement aims to amend historical discrimination against Indigenous children in the foster care system. It is the result of years of litigation that began in 2007, with a claim made by the First Nations Child Family Caring Society and theAFN to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
Among the complaints was the contention that federal funding for child welfare on reserve was 22 per cent lower than what was provided off reserve by provinces.
The tribunal ended up ruling that Canada was discriminatory in its historical funding and child welfare policies – a disparity that could have contributed to the vast overrepresentation ofAborigi-
On Dec. 4 representatives at theAssembly of First Nations in Ottawa agreed to renegotiate a deal with Canada on reforming the child welfare system.
nal children in the foster system. Just 7.7 per cent of children in Canada are Indigenous, but they account for 53.8 per cent of those in foster care, according to census data from 2021. In British Columbia 34 per cent of children in care are Indigenous - showing a steady decline from the 64 per cent reported in 2002.
AlthoughAFN chiefs have voted to renegotiate a deal with Canada, issues with the last proposed agreement show considerable work is needed, according to Cheryl Casimer, who serves on the political executive of the First Nations Sum-
nal back in 2021,” said Casimer. “The discontinuation of at-cost funding for projects would have detrimental impacts on First Nations and our agencies.”
The agreement sets out changes for 10 years, bringing concerns of what could happen afterwards. But the current political situation in Ottawa is precarious, with the Liberals struggling to retain a minority government after the NDP tore up the Supply and ConfidenceAgreement between the parties on Sept. 4. Now a non-confidence vote from enough opposition parties could bring about an early federal election, which is set to occur no later than Oct. 20, 2025.
Currently the Conservatives are projected by the polls to win a convincing majority, with Pierre Poilievre standing with a 42 per cent popularity rating – 19 points ahead of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
mit. Casimer presented the current state of the proposed reform to representatives at the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal CouncilAnnual General Meeting on Nov. 26. The proposal neglected to specify regional governance in child welfare reform, noted Casimer.
“So, all these decisions were going to be made on child welfare and the reform of child welfare without regional representation,” she told the Nuu-chah-nulth leaders. “British Columbia needs to have a seat at the table, and we need to be decision makers in how this agreement is implemented.”
In recent years the federal government has worked with theAFN to change the direction of child welfare services for Indigenous people. This includes legislation passed in 2020 that “affirms the rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to exercise jurisdiction over child and family services.”
But language in the agreement that was put before theAFN this year doesn’t live up to this pledge, said Casimer.
“We, as First Nations, in the agreement were listed as service providers,” she noted. “That in itself rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, because as title and rights holders and as leaders we’re not service providers; we need to make sure that our jurisdiction and our authorities are fully respected.”
There are also proposed changes to how developments would be funded.
“Capital projects would no longer be funded at cost, and that was a directive of the Canadian Human Rights Tribu-
Before the vote in OctoberAFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak urged other chiefs to back Canada’s offer, fearing that time was running out for the Liberal government. She questioned if a better deal would be possible under the Conservatives.
When that offer was rejected, Ontario chiefs began to talking to Canada on their own.
“We were also advised that Ontario is approaching Canada and saying, basically, pardon my language, ‘Screw everybody else, we want to negotiate our own agreement with you’,” said Casimer. Hesquiaht Chief Councillor Mariah Charleson cautioned about the federal government dividing First Nations. She said this was demonstrated in the Ahousaht et al. case, which resulted in the Supreme Court of B.C. upholding the rights of five Nuu-chah-nulth nations to commercially catch and sell fish from their territories.
“As First Nations people, I’m sure that we are aware of Canada’s tactics to break us apart,” said Charleson. “We saw that in the Nuu-chah-nulth fishing case, where we started out strong with 14 nations and Canada broke us down to five nations, who ended up winning in the Supreme Court. But it is a historical tactic that Canada uses to divide our people.”
Despite these concerns, the $47.8 billion commitment represents an undeniably significant investment to amend the historical mismanagement of child welfare services for First Nations.
“This can be a big part of the solution to fix residential school impacts – us rebuilding our families, helping and loving our children,” said Nuchatlaht Councillor Archie Little. “It’s huge.”
AFN/X photo
Investigating Bigfoot phenomenon by marrying ancestral know
Believed
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
This story starts down an abandoned forest service road deep in central Nuu-chahnulth First Nations territory on Vancouver Island. It was fall, two or three years ago. Tyee Wilson Jack was bucking up a log for firewood when he saw something move on the right side of his periphery.
“Did something just stand up?” thought the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet First Nation)
Hereditary Chief. “I didn’t want to turn my head, but I moved my eyes. I swore. It’s a frickin’Pookemis.”
“He’s just watching me,” Jack thought as he continued chopping, as he said to himself, “I’m not gonna panic. One more swing and I’m gonna look.”
“THWACK!”
Jack swung his axe then turned his head to look. The creature jumped off the stump it was standing on and hid.
Jack said he heard the jump and saw the bookemis – or Sasquatch as the bipedal hairy giant is commonly called – for one second from about 25 metres away.
“The hair on the face is long. The eyes are really dark and glassy, I guess. It was tall. Just the way I saw it stand up. It was like easily over seven feet. It was big.And the smell it left was stench,” Jack recalls.
Jack says elders always taught that if someone has an experience with a bookemis, they should leave it an offering.
“I left six pieces of chopped wood. I yelled, ‘I’m leaving you this wood’.”
The next morning, bright and early, Jack returned to the site of the encounter and the wood was gone – but there were huge footprints.
“I didn’t take any photos, damn it. I didn’t think to bring my phone,” said the 58-yearold.
Jack shared other stories too; of MacMillan Bloedel loggers hearing them in caves, a woman bumping into one in the Hitacu village at night and on one occasion, when he did have his phone, Jack recorded a deep, grunting noise.
He played the recording for two conservation officers he met while hunting in Nahmint one winter.
“They looked at each other. They’d never heard the sound before,” said Jack.
“What is it?” asked the conservation officers.
“You won’t believe me if I tell you. It’s a pookemis.ASasquatch,” Jack replied.
200 black bears for every Sasquatch Cynical unbelievers might be swayed by the ongoing research of Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum, professor of anatomy and anthropol-
Dr. Jeff Meldrum holds a Bigfoot cast.
ogy at Idaho State University. Dr. Meldrum has dedicated his life to studying Sasquatch tracks orAnthropoidipes ameriborealis (NorthAmerican ape foot).
Meldrum’s primary evidence includes the analysis of hundreds of footprint casts. His research has been published in the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin, the Journal of Scientific Exploration and he has penned several books on the man-like creatures, including ‘Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science’and the ‘Sasquatch Field Guide’.
“I’ve examined long trackways. That’s what pulled me in was examining a long trackway of 35 to 45 tracks that showed all the variation. It showed toes extended, toes flexed, toes sliding in the mud, half tracks where it was running up on the front half of the foot, all the dynamics of an animate foot,” Meldrum told the Ha-shilth-sa over a Zoom call.
He says the hoaxes are “very transparent” and that anyone with a little wherewithal and familiarity with the anatomy and func-
tional aspects of the primate and human foot could distinguish a real track from a fake.
“Finding a long line of tracks with successive tracks is really rare,” Meldrum said. “My privilege of looking at a long line of tracks was actually quite unique. I was so floored because at that time I was kind of ambivalent in my attitude towards the subject matter. I was intrigued, but ambivalent and very skeptical.”
He admits that the lack of physical remains is frustrating, but not surprising given the moist forest habitat, acidic soils, and the presumed intelligence and caution of the trackmaker.
“It’s the favourite piece of missing data the skeptics focus on and obsess with it to the exclusion of everything else,” said Meldrum, who has faced criticism from his peers for decades due to the absence of fossil records.
With the recent discovery of fossils from a small extinct hominin species labeled Homo floreiensis (hobbit) on the Indonesia
island of Flores, Meldrum says the scientific community is “at least tolerating the possibility that Sasquatch might exist”.
Based on credible sightings and footprints, Meldrum says that there is good evidence to suggest that the Sasquatch is a large, powerful omnivorous species that has similar habitat requirements to black bears.
“The ratio, I think, is about 200 black bears for every one sasquatch. That’s not just pulled out of the air. That’s based on inferences drawn on about analogy of their social structure, their size, the life history of great apes and so forth,” said Meldrum.
“The point being, have you ever talked to anyone who has found a black bear skeleton in the woods?” asked Meldrum.
The professor of evolutionary biology went on to compare the supposed social behaviour of Sasquatch to orangutans – male orangutans are primarily solitary and communicate with loud calls to advertise their presence and attract a
Submitted photo
Meldrum is a professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University.
ancestral knowledge with science
rooted in Nuu-chah-nulth culture as a spiritual animal and a protector female.
“I think that is probably a good analogy for sasquatch because we have those ruckus loud calls,” said Meldrum.
The smoking gun?
In May 2023 Darby Orcutt, the director of Interdisciplinary Partnerships at North Carolina State University Libraries, launched a “curiosity driven project” approved by the Institutional Review Board called the ‘Study ofAllegedly MorphologicallyAnomalous Physical Samples’. He put an open call out to anyone in the United States or Canada with unusual samples to offer for deeper analysis and genetic testing.
Orcutt says they received more than 100 items to investigate, including hair, teeth and even body part his research team informally dubbed a “hand-paw thing”.
“The DNAis really the gold standard today. It wouldn’t matter how wonderful the trace evidence of apparent trackways were - that’s never going to be what puts the scientific community or the general public over the top. But DNA…well, that’s a different matter,” said Orcutt over Zoom.
“If we were to find something interesting, that would really change the understanding of this topic. But that all depends on IF there is a biological species underlying this phenomenon and IF someone offers an authentic sample of it,” he said.
The Bigfoot Field ResearchersAssociation sent Orcutt a cache of hair samples to work with.
“It’s a sacred trust, really,” said Orcutt. “Real science takes a lot of time. We are batching this up and very meticulously documenting each one.”
Unfortunately, Orcutt says the first
analysis of 20 samples did not yield results, so they are using a different approach.
“The samples are not the freshest,” he said. “There is tremendous opportunity for Indigenous communities to partner on this.”
The Bigfoot DNAstudy remains open to any offerings of unidentified specimens found in NorthAmerica. Folks who submit samples can be identified by name or opt to keep their identity confidential.
“The other thing is, we are not disclosing specific locations of things at all. We’re not doing that under any circumstance. We might say, ‘This sample came from Saskatchewan or eastern Kentucky’. That’s about as specific as we’ll get,” Orcutt promised. “It’s kind of like fishing. We don’t want to reveal their hiding hole.”
Orcutt went on to say that if they do find an undiscovered species, they will be “careful and ethical with the reveal”.
The ‘hide-and-seek-champion’
Nuu-chah-nulth have many stories about seeing Sasquatch and unique names for the creature.
Huu-ay-aht First Nations knowledge keeper Qiic Qiica says the belief in Sasquatch, or Cacuqḥta, is widespread and deep rooted in his culture.
“Our people, historically, were always hunters. In Nuu-chah-nulth culture, there are a number of animals that we just don’t hunt. One of them is Cacuqḥta.Another one is the wolf, we don’t hunt them because they are a pack animal, we believe they live like us. Same with the orca,” Qiic Qiica said.
“Another one we didn’t used to hunt is the black bear. In the plains or on the mainland, you might hear of Indigenous people who would eat bear, our people never did because it was believed they were like the healer or the doctor. They could have anything wrong with them and they know what to eat to fix it,” he explained. “Our people used to watch the bear to learn what they eat for getting better.”
Qiic Qiica points out that the greatest predators in NorthAmerican are rarely seen.
“More often than not, they see us and we don’t see them. Think about how illusive the wolves are, how illusive the cougars are. Those are some of the most illusive animals in the world. From our point of view, the Cacuqḥta is even more illusive than the most illusive. It really is the hideand-seek champion.”
He shared a story about an ancient agreement between Cacuqḥta and a Huu-ay-aht chief that teaches about protecting its identity:
“The Chief got really curious about it and he kept trying to go out and find. He would
Multiple angles of the virtualized models of duplicate Patterson casts included in the holotype of Anthropoidipes ameriborealis. go out when it was foggy, he would go out at daybreak or dusk and try to find it. He went out this one foggy day and he could see in the distance Cacuqḥta. He started following it, chasing it and trying to see where it lived.
“Finally, the Bigfoot realized he was being followed so he started running. The Chief was trying to keep up to it and he ended up slipping on a rock and hurt himself. The Sasquatch turned back and felt sorry for him. He wanted to help him. The Chief was really grateful because he was saved by this creature and he asked him, ‘What do you want in return?’
“The Sasquatch replied and simply said, ‘I want to be left alone’.”
It’s a spiritual gift to encounter a Sasquatch, according to Nuu-chah-nulth culture.
“If you are so blessed to ever see one or be in the presence of one, you were chosen,” said Qiic Qiica. Jack echoes the sentiment.
“It’s not there to harm you. To me, it’s a protector. They’re just curious. I would never recommend anyone to harm it. I would hate to see anyone harm something like that,” he said.
Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Tyee Wilson Jack
Submitted photo
Community kitchen benefits from $300,000 gift
Donation will go towards establishing a Co-op Community Teaching Kitchen with six workstations in Tofino
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Tofino, BC - Christmas came early for Nuu-chah-nulth’s future Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Centre in Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations territory after Santa FCL (Federated Co-operatives Limited) and Ucluelet Co-op gifted a generous joint donation of $300,000 to support the establishment of the Co-op Community Teaching Kitchen within the Centre. Clayoquot Biosphere Trust (CBT)
Executive Director Rebecca Hurwitz says the Co-op Community Teaching Kitchen will facilitate the sharing of traditional Indigenous knowledge like food preservation as well as open the door for local culinary training opportunities.
“Folks will be able to get their certification to work in the local food industry. North Island College has been really active in our kitchen design group and is a big supporter of the Biosphere Centre, with the idea that they will be able to bring more culinary training opportunities to the west coast,” said Hurwitz.
Centrally located at 301 Olsen Road
in Tofino within the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region, the $15.3 million “all-in” Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Centre project currently has development permits in the pipe with the District of Tofino.According to Hurwitz, the hope is to put shovels in the ground come early spring 2025. Design plans for the Co-op Community Teaching Kitchen include six workstations, each with the capacity to fit two to three people.
“The kitchen will be the heart of the Biosphere Centre,” said Hurwitz. “It’s where we work together. It’s feeding our bodies and our minds. When you work alongside someone, there is a lot of sharing of what food means to us, our histories with food, what’s special and what tastes good to you.”
Mike Bruch, general manager of Ucluelet Co-op, agrees.
“The Co-op Community Kitchen will be a tremendous community space where our friends and neighbours can come together, learn and grow,” said Bruch in a CBT press release.
“This is a unique opportunity for Co-op to support a special project in a diverse
region of Western Canada,” Heather Ryan, CEO of FCL, went on to note.
“This project represents an important commitment to Indigenous Peoples in the region and recognizes our continued and steadfast support of truth and reconciliation.”
Michelle Hall, CBT’s donor relations and Biosphere Centre campaign lead, expressed her gratitude towards FCL and Ucluelet Co-op for the massive cheque.
“This incredible partnership is the result of years of relationship-building, initially guided by the support of former Ucluelet Co-op manager Laurie Gehrke,” said Hall via email. “Through the Co-op Community Spaces grant process, we were introduced to Carmen Ironstar, FCL’s manager of Indigenous relations, who championed the project and recommended FCL’s support.”
“This partnership showcases the power of local businesses coming together to create a space that will connect, inspire and strengthen communities for generations to come,” Hall continued.
Fostering sustainable food systems and the passing on of traditional knowledge
to local youth, the community and/or tourists are cornerstones of the space, Hurwitz re-iterates.
“I make a lot of jam at home, but I am really looking forward to canning salmon. I’m looking forward to learning to do that,” said Hurwitz.
Local food producers could also come in and create their own products for the market, notes Hurwitz, and youth cooking skills and nutrition education is another opportunity.
The CBT is currently looking for a Hesquiaht First Nation member to take a seat on the Board of Directors. Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ’s board spot is posted too.
“You would help guide activities and the mission of the CBT. There are a couple meetings per year, and we support for travel. You have to be a member of the nation and you have to be appointed by the nation,” said Hurwitz, adding that if anyone is interested in the role to contact their chief and council.
CBT aims to open the centre at the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027.
Phrase†of†the†week:†Caxt%aqt%ic^†hiinum>%a+iš††haawi>%aqkin
Pronounced ‘Cha h tak ii alth he num alt ish haa wilth ugk kin’, it means ‘Be happy in the festive season’Supplied by ciisma.
Ucluelet Co-op photo
Ucluelet Co-op General Manager Mike Bruch, left, hands CBT Executive Director Rebecca Hurwitz an early Christmas present of $300,000 for a future community teaching kitchen.
Rugby star returns to international competition
Shalaya Valenzuela wins national title with UBC this fall, before returning to Canada’s sevens team overseas
By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor
Cape Town, SouthAfrica - Shalaya Valenzuela has not been resting on her laurels since winning an Olympic medal this past summer.
Valenzuela, a member of Tseshaht First Nation, was on the Canadian women’s rugby sevens squad that captured the silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
Though she took part in all team activities at the Games in France, Valenzuela was officially listed as an alternate with the club and didn’t see any game action. But she was still awarded a medal.
Following the Olympics, Valenzuela stayed in Europe, joining a couple of teammates and friends for some relaxation and sightseeing, with stops in Greece and Croatia.
Since then, however, it’s been go-go-go for Valenzuela.
For starters, she was on the University of British Columbia (UBC) team that captured the national women’s university (rugby 15s) crown in the fall.
And then she returned to the national sevens program, having already participated in a pair of HSBC SVNS tournaments in the UnitedArab Emirates and SouthAfrica.
Despite a bit of a break following the Olympics, Valenzuela said she was keen to return to her sport.
“Even after that month I was so ready to start playing varsity,” she told HaShilthSa in a Dec. 7 interview from her hotel room in Cape Town, SouthAfrica. “I think varsity was the perfect transition because there wasn’t as much stress and it was more for fun and there was still a good level of competition there where I could work on my skills and keep my conditioning. Now I’m ready to be back on the world stage and fighting every day.”
and
Paris last
Valenzuela returned from SouthAfrica to Canada on Dec. 9. Members of the Canadian squad have a few weeks off for the Christmas holidays and will reconvene and head toAustralia on Jan. 12 for their next tour stop.
“I’ve been on the team now for three years,” Valenzuela said of the national sevens program. “Every year from September we start training and then our first tournament is December.And the season goes from December until the end of May.”
she said. “They hadn’t gotten past the first seeds, which is crazy because they had been so successful during the season but they got really hard matchups in the first games. So, when we made it past the first game this year, it was like let’s keep going, we can do this.”
UBC squared off against a familiar league foe, the University of Victoria Vikes, in the gold medal match. UBC prevailed 8-3.
Valenzuela will continue to take online classes for the remainder of the school year, while representing Canada abroad in tournaments.
“I think it’s good,” she said of the fact she is a student/athlete now. “It’s definitely a lot more to manage. I think this is my first time being in classes while going on tours with Canada so it’s definitely a bit of a mindset change. But I also feel like it’s my third year of being on Team Canada and doing these tours so I think it’s a perfect time to take more on my plate because I feel the excitement is still there but I don’t feel as distracted.
“I feel I’m more settled in to being on the road. So, being in classes again I think is just a nice balance away from rugby and keeps my mind busy in other ways so I’m not constantly thinking about rugby all the time.”
Unlike the last couple of years, the national sevens club is not centralizing in Victoria for the season.As a result, team members were able to do their own thing for a bit.
For Valenzuela, that meant returning to school. She joined the UBC squad while taking online Bachelor ofArts classes. She was one of four members of the Olympic silver-medal winning side to suit up for the UBC club this season. The others were Piper Logan, Florence Symonds and Charity Williams.
Valenzuela said the obvious goal was to help UBC capture a national title this year.
“Going into it that was our goal,” she said. “My three other teammates and me – Piper, Florence and Charity – we went in with the mindset of this could be our year to win the nationals. We’ve never all played on the same university team together.
“Knowing that we were all together I think we felt like we could elevate the team and give them the shot of winning the nationals.”
Valenzuela added the UBC program has been rather strong in recent years as well.
“But they’ve had a tough outcome, usually in the first games of the nationals,”
Valenzuela had previously spent two years, from 2017-19, at the University of the Fraser Valley inAbbotsford, studying criminal justice.
Now that’s she’s taking Bachelor of Arts classes, Valenzuela is contemplating whether she should focus on taking more psychology classes. UBC does not offer a criminal justice program.
“I’m just kind of finding my footing and finding what I want to settle into now,” she said.
Following her Christmas holidays, Valenzuela will join her Canadian teammates and head to Perth. They’ll have a two-week training camp inAustralia before their next tournament.
“I’m just excited to have that time there, especially with our new squad,” Valenzuela said, adding there are eight new players on the team this season.
Following the Paris Olympics, Canadian team players had the option of playing for pro squads in the U.K. or in other countries overseas if they were keen to do so.
“We are using it as a rebuilding year, so we brought in a lot of new players” Valenzuela added. “These first couple of tournaments is kind of just like getting connected and putting them to work.”
Submitted photo
Shalaya Valenzuela
her Olympic silver medal that she won with Canada’s rugby sevens team in
summer.
Ucluelet Basketball on the Edge tournament returns
Vancouver Island high school teams make the trek to Ukee for two-days of hoops over weekend tourney
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Ucluelet, BC – The Maaqtusiis Knights played a respectable game against Queen Margaret’s Royals (QMR) out of Duncan on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 7, at Ucluelet’s 2024 Basketball on the Edge tournament.
The Maaqtusiis Knights played a respectable game against Queen Margaret’s Royals (QMR) out of Duncan on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 7, at Ucluelet’s 2024 Basketball on the Edge tournament.
TheAhousaht team of junior and senior all-native players suffered back-to-back losses the day before, but doubled back from Flores Island, a 30-minute boat ride from Tofino, to nab an exciting 65-62 victory over QMR.
Maaqtusiis player Kalani Charleson, 17, said the travel didn’t make him tired.
“I feel good. It was a good weekend with my team,” he said as they were rushing out of the gym to catch a 4:30 p.m. boat.
“We’re all dedicated to the game and we have love for it,” Charleson said of Ahousaht’s basketball program.
Coached by Luke Swann Jr.,Ahousaht opted to send rookie coach Marcus Lobb as an alternate for this one as the nation was hosting a potlatch in the village.
“I’m just filling in,” said Lobb. “We won. It was a great game. Even that play at the end almost came back to get us, but I think they were doing a good job, especially of boxing out because they’re a smaller team.”
“They didn’t get home until midnight (on Friday) and then we all loaded up on the boat the next morning. Some of the guys didn’t know if they wanted to go, but it’s a good thing they all came,” Lobb continued. “They all played so fluid together because they’ve been playing together, most of them, their whole lives.”
Ahousaht parent Lil’Star Frank came to watch her four boys play ball.
“They are representingAhousaht well. I’m really proud of them putting in the work together,” she said.
Frank went on to note that it was a long two nights and that “staying put at tournaments would be safer”.
Host team Ucluelet Secondary School (USS) Warriors smashed QMR 69-42 in
game one, rallied to beat Brooks Thunderbirds from Powell River 62-56 in the semi-final, but ultimately left hometown fans riling after a nail-biting final against Duncan Christian Chargers that ended with a 71-63 overtime win for the Chargers.
“We played great defensively. That’s our calling card. Everyone found success. They should be really proud with the effort they played on defense,” said Warriors coachAlistair Reynolds.
Offensively, Reynolds said Raph Nixon, Clay Chiovitti and Riley Gerbrandt helped carry the team throughout the tournament.
“Riley’s had such an incredible start to the season and that’s just a credit to all the hard work he’s been putting in. He’s the type where every time in the summer when I drove by the basketball courts in Ukee, he was there. He was putting up shots,” said Reynolds, a Grade 4 teacher at Wickaninnish Community School in Tofino.
“If the other players can practice their shooting and put up thousands of shots between now and playoffs, we’re going to have a very good chance of moving on to the provincials again,” he continued.
Reynolds thanked all the student volunteers, school staff and parents for the work they did on running the yearly tournament.
“Without them the tournament wouldn’t have been possible. Mr. Ryan the principal is there really late along with Chris Sylvester. They are there the entire time; past 11 at night, mopping the floor and then they are back there first thing in the morning,” said the USS coach.
USS principal Drew Ryan said it was a very exciting tournament.
“I believe the tournament exceeded expectations from the opening welcoming by Jeneva Touchie, Ethan Joseph and YFN youth, to the smooth running of the games, and overall isaak from all, it was a fabulous weekend,” Mr. Ryan wrote in an email.
He went on to note that USS would look at hostingAhousaht overnight, so they don’t have to double back next time around and mentioned that local hotels were offering deals if the youth wanted something more comfortable.
Traditional Cultural Crafts
Dec. 16
CYS - 4841 Redford St, PortAlberni
From 830am to 12pm and 1pm-430pm. With Lisa Watts. Call to register 250.724.3939
Mini Drum Making
Dec. 17
CYS - 4841 Redford St, PortAlberni
1pm-330pm. With Lee Lucas. Call to register 250.724.3939
Nanaimo Holiday Urban Gathering
Dec. 17
2300 Bowen Rd, Nanaimo
4pm-9pm at the Beban ParkAuditorium. For more information please contact Vina Robinson at nuuvisions@gmail.com or 250.729.1314
PortAlberni Holiday Urban Gathering
Dec. 19
4065 6thAve, PortAlberni
4pm-9pm at the Italian Hall. For more information please contact Vina Robinson at nuuvisions@gmail.com or 250.729.1314
Parenting 101
Jan. 20 toApr. 11 2025
&Community Beyond
Various Locations
Tla-o-qui-aht - Jan 20 to 24. UclueletFeb 3 to 7. PortAlberni - Feb 24 to 28. Tseshaht - Mar 10 to 14. UchucklesahtMar 24 to 28. PortAlberni -Apr 7 to 11. For more information call 250.724.3232 or 1.877.722.3232
Nuu-chah-nulth Baby Group
Every Monday
CYS - 4841 Redford St, PortAlberni
10am-12pm. We offer Prenatal and infant development information, special guests, snacks provide and $20.00 food voucher per family. 250-724-3939. Enter from 4th avenue side, building with orange stripe.
Eating in Balance
Wednesdays
PortAlberni Friendship Center
Participants will receive a $10.00 grocery coupon that can be used at Quality Foods and Buy Low Foods. Open to all families with children 0-6. To register please contactAmber at 250-723-8281 ext. 233
Cultural Brushings with Quu asa
Every Friday
RedfordAdministration Building, Port Alberni
9:00am-12:00pm Cultural Brushings in support of the Tseshaht Community. Please call 250-724-1225
Greetings
On December 5th,1999 four ancient red cedar trees were felled near Tofino. The massive logs were to be taken to Ahousaht where they were transformed into dugout canoes. The process was a long four years and plenty of red tape to get the permits from the Ministry of Forests. Employed as an engineer with Interfor,Ahousaht member Tim Sutherland sought out and marked the appropriate cedar trees. To witness the
falling of the cedars, a smallAhousaht delegation, Tim Sutherland and faller John Corlazzoli all went up the mountain. Corlazzoli had admitted nervousness with so many people watching, hoping the trees would not shatter when they fell. Luckily three trees fell without incident and the fourth fell shattering only the rotten ‘spikes’, leaving enough intact wood to make a 40’canoe.
Clayoquot Sound Cedars Felled for Ahousaht Canoes
Nora O’Malley photo
The hosting Ucluelet Warriors play against Duncan Christian on Dec. 7, a nailbiting final that ended with a 71-63 overtime win for the visiting Chargers.
I wish my family and friends a happy and safe holiday. We never know what life is going to bring us, take care of each other. Best in 2025. – Kathy Edgar
Port Alberni
Friendship Centre
Volunteers Needed
Need work experience? The Port Alberni Friendship Centre is looking for interested applicants for various positions. Call 250-723-8281
Tseshaht hosts basketball jamboree at Maht Mahs
With one referee, organizers want to bring in a witwaak for the next event after one game got ‘too aggressive’
By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
PortAlberni, BC - Maht Mahs gymnasium in PortAlberni saw a lot of junior basketball on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30 as dozens of Nuu-chah-nulth youth laced up for a jamboree-style tournament hosted by Tseshaht Lighting.
The two-day program included four U13 girls teams, three U13 boys teams and five U17 boys teams. Unfortunately, no U17 girls played in the event, according to organizer and Tseshaht Lightning coach Ed Nasimius Ross.
“It was a packed house all the time,” said Tseshaht Lighting assistant coach Len Watts. “Just about every game was filled right up with parents and grandparents and aunties and uncles coming out and supporting the kids.”
“That’s why we host it, just so kids have the opportunity to come out and play against other teams, gauge where they’re at and hopefully have the experience of playing competitive basketball,” he added.
Other than some unruly fans and one incident in a U17 boys game, Watts said everything went really well.
“It was good to see the kids battle it out and have fun,” said Watts. “We had a lot of help from community. It was great to just give a space for Nuu-chah-nulth to play basketball.”
He went on to note that they had one score keeper all weekend who did an “awesome” job with all 13 games.
Nasimius told the Ha-Shilth-Sa that he’s been getting a lot of text messages about
the incident that occurred in the second quarter of one of the U17 boys games.
“It got intense and it got aggressive,” said Nasimius. “I am aware what’s going on and we’re going to get better for it. Some things happened in the tournament
with sportsmanship. We as tournament organizers, we see it. We are probably going to start introducing our own witwaak again into the games.”
“One kid got shoved and smacked his head,” Watts said. “It got a little rough.
I had to talk to the coaches to tell them to calm their players down.After that, it calmed down and the game went on, but that game almost got cancelled because of the roughness.”
Watts said in addition to bringing in a witwaak, they are considering developing a “code of conduct” for fans after some “rude comments” were spewed from the bleachers.
“Some fans get right riled up,” he said.
In Nuu-chah-nulth culture, a ‘witwaak’ (or warrior) is an individual that plays an important role in maintaining order and laws in the community. When it comes to basketball, the witwaak would work together with the referees to keep the peace.
“The witwaak will hold the integrity of the floor. If things get out of hand, it won’t just be on the refs. They’ll stop the game,” said Nasimius.
Watts went on to say that the reason they only had one ref was to keep the costs down.
“The entrance fee literally just pays for refs and for the rental of the gym. One ref can’t see the other side and the other side of the court is where the fouls were happening,” said Watts.
This is the second basketball event Tseshaht has hosted in the past year; over the May long weekend the Lightning hosted an open hoops tournament for Indigenous and non-Indigenous players that featured six divisions.
Tseshaht is planning to host another youth hoopfest in January or early February 2025, depending on facility scheduling.
Eric Plummer photo Players with the Mowachaht Bucks under-17 team warm up on Nov. 30 before facing a squad coached by Tom Campbell.
Port Alberni team ‘highly motivated’ for Totem 69
Half of the high school squad is Indigenous, the products of deep basketball roots from west coast communities
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
PortAlberni, BC - Basketball is a family affair for theADSS senior girls team, who eagerly await the chance to compete in front of loved ones at B.C.’s oldest high school hoops tournament.
Totem 69 is scheduled to light up Alberni District Secondary’s court Jan. 9 – 11, drawing a dozen boys and girls teams from across Vancouver Island. The tournament began in 1955 with four boys teams, then in 1982 expanded to eight male squads. It wasn’t until 2011 that Totem included girls, but now the female teams share representation with the boys at six senior squads each.
In 2025 theAlberni’s senior girls are following a second-place finish from Totem 68, which was claimed by Victoria’s Pacific Christian School with a 73-41 win in the final.Alberni’s senior boys took third in the last Totem, but won the tournament in 2023.
Senior girls coach Greg Freethy expected that his team would play about 10 games between late November and Totem, but when practices started in the fall they already appeared ready to compete. The squad even spent a week training in the summer at Western Washington University in Bellingham.
“I think we really hit the ground running this year and I think we’re in much better shape at this point in the year than we normally would be,” said Freethy. “We’ve been running a lot and getting ready.”
The coach is expecting tough competition again in Totem 69, and wouldn’t be surprised if it resulted in a rematch with
Pacific Christian in the finals.
“They’ll be highly motivated,” said Freethy of his team, noting that the biggest challenge for the group might be to restrain their exuberance and focus on the fundamentals of the game. “It might be almost managing that - not being too excited and not forgetting about the basics, not getting distracted by 500 people that are screaming at them.”
“Stepping out there every year and having people call out my name and chant, I love it,” said Jaidin Knighton, a Grade 12 player who is in her fourth year with the Alberni team for this Totem tournament.
“Obviously a little bit of nerves, but mostly I’m super excited to be out there.
I’m in love with the crowd.”
Kura Rorick and Mary Robinson are also in their fourth year with the team. They have some experience in managing the excitement that Totem brings.
“You block it all out,” said Robinson of hearing the crowd noise.
“Once you’re on the court, it kind of feels like nobody is there,” added Rorick.
Half of the seniors girls team this year is Indigenous and most come from Nuuchah-nulth backgrounds, where basketball roots run deep amongst west coast communities. Rorick started the sport in Grade 4, and spent part of her childhood playing in Hot Spring Cove’s school gym, a remote Hesquiaht community of a few dozen residents north of Tofino.
Robinson also started playing in Grade 4 while attending Haahuupayak, which is located on the Tseshaht First Nation reserve by PortAlberni. One day competing in theAll Native Basketball Tournament remains an aspiration for the young players.
“We know a lot of older people that play basketball. They always talk about it,” said Robinson of the provincial contest for Indigenous teams. “It’s something that we also want to experience.”
Rorick was inspired to see her aunt Mariah Charleson make it to the finals at the lastAll Native in Prince Rupert. The Hesquiaht Descendants came second to Similkameen in February 2024.
Knighton looks further back to the career of her grandfather, Tom Watts, who won the seniorAmen’s national championship in 1965 with theAlberniAthletics. She grew up hearing about Watts’legacy on the court.
“He shows up to all of my games,” said Knighton of her grandfather.
“I wish I could give him a uniform today, he probably can still play,” commented Freethy of the elder.
Freethy guides the team with the experience of playing forADSS at Totem a
generation ago.
“Many years later - 30, 35 years latermy best friends today are still the people I played with in Totem,” he reflected.
“There’s lifelong friendships that are forming that they don’t even know.”
Several players on the senior girls team have also played for the Tseshaht Pride, an under-17 squad that took second at the JuniorAll Native Basketball Tournament in 2024 and third the year before.
“I have grown up with these people, so I’ve been playing with them for years,” said Knighton. “My friends started playing it and it really was just a way for me to meet new people.”
“You’re working hard to help your team,” added Rorick. “It gives you a sense of belonging. You become part of a bigger family.”
“It made me motivated to go to school,” said Robinson. “I have to show up in order to play.”
Alexandra Mehl photo
Alberni player Hayleigh Watts, left, watches the ball at the Totem finals in 2024.
