Ha Shilth Sa Newspaper February 6, 2025

INTERESTING NEWS

ER stays open despite staffing shortages

While West Coast General’s emergency department faces shortage of medical professionals, Island Health uses ‘multiple strategies’ to ensure doctors are available

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

PortAlberni, BC – Island Health is assuring residents and visitors of the central Vancouver Island region that it has strategies in place to keep the West Coast General Hospital (WCGH) emergency department running in the event of staffing shortages.

“Like most health authorities around B.C. and across Canada, Island Health is challenged by a shortage of trained emergency department nurses and physicians. These challenges are even more prevalent in rural and remote regions,” Island Health wrote in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa.

Arumour was circulating that the WCGH emergency department is understaffed and, at times, at risk of closure. This has occurred at other hospitals in the province, including over 120 temporary ER closures in 2024 within Interior Health. In the Island Health region, a shortage of nurses has forced the emergency rooms of the Port Hardy andAlert Bay hospitals to close at night since January 2023.

With the ongoing doctor shortage resulting in long wait lists for family physicians, locals in PortAlberni have found other ways to be seen during an emergency. Some go to the privately run Urgent Care (Walk-In) Clinic on Maple Way, others go to the hospital emergency department in PortAlberni, Parksville’s Oceanside Health Centre or the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Some use Telehealth or other virtual doctor consulting service.

But those living west of PortAlberni in Tofino, Ucluelet and Nuu-chah-nulth communities beyond rely on WCGH for their emergencies, a critically important facility in their times of need.And Island Health says it recognizes the critical role West Coast General plays in supporting timely access to care for people throughout theAlberni Valley and west coast of the island.

Island Health says they are committed to ensuring continued and ongoing availability of 24/7 emergency services at WCGH. They say their local teams are continuously monitoring schedules for physician and nursing coverage at the hospital.

“When gaps in coverage are identified, there are multiple strategies available to find appropriate staffing,” stated Island Health.

That includes bringing in healthcare staff from other regions, when neces-

Eric Plummer photo

The West Coast General Hospital serves as the location for emergency medical care for a vast region that stretches to Vancouver Island’s coastal communities.

sary. In the summer of 2023 the wildfire at Cameron Lake closed the highway for several weeks. During that time, Island Health flew hospital staff in and out of PortAlberni to keep WCGH staffed.

In addition to bringing in staff, Island Health is prioritizing training and orientation for nurses at WCGH to work across multiple departments.

“We are committed to taking all steps possible to ensure the continued and ongoing availability of 24/7 emergency services at WCGH. We want to reassure people that WCGH will continue to be ready to take care of anyone who shows up in need of care,” stated the health authority. “We are having success with recruitment and seeing a decrease in vacant nursing lines.”

When it comes to emergency department physicians, WCGH has a local team dedicated to recruitment, retention, and coordinating emergency department coverage.

“When gaps in physician coverage are identified for upcoming shifts, the local team sends a call out to Island Health’s network of physicians. This includes physicians working with Island Health, around B.C. and across Canada,” stated Island Health. “WCGH recently began using the provincial Emergency Physician Resource Team to increase the pool of potential physicians available to cover shifts.”

The Emergency Physician Resource Team (EPRT) provides short-term physician coverage to busy hospitals to keep emergency departments open and accessible to communities while permanent physician recruitment and other options for local coverage are pursued.

In addition, Island Health has made significant investments specifically focused on improving the care experience forAboriginal people by expanding the Indigenous Health team at WCGH. This includes more scheduled hours for Indigenous Liaison Nurses and Indigenous Patient Navigators in the emergency department.

“These additional supports add tremendous value for the care teams as they strive to provide culturally appropriate, high-quality care,” said Island Health. For those seeking non-urgent medical care, an alternative to the WCGH emergency department is the Urgent Care Clinic, known locally as the ‘Walk-in Clinic’, located at 3949 Maple Way. The clinic is important to the large portion of the population that cannot find a family doctor in the city.

It is open for two-hour intervals twice a day on most weekdays subject to physician availability and patient volume. Call 778-421-1219 or check the PortAlberni Urgent Care Clinic webpage for the schedule.

Another DUI 14 years after fatality

Man arrested again after serving time for fatal crash of Darrell Campbell

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Port Orchard, WA – “Again? Did he hurt anyone this time?”

Those were the words of Sophie Campbell (now Lambert) who suffered serious injures in a 2011 head-on collision that killed her cousin and left Sophie and her father,Angus Campbell, badly injured.

Steven W. Boyd of PortAngeles, Washington, was convicted of alcohol-related vehicular homicide for his actions which caused the death ofAhousaht grandfather, Darrell Campbell. It was in June 2012 when Boyd, then 48, appeared in a Port Angeles Courtroom to face a judge. He pleaded guilty to alcohol-related vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault. He was sentenced to five years in Clallam County Corrections facility. Boyd, now released from prison, was again arrested on Jan. 31, 2025 for driving while intoxicated. In the U.S., it’s called DUI – Driving Under the Influence. He will not be charged until blood samples return from the lab, a process that takes 14-18 months. Boyd can legally drive over this period of time, according to Washington state prosecutors.

Sophie Campbell, now Sophie Lambert, was terribly injured in the 2011 collision that took the life of her cousin. She spent months in a Seattle hospital while her father,Angus Campbell, was treated for his injuries at another hospital.

It was the early morning ofAugust. 25, 2011, when the Campbells boarded a ferry in Victoria, BC, headed for Neah Bay. They landed in PortAngeles and made their way west in a pick-up truck just after 8 a.m.Angus and Darrell Campbell were in the front seats while Sophie, then 18, rode in the back seat.

They only made it about five miles down the highway toward Neah Bay when an oncoming SUV drifted into their lane, striking them almost head-on. The driver of the other vehicle was Steven W. Boyd, who was intoxicated, and injured from the collision as well. Two sets of blood alcohol readings were taken from Boyd following the accident and both were above the .08 per cent Washington State legal blood-alcohol limit.

Continued on page 3.

US tarrifs ‘don’t make sense’: Forester

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Registered Professional Forester (RPF)

LenApedaile is the general manager of Tiičma Forestry LP, a small market logger based up in Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/ Che:k’tles7et’h’First Nations (KCFN) territory on Vancouver Island’s north coast.

He thinks, if anything, theAmerican tariffs scenario of 25 per cent on all Canadian imports will give businesses the opportunity to re-evaluate how they fundamentally do things – especially since President Trump postponed the tax threats until March to allow for fresh negotiation. The tariffs were originally set to take effect on Feb. 4.

“Across many sectors in Canada with what’s happening right now, we’re recognizing that we need to reduce our dependency and diversify. This doesn’t happen overnight, but I think that you’ll see that this will spur on those efforts over time,” saidApedaile.

“I’m always an optimist. There’s always silver clouds in things and sometimes you can get complacent when you are set in an easy way of doing things, and then all of a sudden that apple cart gets knocked over and you really have to wake up and assess how you can ensure that you can continue to be resilient,” he continued.

This past year, the U.S. raised duty rates on imports of Canadian softwood lumber products from 8.05 per cent to 14.54 per cent. The BC Lumber Trade Council (BCLTC) says the U.S. government’s decision to impose an extra 25 per cent tariff is “unjustified and harmful.”

“The Canada-U.S. lumber trade is mutually beneficial,” said Kurt Niquidet, President of the BCLTC, in a written statement. “American demand exceeds domestic supply—requiring U.S. builders to import about 30 per cent of their lumber needs. Canadian producers fill most of this gap, ensuring a stable, predictable supply of quality lumber. Tariffs disrupt this essential supply chain, increasing building material costs, at a time when affordability is already a major concern for American families.”

Apedaile agrees.

“We really don’t understand where these tariffs are coming from because they just don’t make sense for theAmericans or us. They just don’t make sense in terms of what we collectively are trying to 58

achieve,” he said. “Margins in forestry are already tight and the proposed tariffs simply introduce even more uncertainty into our sector and viability of operations.”

Tiičma Forestry operates in a high-cost area of Vancouver Island. The relatively new First Nations forestry company sells west coast old and second growth logs to a Terminal Forest Products sawmill on the mainland who exports primarily to the U.S.

Terminal Forest sales and production manager Deepak Rai said in an email that he’s been speaking with customers over the past few weeks and “there are more questions than answers”.

“Even up until 1 p.m. yesterday (Feb. 3) we had no clear information from our US Customs brokers on how the tariffs would be administered if imposed. Luckily, we dodged a bullet yesterday and am hopeful that this will fizzle away,” said Rai.

British Columbia’s job losses are estimated at 124,000 by 2028, with the largest declines in natural-resource sector export industries and associated manufacturing, according to a preliminary assessment done by the B.C. Ministry of Finance. This projection is based on the assumption that a 25 per cent tariff would remain in place for the duration of the Trump presidency and that Canada retaliates.

Apedaile says if Tiičma Forestry must slow down operations, it will have an impact for “everyone involved”, including staff and contractors.

“If we have to curtail operations, that’s when it gets intense in terms of the number of people employed,” saidApedaile.

“That puts people off work and when they are off work they don’t have an income and they can’t provide for their

families. Our business activity is integrated with the North Island economy.”

He brought up the historic Canadian saying, “We are hewers of wood and drawers of water.”

“Ultimately, we produce the raw materials like logs or water that go off to markets and be converted into other higher value products for end use, the milling sector and the value-added sector is key to that process. The stronger, healthier milling and value-added sector that we can have in Canada, then the more of that value we can capture,” saidApedaile.

The latest B.C. Ministry of Forests trade data shows that 58 per cent of B.C.’s total forest products are being exported to the U.S., totalling almost $6.2 billion for the first 11 months of 2024.

Ranked second is China, Hong Kong and Macau at $2.3 billion or 22 per cent, followed by Japan at $806 million or 8 per cent.

The Canadian market is still “relatively small” compared to the U.S., said Apedaile, and mill production is all currently geared towards a higher volume.

Carl Harris, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders of the United States, sent a letter to President Trump prior to the 30-day reprieve stating thatAmerican homebuilders rely on materials produced in Canada and Mexico and that imposing tariffs would ultimately lead to increased housing prices.

“Further supply chain disruptions from increased tariffs coupled with increased demand for materials could also hinder rebuilding efforts in areas affected by natural disasters, which you have pledged to help rebuild as quickly as possible,” wrote Harris in a Jan. 31 letter to President Trump.

‘I needed to forgive him’

Continued from Page 1

Sophie and her fatherAngus were airlifted to separate hospitals in Washington state where it took several weeks to recover from their extensive injuries. Darrell Campbell died at the scene.

When Sophie heard the news that Boyd was arrested for DUI, there was a moment of stunned silence, then she asked, “again?” She went on to ask if he hurt anyone else in his most recent arrest.And then she cried.

“I still have a really hard time with this,” she told Ha-Shilth-Sa. It’s been 13 years since that terrible summer morning.

But the passage of time likely allowed Boyd to have his driver’s license reinstated.According to the Washington State Department of Licensing, an alcoholrelated homicide conviction means a twoyear revocation of the driver’s license.

Boyd was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison in June 2012. If he served the entire five years, he would be freed in the summer of 2017.

Washington State Law requires revocation of the driver’s license for two years in the case of vehicular homicide convictions, but it is not clear if the revocation starts at the time of sentencing or at the time of release from prison. In any case, it has been far more than two years since Boyd served his time and he could have met all the legal requirements to have his driver’s license reinstated.

“Based upon his prior conviction, we could charge him with a felony DUI, which is the highest level DUI in the State of Washington,” said Kitsap County Prosecutor Chad Enright.

But this charge will have to wait until Boyd’s results come back from the lab.

“I’m sure this won’t provide any solace to the families of his victims, unfortunately, this is common right now in Washington and all blood tests results for DUI are taking this long to process,” Enright added.

The daughter ofAngus Campbell asked if he hurt anyone else in his recent arrest.

“I wish he would learn,” Sophie Campbell said with tears. “I was in a dark place for so long – I hated him for so long.”

Sophie took the advice of her husband and began working with a therapist.

“I realized I needed to forgive him so I can move on with my life,” she shared.

“At times I wished they would keep him in in there. He killed my cousin, my big brother. Five years (Boyd’s sentence) is not enough.”

Tiicma Forestry photo

If Tiičma Forestry must slow down, it will have an impact for “everyone involved”, including staff and contractors, says General Manager LenApedaile.

Tree spiking reported, Fairy Creek protection extended

Province promises protection for highly contested area as long-term management discussed with Pacheedaht

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Deferrals continue to promise temporary protection of old growth in the Fairy Creek watershed, but aggressive opposition remains to the prospect of any future logging in the area with a recent report of tree spiking.

On Jan. 29 B.C.’s Ministry of Forests announced another extension to defer logging around Fairy Creek, a highly contested valley of old growth north of Port Renfrew. Considered to be one of Vancouver Island’s few remaining watersheds untouched by industrial logging, this latest measure will protect almost 1,200 hectares of forest until Sept. 30, 2026.

The Fairy Creek watershed is Crown land that falls under provincial forestry regulations, but is also entirely located within the territory of the Pacheedaht First Nation.

“These temporary protections will allow discussions on the long-term management of the Fairy Creek watershed to continue in partnership with Pacheedaht First Nation,” stated the Ministry of Forests in a press release. “This action is consistent with government’s commitments to reconciliation and to protecting British Columbia’s oldest and rarest forest ecosystems.”

On the same day that the deferral was announced, another message came from the Ministry of Forests reporting a historical practice that many consider a form of eco-terrorism.

“Last week, I was notified that there are reports of tree spiking in the Fairy Creek area of southern Vancouver Island,” said Minister of Forests Ravi Parmer in a statement.

Tree spiking is the practice of driving a metal rod or nail into a tree with the intention damaging a chainsaw when the stand is logged, or wrecking a machine when the timber is processed in a sawmill. Tree spiking first became widely known in the 1980s to disrupt logging operations, but many environmental groups have since condemned the practice due to its danger to forestry workers.

“Spiking a tree, or even attempting to, is a dangerous criminal activity that puts the health and safety of B.C.’s forestry workers at risk,” said Parmar. “These reports are incredibly alarming and I condemn this criminal behaviour.”

The matter has been reported to the Nanaimo RCMP for investigation.Arecent Times Colonist article reported that the ministry was mailed a package with photos of spiked trees in January. The photos are undated with no indication of their location, but a note with the package stated they are from “friends of Fairy Creek”, according to the article.

In recent years Fairy Creek has attracted one of the largest movements of civil disobedience in Canadian history, a growing protest against old growth logging that brought nearly 1,200 arrests. In the

summer of 2020 blockades were being erected to halt the construction of logging roads into the valley, where some ancient yellow and red cedar trees are believed to be over 1,000 years old. Coordinated by the Rainforest Flying Squad, a steady flow of food, provisions and volunteers supplied the blockades.

At stake was an estimated $20 million worth of timber, according to the Teal Jones Group, which holds forestry tenure over Fairy Creek and the surrounding area that comprises Tree Farm Licence 46.At the time, the TFL 46 management plan called to maintain an annual harvest of 367,363 cubic metres, over half of which was old growth. The management plan stated that this harvest level would be sustainable for 50 years.

But opposition to any logging in the Fairy Creek watershed grew, and by early 2021 a court injunction had been imposed against any interference to forestry in the area. By May the RCMP moved in, and a wave of arrests started, reaching 1,000 by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, First Nations in the region were watching yet another case of outsiders coming into their territory to determine what was to be done with the forest.

As an assertion of jurisdictional authority over their Ḥahahuułi, in June 2021 the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht and Huu-ay-aht released the Hišuk ma cawak Declaration. This called for the immediate halting of old growth logging into the Fairy Creek watershed until the First Nations assembled their own forest stewardship plans. The valley has remained protected ever since.

“While this essential work is being carried out, we expect everyone to allow for-

estry operations approved by our nations and the government of British Columbia in other parts of our territories to continue without interruption,” the nations said in a statement. “Please respect that our citizens have a constitutionally protected right to benefit economically from our lands, waters, and resources.”

Pacheedaht’s Integrated Forestry Management Plan protects approximately 80 per cent of the Fairy Creek watershed, according to Chief Councillor Jeff Jones in an interview with Ha-Shilth-Sa in 2022. Like the Huu-ay-aht and Ditidaht, the Pacheedaht have explored a larger role in the forestry industry to generate

economic activity for its community. The First Nation jointly owns Pacheedaht Anderson Timber Holdings, which has forestry licences in TFL 61 and operates a sawmill in Port Renfrew. In the past Pacheedaht has purchased timber from Teal Jones’operations in the First Nation’s territory, and in October 2022 a memorandum of understanding was signed with the company. This agreement speaks of protections for old growth while finding economic opportunities for the company and the First Nation. The province’s approach to forestry appears to be in a period of transition. While announcing the Fairy Creek deferrals on Jan. 29 the ministry referenced how it continues to be guided by an old growth strategic review first commissioned by the province in 2020.Afollow up report released in May 2024 pledges to “fundamentally change the way that we view and manage our land and resources”.

“The voice of our forests is growing louder and more urgent, calling out past practices in managing the land and issuing warnings about the impacts of the climate crisis,” stated the From Review toAction report. “There are stark signals, like catastrophic wildfire, and more subtle ones, like the decline of western red cedar across coastal B.C.”

Melissa Renwick photo

Clear cuts are visible while driving along the logging road to the Caycuse blockade, where protestors resisted RCMPto prevent the logging of an old-growth forest, near Port Renfrew, on May 19, 2021.

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Jeff Jones

Roadside barriers installed at Cathedral Grove

Concrete barriers come to tourist mecca in effort to discourage lines of parked cars on the highway shoulders

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

PortAlberni, BC – Drivers travelling along Highway 4 through MacMillan

Provincial Park and Cathedral Grove faced minor delays over two nights, on Sunday, Jan. 26 and Monday, Jan. 27 as the Ministry of Transportation and Transit installed concrete barriers along the shoulders.

Single-lane alternating traffic was in effect from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. both nights, as drivers were advised to allow extra time to account for possible delays.

“Approximately 200 metres of concrete barriers will be placed on each side of the highway shoulder through the existing no parking areas of Cathedral Grove to reduce ongoing safety challenges faced by drivers and pedestrians when vehicles are illegally parked along the highway during heavy tourist seasons,” reads a Jan. 24 traffic advisory from the ministry. “The roadside barricades will make it safer for pedestrians and help ensure that vehicles are parked in safe, designated parking areas.”

Just 16 kilometres east of PortAlberni, Cathedral Grove is home to some of the oldest and tallest trees in Canada, and draws over 500,000 visitors annually, according toAlberni Valley Tourism.

Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce

CEO Jolleen Dick says the new concrete barriers, plus the traffic calming devices that were recently installed in the median to prevent people from turning left, might not align with peoples’preferences.

“Concrete barriers are going to continue to decrease the parking. I’m not too sure

Highway 4.

if this will dissuade visitors from parking or if it’s just going to make it more dangerous because we can’t really control human behaviour,” said Dick.

“I hope it does (make it safer). We have to hope that people use common sense and plan a visit early in the morning or late in the afternoon, you know make it a planned trip, not just go when the highest volume of people are there,” she continued.

In addition to advocating for safety improvements along Highway 4, Dick says theAlberni Valley Chamber is also pushing the ministry to find an alternative route to decrease congestion at Cathedral Grove, but also to ensure that goods and

services can flow in and out of the region in case of emergency.

“We need that capital infrastructure investment that will relieve some of that pressure that goes through Highway 4. An alternative route is still a priority for the Chamber and our community, to make sure that we have two access points,” said Dick.

“There are options,” she said, noting the Comox Lake connector and the Cameron Bluffs wildfire detour route that took drivers towards Bamfield and Lake Cowichan. “I’ve heard - it’s just not viable though - that another route through the backroads through Horne Lake.” Updates regarding the feasibility of an

alternative route will be discussed during an upcoming February meeting the Alberni Chamber set with the Ministry of Transportation.

The ministry reminded drivers to observe all signs and traffic-management personnel in the area and drive with caution in active construction zones.

“With proper permits and advance notice, over-width vehicles will be able to move through this section of the corridor during construction,” notes the ministry. For up-to-date information about road conditions or any changes to the construction schedule, visit: https://www. drivebc.ca/

Karly Blats photo

During the summer the parking spaces in Cathedral Grove are often full, resulting in vehicles parked on the shoulders of

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An urgency for ‘energy sovereignty’

Millions for Ethlateese part of provincial commitment to reduce fuel dependency

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Recent investments in the Barkley Sound village of Ethlateese are putting the remote community on track to cut down its reliance on diesel fuel by 90 per cent, according to the province.

Announced in December, the $2.8 million development in the Uchucklesaht Tribe’s village is among the most recent to help with energy sovereignty in remote First Nations settlements. The funds go towards battery energy storage for Ethlateese “that is essential for the construction” of a 750 kilowatt solar power system and a 250 kilowatt run-of-theriver generator, according to the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions. This follows the province’s announcement in February 2024 of nearly half a million for the run-of-the-river and solar power initiatives in Ethlateese.

The waterfront village on Hucuktlis Lake is only accessible by boat or float plane, home to around two dozen residents. In 2019 the Uchucklesaht Tribe removed all existing homes in the waterfront village, replacing them with 14 safer structures. Ethlateese isn’t connected to the provincial electricity grid and has been entirely reliant on diesel-fueled generators for power, which are operated by BC Hydro. But a move towards renewable power is evident in the village, where a new wellness centre is equipped with solar panels on its roof.

With the recent funding announcement Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions Adrian Dix stressed the province’s commitment to cutting down on diesel usage in off-grid settlements.

“First Nations are leaders in this transition as we work together to build cleaner and healthier communities for people living in B.C.’s most remote places,” he said in a press release.

Formerly known as the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, the ministry has been rebranded since the provincial election in October. For his new post Dix received a mandate letter from Premier David Eby on Jan. 16, a document emphasizing the “foundational” importance of mitigating the causes of global warming and climate-related disasters. The letter also stresses the need to “dramatically accelerate permit

During the First Nations Energy Summit in December,

need to respond with the same urgency that was displayed during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when he served as health minister.

approval for clean and low-carbon energy infrastructure.”

During the First Nations Energy Summit in December Dix spoke of a need to respond with the same urgency that was displayed during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when he served as health minister.

“We need urgency, or people will become cynical of the processes,” said Dix during the energy conference in Vancouver. “We declared a public health emergency in the second week of March 2020. In the four weeks after that we made 24 or 25 of the biggest decisions that I have made or will ever make as a public official. We did it because there was urgency.”

British Columbia currently has 44 communities that are not connected to the electricity grid, most of which are Indigenous villages reliant on diesel.

“Diesel can produce harmful emissions when it is burned, and it needs to be transported to communities by barge or truck,” said Dix. “Aclean energy project can support remote communities to reduce their use of diesel, from economic development, cleaning the air and contribute to energy sovereignty.”

Support for Ethlateese is part of $7.7 million that was announced for remote B.C. First Nation communities in December. Distributed by the New Relationship Trust, other recipients include the Gitga’at First Nation, which received $2

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 51st year of serving the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. We look forward to your continued input and support. Kleco! Kleco!

million for a 948-kilowatt hydroelectric generator connected to a lake, an initiative that pledges to reduce diesel consumption by 95 per cent. The Ulkatcho First Nation got $1 million to help build 3.8-megawatt solar farm, cutting down on diesel consumption by 64 per cent, while the Dease River First Nation is benefitting from $930,000 for a 550-kilowatt run-of-the-river hydro facility at Good Hope Lake.

The Old Masset village council received $600,000 to install a biomass heating system for its local hospital in Haida Gwaii, the Heiltsuk got $200,000 to support a pre-feasibility study on using hydrogen for power and Tahltan Nation benefitted from $200,000 in support to finish installing a small-scale solar power system. Ethlateese sits by Hucuktlis Lake, a particularly advantageous location to harness the power of running water. Formerly known as Henderson Lake, the site gets more rainfall than anywhere else in Canada with an average annual precipitation of almost 7,000 millimetres. By comparison, Ucluelet sees 3,350 millimetres, while PortAlberni gets 1,907 and Vancouver sustains 1,159.9 millimetres of average annual precipitation, according to data from Environment Canada. The rainiest month for Hucuktlis Lake is November with 1,198 millimetres, and this falls to an average of 227 millimetres in July.

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Adrian Dix spoke of a

Usma among six named for BC Reconciliation Awards

Hosted at Government House, event recognizes work for ‘a more prosperous, equitable and sustainable future’

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Victoria, BC - On Jan. 23 Lieutenant Governor JanetAustin hosted the 2024 B.C. ReconciliationAwards, a celebration that included recognition for the work of Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services.

This is the fourth time the annual awards were given, which mark the progressive efforts of people and organizations in B.C. for advancing the province’s relations with Indigenous peoples. Besides recognition for Usma, which serves as the Nuu-chah-nulth agency dedicated to child protection and supportive family services, five other recipients were awarded. These include Sdahl K’awaas, Lucy Bell, for her longtime advocacy in reconciliation, repatriation and anti-racism in the museum world, retired RCMP Corp. Chris Gosselin for his 23 in years in policing and supporting Indigenous people in the justice system, Gloria Morgan, a former Mountie, elected chief of the Splatsin First Nation and advocate for residential school survivors, Qwelminte Secwépemc, a collective of leadership and technical experts that works with government to advance relations, and Phyllis Webstad, a residential school survivor and author whose story inspired the Orange Shirt Day movement.

The lieutenant governor is the Crown’s official representative in British Columbia, with the position’s home of Government House. The vast, lavish residence has become the venue for the reconciliation awards, which presents a far cry from the limits of the reserve system that confined B.C.’s Indigenous peoples in the early decades of Canada, noted the event’s emcee Patrick Kelly.

“Until 1945 Indians needed written permission from the Indian agent to leave their reserves,” explained Kelly, who is a member of the Leq’a:mel First Nation. “Indians could not have formed constructive relations with other citizens, as they were prohibited under law from gathering in public places in groups of three or more. Thankfully that has changed. If this was then, we would all be arrested for gathering here tonight.”

During her address to the crowdAustin said that those recognized give her hope that “we have reached a tipping point in Canadian society.”

“Not only is the work of reconciliation a legal and a moral imperative,” she continued, “it is also a strategic investment in a more prosperous, equitable and sustainable future for all Canadians - boosting economic growth, innovation and the sustainability of resources and environment.”

The lieutenant governor’s current role with the reconciliation awards also represents a transformation in the position over the years, explained Kelly. Before Sir Joseph Trutch became B.C.’s first lieutenant governor in 1871, he imposed limits on the land rights ofAboriginal people, while Europeans were encouraged to make large property claims.

“On the 1st of June 1870 - when he was the land commissioner of the colony - he oversaw the passing of a colonial land ordinance, a law that enabled British male

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subjects to pre-empt 160-320 acres of Crown lands…provided that such law of pre-emption shall not extend to any of the aboriginals of this continent,” said Kelly.

“This and other laws and policies resulted in 0.36 per cent of British Columbia’s land mass being reserve lands.”

Over a century and a half later, Indigenous culture is claiming more of a place in the school system. This is particularly evident in PortAlberni, thanks in part to the Haahupa program, a partnership of School District 70 and Usma. Introduced by elder Geraldine Edgar-Tom, the program combines Nuu-chah-nulth teachings with modern education, incorporating lessons in traditional food, medicine, language and canoe navigation.

Usma Director Kelly Edgar has found that Haahupa and its outdoor Chaputs (canoe) component has transformed the ability of students to learn. This applies beyond the children who are under Usma’s care, she said.

“It’s also accessible to other kids in the school system, which takes that stigma away. We’re all paddling together in the canoe,” explained Edgar. “We have a coordinator now who is setting up regular paddles for the kids.”

In 2025 Usma will be marking 40 years of working with Nuu-chah-nulth children and families. The agency has grown to

encompass 67 positions, serving over 200 youngsters across Vancouver Island.A critical focus of this work is finding ways to foster a sense of belonging among the children in care, explained Edgar, which often entails connecting them with relatives to help in their upbringing.

“It’s really easy for kids in care, in particular, to get lost, which is why we’re working so hard now to be placing –where necessary – with family,” said Edgar. “I think it’s that sense of security and celebration that, ‘Hey, I’m somebody, I’m connected to all these different people’.”

Nominations to the B.C. ReconciliationAwards are open to all individuals and organizations in the province, and those recognized are chosen by a selection committee. The selection committee for 2024 was pi·q, Christopher Horsethief of the Ktunaxa Nation, Chief/ Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir of Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc, Xyolholemo:t, Brenda Crabtree of the Spuzzum Band, Dr. Danièle Behn Smith of the Eh Cho Dene of Fort Nelson First Nation and Brendan Eshom from the Gitga’at (Hartley Bay) Nation. Cloy-e-iis, Judith Sayers of the Hupacasath Nation and T’esóts’en Patrick Kelly served as advisors to the selection committee.

Eric Plummer photo

Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Executive Director Florence Wylie (left) and Kelly Edgar, director of Usma Family and Child Services, accepted recognition for Usma on Jan. 23 at the B.C. ReconciliationAwards, which took place at Government House in Victoria.

Residential School Denialism: MP hosts discussion

Bill C-413 proposes to criminalize condoning, denying, downplaying or justifying Indian residential schools

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Canada’s Indian residential school system existed. The horror stories have been in the news across the nation for decades.

Former students, now elders, have publicly shared their painful, intensely personal and often graphic stories.

Yet, there remains a segment of the Canadian population questioning whether Indian residential schools and their legacies are as bad as they are being portrayed. It is called Indian residential school denialism, and a Vancouver Island politician working to shine a light on the issue.

Former Canadian senator Lynn Beyak delivered a controversial speech in the Senate that illustrates what Indian Residential School denialism is. In her speech, she characterised the Canadian Indian residential school system as being “well-intentioned”.

“The Conservative Senator argued that instead of dwelling on the mistreatment and abuse experienced by many of the 150,000 Indigenous children and youth who attended residential schools in Canada between 1883 and 1996, people should focus on all the ‘good’the schools accomplished in terms of assimilating Indigenous peoples into Canadian society,” according to an article by Sean Carleton published in 2021 on Taylor and Francis Online.

Beyak said it was her intent to speak “in memory” of the “kindly” residential school staff whose “remarkable works” and “good deeds” have gone unrecognized because they are too often “overshadowed by negative reports.”

Initially, Beyak refused to apologize for her position and went on to post racist letters on her official Senate website, letters that describe Indigenous people as lazy and inept and use racial epithets to describe First Nations.

In February 2020, Beyak made an official apology and agreed to take prescribed education and sensitivity training. The Indian residential school system was established in the late 19th century as part of the Canadian government’s policy of assimilation. The primary goal was to ‘kill the Indian in the child’, eradicating Indigenous languages, cultures, and identities. Over 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in these schools, which were often run by religious organizations.

There are elder Nuu-chah-nulth Indian residential school survivors that know first-hand what abuses were doled out at the institutions, where parents were not allowed to be around to protect their children.

With both federal and provincial governments - and even some municipal governments - making moves to acknowledge its racist past and reconcile with Canada’s First Nations, there remains a segment of the population that deny that damages done are as bad as they are being portrayed.

Indian residential school denialism refers to the discounting or downplaying of the historical and ongoing impacts of the institutional system in Canada.

There is an article about the issue on the websiteActive History.According to bloggers and historians Sean Carleton, Alan Lester,Adele Perry, and Omeasoo Wahpasiw, Indian residential school deniers do not dispute that the institutions existed and did harm to the children that were there. Instead, “they employ a

discourse that twists, distorts, and misrepresents basic facts about residential schooling to shake public confidence in truth and reconciliation efforts, defend guilty and culpable parties, and protect Canada’s colonial status quo.”

The City of Powell River, named after Isreal Wood Powell, is considering changing its name as part of its commitment to reconcile with the local Tla’amin First Nation.

Born 1836 in Port Colborne, Ontario, Israel Wood Powell served as superintendent of the newly formed Department of IndianAffairs for the Province of British Columbia, where he remained until 1889.

During his tenure, Powell pursued policies aimed at assimilating Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia into Euro-Canadian society. One of those policies was the establishment of Indian residential schools, which he viewed as the imperative to educate and “civilize” Indigenous children.

“He supported residential schools to turn Indigenous children into ‘useful members of society’(Powell’s words).

In his annual report in 1882 he wrote to

the provincial government encouraging them to establish residential schools in B.C.,” states Know History Historical Services in their report to Tla’amin. “One of Powell’s first actions in office in 1872 was to condemn the Indigenous cultural practice of the potlatch, which he viewed as a major obstacle to the assimilation of Indigenous groups into settler Canadian society.”

In 1884 the federal IndianAct was amended to ban the potlatch.An important instrument of First Nations governance and societal culture, the potlatch ban wasn’t lifted until 1951, directly impacting three generations of Indigenous peoples.

On May 12, 2021 the Tla’amin Executive Council requested the City of Powell River consider a name change in light of the devastating legacy the actions of Israel Powell have had and continues to have on the Tla’amin people. Because of the city’s commitment to reconciliation, the municipality and the Tla’amin Nation have entered into a conversation to explore a possible renaming of the city. But there has been resistance to the idea of changing the name of the City of Powell River.

Rachel Blaney, NDP MP for North Island-Powell River, invited community members to a gathering in Powell River on Jan. 20, where an estimated 400 attendees discussed the harms of Indian residential school denialism. Joining Blaney is NDP MP Leah Gazan, an educator and human rights advocate.

“The discussion will focus on the ongoing harms caused by Indian residential school denialism, explore its impact on survivors and communities, and discuss actionable ways to advance truth, justice, and reconciliation,” Blaney’s office said in a statement.

“This discussion is about honouring the fact that Indigenous people who have lived through residential schools or are related to survivors of residential schools should not be put in a position where they have to defend that those experiences happened,” said Blaney.

Leah Gazan is a member of Wood Mountain Lakota Nation, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory. In 2022 her motion recognizing residential schools as an act of genocide received unanimous consent in the House of Commons.

In September 2024 Gazan introduced Bill C-413, anAct to amend the Criminal Code to criminalize the wilful promotion of hatred against Indigenous peoples by condoning, denying, downplaying or justifying the Indian residential school system in Canada through statements communicated other than in private conversation.

“Residential school denialism jeopardizes the safety and wellbeing of survivors, their families and Indigenous communities,” said Gazan. “It is simply and incitement of hate against Indigenous people, which undermines any progress made towards reconciliation. We need to protect the stories of survivors and ensure denialism is stopped.”

Blaney says that misinformation is getting out to the public and is causing a rise in hate and discrimination towards the Indigenous community. Much of the misinformation comes through social media, self-published books and other means.

“About 400 people attended, which I think really speaks to the interest, and they were a respectful crowd,” said Blaney.

She went on to say that Leah Gazan spoke for about 40 minutes about Bill C-413 and why it is important to protect the stories of Indian residential school survivors.

The proposed bill went through its first reading in the House of Commons on September 26, 2024. With a federal election on the horizon, Blaney cannot say what will happened with it.

“I guess it depends on the outcome of the election,” she told Ha-Shilth-Sa.

Blaney says the meeting was recorded and will be uploaded on her YouTube channel as well as the City of Powell River’s pages.

United Church of Canada Archives

Boys and girls are pictured seated separately at theAlberni Indian Residential School in this photo from the 1960s.

Rachel Blaney

‘Every Child Ma ers’ protected by trademark

A trademark was enacted in 2024 for protection against ‘the improper use’ of the Orange Shirt Society’s phrase

By Marina McDonald Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

On Sept. 30, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the streets are flooded with a sea of orange.Across Canada, people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds wear orange shirts which feature the phrase “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirts are more than clothing; they are a symbol of remembrance, resilience, and a commitment to reconciliation.

InAugust, the Orange Shirt Society registered a trademark for the phrase “Every Child Matters”. The trademark has granted the Orange Shirt Society exclusive rights to use the phrase on merchandise, meaning any vendor wishing to sell items featuring the phrase must first obtain written permission.

Abroad and complex perspective is shared by Chief Willie Sellars of Williams Lake First Nation, whose community has been at the forefront of the Orange Shirt Day movement.

“The history and legacy of the Orange Shirt Day is Phyllis Webstad’s story,” he said. “The phrase ‘Every Child Matters’ started with Phyllis Webstad and we have to recognize that. We also have to hold up what the day represents and how it’s grown into something so much bigger than all of us.”

The Orange Shirt Society is Phyllis Webstad’s non-profit organization, created to raise awareness of the residential school experience and support reconciliation. OnAug. 29, 2024 the Orange Shirt Society posted a trademark notice to Facebook, just one month before Truth and Reconciliation Day. Vendors selling merchandise featuring the phrase “Every Child Matters” are expected to cease unless they obtain written permission.

The Creation of Orange Shirt Society

At six years old Phyllis Webstad lived in poverty with her grandmother on the Dog Creek Reserve. Her grandmother managed to purchase Webstad a new shirt just in time for her to wear it at the Saint Joseph Mission residential school.

On her first day at residential school, she was stripped, and her orange shirt was confiscated. Her excitement quickly turned to the hardship of living at the residential school, which Webstad spoke of while accepting a B.C. Reconciliation Award on Jan. 23.

“We had to cry ourselves to sleep,” she recalled at the recent event in Victoria.

In May 2013, survivors of the Saint Joseph Mission residential school organized a reunion event and commemoration project, initiated by the Esketemc First Nation Chief Fred Robbins. The event was held in Williams Lake with Webstad as the spokesperson. She shared her story, creating the legacy of Orange Shirt Day. The Orange Shirt Society was established in 2015 by Webstad and other founders of Orange Shirt Day.

Trademark Controversy

Walmart,Aritzia, London Drugs, and other large corporations are the only authorized licensees to use the trademark in association with merchandise. While the trademark might seem like a necessary step to protect the integrity of the phrase, it has sparked debates within Indigenous communities.

Ida Thompson from Haisla First Nation is a scholar and activist.

“I believe Indigenous artists should be the only authorized entities, and it’s interesting that Walmart,Aritzia, and

London Drugs are now profiting off the trauma caused by the Canadian government,” she said. “I think what would be helpful would be engaging in open dialog with Indigenous artists, communities and survivors...”

She also suggests that the trademark permits Canadians to only think about the horrific residential school legacy once a year.

“I think it’s an opportunity for false allyship and false activism,” said Thompson.

“I really invite people to go to the thrift store after September 30th, and just count how many orange t-shirts that have been donated because it’s only used for one day.”

Andy Everson from K’omoks First Nation is a renowned artist. In 2015, he designed a logo which was popularly associated with the phrase “Every Child Matters”. The design was appropriated by international online retailers, which massproduced Everson’s design and the slogan without any consultation or compensation.

During an interview with the Nanaimo News Bulletin in September Webstad addressed the issue of others profiting from the Orange Shirt Day movement.

“[M]y 10-year experience being held captive there was anything but fashionable,” she said in the News Bulletin article. “They just look at it as a moneymaker. They don’t understand the history behind it they see it as trending and popular.”

Profits from the sale of “Every Child

Matters” merchandise are solely controlled by the Orange Shirt Society and its licensees.

What Might the Trademark Inspire?

Collette Jones, PhD, from Snuneymuxw First Nation, is a first and second-generation residential school survivor and has expressed her support for the Society’s trademark.All nine of Collette’s siblings attended residential school. She acknowledges the importance of protecting the integrity of the phrase. Jones’s niece, for example, created a new design that honors residential school survivors without infringing on the trademark by omitting the “Every Child Matters”. Collette’s voice trembled as she described the shirt.

“I was really touched when I saw that,” she said. “I was so touched, because we all survived.”

Her niece’s design, while recognizably an orange shirt homage, does not infringe the trademark.

“If they [The Society] began it first then rightfully so it should be theirs,” said Jones. “It’s protected. Just like any other business. People are respectful and cautious with other trademarks, they need to do the same for the Orange Shirt Society.”

Rustee Watts from Hupacasath First Nation is an activist and is working toward his master’s in educational leadership. Watts believes that while the trademark may restrict some artists, it could also spark new forms of creativity. The idea of Nuu-chah-nulth day is coming back, and Watts envisions a sea of red and black marching PortAlberni on Sept. 30. Orange sashes would be an addition to the red and black clothing, to honour Webstad as a driving force.

“Orange Shirt Day and Every Child Matters, that is Phyllis Webstad’s dream,” said Watts. “Beautiful dream! I want to see other dreams. There are so many dreams… why stop there?”

“[W]e have never been official as Indigenous vendors before, so what is not being official going to matter us again?” he continued. “You go to Indigenous tournaments, or any sort of gatherings, or places where these vendors are allowed

to set up and they mutate a lot of things in fun ways to spread fun messages.And in no way do I think there is a bad heart involved…”

Intellectual Property and Ethical Considerations

The legal implications of the trademark are complicated.According toAndy Chow, the Orange Shirt Society’s intellectual property lawyer, a registered trademark is not always necessary to enforce the rights associated with a brand or slogan. Even without registration, the Orange Shirt Society still has common law rights to the phrase. This means unauthorized use of the phrase or its associated logo could result in legal action. The trademark system, designed to protect intellectual property, does not account for the cultural significance and the shared history behind the phrase.

The Orange Shirt Society’s Branding and Copyright Policy states, “Subsequent failure to rectify the improper use of the Trademark may result in a termination of any license to use the Trademark and in legal action by the Society, including but not limited to the exercise of any rights available to the Society at law.”

Many are curious if the trademark can be retroactively applied. The answer is unclear.

“I think that the logo itself is more important than the words, because the words themselves, that’s been our motto,” Watts said. “We have always been in a village mentality, and the centre of our villages are the youth, so ‘Every Child Matters’… its been our motto.”

“Indigenous artists should have the freedom to use culturally significant slogans in their work because it serves as a form of expression and reclamation of our heritage,” said Thompson. “But there’s also concerns about commercial exploitation of cultural symbols without proper acknowledgement or compensation, ultimately it would be ideal to foster a system that respects both the rights of the original creators and the need for Indigenous artists to stress their culture freely. Collaborative agreements and partnerships could help bridge this gap.”

Eric Plummer photo

People wear orange shirts bearing the phrase ‘Every Child Matters’in PortAlberni on Sept. 30, 2024, marking National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. One month before the event the phrase was registered as a trademark.

Phyllis Webstad

Beginning fall 2025, for the first time ever at North Island College’s Comox campus, students can apply to rent student

cludes four-unit styles to suit single students or students with families.

New student housing coming to two Island campuses

North Island College Comox campus and Vancouver Island University plan to bring hundreds of living spaces

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Vancouver Island, BC – The lives of college students are about to get easier as both North Island College in the Comox Valley and Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo announce new student housing projects.

The NIC Comox Valley Student Housing Commons is located in Courtenay, B.C., on the traditional territory of K’omoks First Nation. Beginning fall 2025, for the first time ever on this campus, students can apply to rent student housing. The newly completed housing includes four-unit styles to suit single students or students with families.

For single students seeking affordable housing, there is the Nano for $1,150 or the more spacious Studio for $1,650. If they don’t mind sharing kitchens and living rooms, they can rent a space in a Quad for $980 per student.

For those that have families, there are

apartments available to rent at the Student Housing Commons for $2,200.

Housing is for full-time students enrolled in courses during the fall and winter semesters. Students may remain in housing over the spring term if they are in programming or intend to return to programming in the fall of the next academic year. Students who are Indigenous or former youth in care may be eligible for priority access to housing.

The units are furnished, and rent includes utilities and high-speed internet. There is free parking, space to store bicycles and pay-for-use laundry. More information about eligibility requirements and availability can be found on the NIC Student Housing Portal.

The housing project was launched in February 2020 when the provincial government announced that it would provide the funding to build it.

According to the provincial government, it is investing in student housing as part of Homes for BC, a 10-year housing plan

with 8,000 new on-campus student beds to be built by 2028.

According to information from the provincial government, significant projects have already been completed at universities and colleges across the province.

“For example, the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria have seen substantial additions to their student housing capacity, providing ample options for incoming students,” stated the province.

Over in Nanaimo at VIU (Vancouver Island University) construction is about to begin on a new 10-storey student housing building.

VIU has on-campus student housing that can accommodate more than 500 students. There are three styles of housing: dorm, townhouse and apartments spread out through 10 buildings on the west side of the campus. Most of the units offer a bed, table, chair and sink with a bathroom shared with the neighbor as well as common kitchen and sitting areas.

The new building, scheduled to be complete by summer 2027, will include 266 new student beds and features Rick Hanson FoundationAccessibility Gold Certification. This means that it offers accessible features including barrier-free washrooms, kitchen and lounges, and it will have seven accessible units.

The new building will increase VIU’s on-campus housing by 50 per cent, helping to alleviate the waitlist for students.

Abenefit for Indigenous students is the new building’s proximity to Shq’apthut, VIU’s Gathering Place for the 12 per cent of the student population that identify as Aboriginal.

“Nanaimo is growing fast and the start of construction on this project is great news for students in our community,” said Sheila Malcolmson, MLAfor Nanaimo-Gabriola Island. “I’m proud to see the province supporting more housing initiatives here. This project will reduce pressure on Nanaimo’s rental market.”

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Pronounced ‘Kiwis sho qw lath ark wee ish, malt lah ooh is kiwis shaw chilt ooh alt look, im His sik’, it means ‘Our weather is about to change, it’s going to get cold and bring some snow, be careful out there’Supplied by ciisma.

Illustration

High density housing proposed in Ucluelet

At full buildout, the ‘cu ing edge’ Serenity Landing would house one quarter of the town’s current population

By Nora O’Malley & Eric Plummer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Ucluelet, BC - Cradled in Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ

- Ucluelet First Nation (UFN) traditional territory on Vancouver Island, Olsen Bay, or C’iiłukᵂis meaning “soft beach”, is the site of a 24.8-acre high-density residential development proposed byAustralian businessman Josh Hunt, CEO of ERIF Sustainable Solutions.

Traditionally described as the “shallow soft bottomed bay reaching close to the road”, the site at 221 Minato Road in Ucluelet was partially cleared about five years ago by its former owners for a seasonal RV and campground.

At full buildout, ERIF’s housing proposal labelled ‘Serenity Landing’would encompass one quarter of the small town’s current population of 2,066. To achieve this density, ERIF has asked permission to “clear most of the remaining trees on the site (excluding dedicated park areas) and remove the 30-metre treed buffer adjacent to Peninsula Road”.

ERIF first introduced their development plans to Ucluelet council on June 11, 2024. Their proposed building form of modular apartment condos uses “cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices” made by IGV-Nexus Housing Limited.

“This is a new technology that has a patent pending. This will be a first,” said Jodie Thompson, ERIF’s chief operating officer. She said this particular IGV-Nexus technology hasn’t been built anywhere in Canada or internationally.

While ERIF’s phased, mixed development of 240 market/attainable/tourist commercial apartments could potentially offer salvation to west coasters facing housing woes and staff shortages, some residents are expressing concerns about the scale of the proposal that sits on low-lying land next to a sensitive mudflat – and urged mayor and council to ensure legislation is in place in case the developer abandons site.

Over the past two decades, Ucluelet has dealt with a run of failed developments resulting in broken promises and abandoned eyesores to the community.

Most recently in 2022, Ucluelet council approved a mixed-use development at the corner of Rainforest Drive and Marine Drive, but the project has since stalled when the concrete test failed and is now tied up in insurance.

Wyndnsea, the notorious Jack Nicklaus 18-hole golf course resort and mixedused development on the outskirts of Ucluelet, tanked in the wake of the global economic downturn of 2008 and eventually filed for bankruptcy in December 2014, leaving about 360-acres of partially developed land and a long line of creditors who are owed over $100 million. Hunt, 53, is also the CEO of IGV-Nexus Housing Limited. He madeAustralian headlines in 2009 and 2010 when his luxury Hunt Resort in Queensland went into receivership. The Sunshine Coast Daily reported that “former restaurateur, resort owner and developer Josh Hunt owes $200,722,484 to 28 individuals and companies, several of them on the Sunshine Coast.”

“Just as we were finishing that project, the global financial crisis hit and the bank that we were financed with went under. That was a really weird experience. You don’t expect your bank to go under,” said Hunt during a Jan. 21, 2025 Ucluelet public hearing.

“They dragged down every developer in Queensland,Australia on the same day. They foreclosed on the entire book on the same day. It was a very, very difficult time of life for us because what it was, it basically threw our entire life into turmoil,” he continued.

Ucluelet Councillor Ian Kennington pointed out it’s “fairly common for developers to encounter financial troubles at least once and often multiple times.”

“It is a high-risk business to be in. It should not eliminate the opportunity to push forward and learn from past setbacks. In fact, one could go so far as to say lessons learned are what makes future successes possible. This in my mind is not a matter of concern,” said Kennington in a written statement to the Ha-shilth-sa.

Hunt says the ordeal motivated him to “build faster, build cheaper.” He moved his architect and builder to China and opened a modular manufacturing company.

“Within about 18 months we had a factory to the size that we could build a 100-room hotel in eight days,” Hunt said, adding that his construction experience also includes building low-cost housing in Peru with a German partner and setting up a second manufacturing facility in Kazakhstan.

ERIF’s proposal also includes 11 waterfront homes; Hunt plans to live in one with his family and has sold five to friends on the ERIF team to “bring down the cost of development”.

ERIF has established itself as a non-forprofit housing provider with a mission to make homeownership more attainable for Ucluelet locals. They say they have applied for government grants and that the process will be guided by a local housing committee to “ensure the program meets the need of the community”.

“We are not looking to make any money from this project whatsoever,” said Hunt at the public hearing.

“There is no developer profit margin in Lot 1 and 2,” Thompson re-iterated.

ERIF has a masterplan for 221 Minato Road that includes five lots they will roll out in phases. Phase One includes an attainable homeownership initiative of 29 apartments (2 one-bedroom units, 13 twobedrooms units and 14 three-bed units).

In a draft agreement with the District of Ucluelet and ERIF, district staff used Census data to set the maximum sale

price, excluding taxes, on the one- and two-bedroom ‘attainable homes’at $567,000. For the three-bedroom dwelling, the maximum sale price was set at $865,000.

AUcluelet housing needs report from 2021 shows that real estate sale prices in the area have grown rapidly over the last decade, with a notable rise over the course of 2020.

“Arough observation of 2015 indicates that about 18 per cent of households could afford the mortgage cost of the median home. By 2020, estimates suggest that this share decreased to about five per cent. In other words, 95 per cent of renter households could not reasonably afford half of the dwellings sold in the West Coast Region in 2020,” states the report.

Stage Two of ERIF’s masterplan involves the affordable housing units, but those units won’t come to fruition until “Stage One is completely sold out”, according to Hunt.

OnAug. 29, 2024, a UFN survey crew conducted a Preliminary Field Reconnaissance (PFR) of the land to identify and evaluate areas of archaeological and cultural significance.

UFN considers Olsen Bay to be of high archaeological importance and requested complete avoidance of one of the areas they identified as a traditional use site, which is located adjacent Peninsula Road within the forested area.

“Ucluelet First Nation considers these areas to have further archaeological potential for subsurface findings such as shell middens and/or lithic scatters,” reads the report compiled by Carey Cun-

neyworth, archeologist and UFN’s director of culture, language and heritage.

Mark Fortune, Ucluelet’s long-time deputy fire chief and a Minato Road resident, voiced concerns about several issues including the lack of a proper road design and the land being in a low-lying area.According to ERIF’s flood management plan, 76 per cent of the proposed development structures are located in a significant tsunami hazard zone.

“There is insufficient road development to evacuate this area in a timely manner with full buildout. I have had to evacuate our property numerous times in the past. I see this new development proposing a risk to my family’s safety and security without a proper road plan in place. How are we to access the safe zone in a traffic jam?” Fortune expressed in a written statement during the Jan. 21 Ucluelet public hearing.

Josh Jenkins, executive director of the Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce, expressed in the Jan. 21 public hearing that the lack of affordable housing has made it increasingly difficult to retain and attract the workforce Ucluelet so desperately needs.

“We want to emphasize that we do not advocate for unchecked development and growth,” Jenkins told mayor and council on behalf of the chamber.

“However, the pressing housing shortage must be addressed swiftly. With construction costs steadily increasing, the opportunity to provide genuinely affordable and attainable housing is rapidly diminishing. If action is not taken soon, we risk pricing out those who are in urgent need,” he said.

When ERIF first came to Canada, they started a relationship with Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/ Che:k’tles7et’h’(Kyuquot Checleseht) First Nations and explored the possibility of a residential development in their territory.

“This has ceased to move forward due to severed ties with a private landowner in the area,” said Thompson. “Let’s just say his moral compass didn’t align with ours.”

At a Jan. 28, 2025 regular council meeting, Ucluelet mayor and council voted unanimously to move ERIF’s proposal along, but directed district staff to work with municipal solicitors to prepare a restrictive covenant on the property title “to ensure the development proceeds as proposed”.

ERIF image

Serenity Landing is planned to include 240 units. To achieve this, ERIF has asked permission to “clear most of the remaining trees on the site (excluding dedicated park areas) and remove the 30-metre treed buffer adjacent to Peninsula Road”.

Joshua Hunt

Seabed sediments should be protected, says study

The ocean’s floor is ‘undervalued’ in how it could mitigate the effects of global warming, suggests researcher

By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Vancouver Island, BC – Nuu-chah-nulth

First Nations on the west coast of Vancouver Island could potentially benefit from a recently released study.

The study, released last month and led by University of Victoria postdoctoral fellow Graham Epstein, suggests that seabed sediments can potentially be utilized for carbon storage and that they should be considered for protection.

This in turn can help limit the effects of climate change.

Epstein believes First Nations officials will be rather interested in the study findings as their communities could benefit.

“I think the benefit is where there is already interest in potential protected areas from the communities or from the nations,” Epstein said. “If there is an area of interest that they already were considering trying to push, for example as an Indigenous marine protected area, this could be an additional sort of tool or an additional card to play as a reason to propose protection.”

But it’s not just First Nations that could benefit by information released in the study.

“Alot of these habitats are often undervalued,” Epstein said of the seafloor areas. “They’re sort of muddy and can be considered somewhat barren habitats. But they’re actually vital for the functioning not only for the carbon but for the marine environment as a whole.”

The Epstein-led project has three stages. And it has been ongoing for two and a half years.

The first part concluded with a study released last year.

“That was the mapping work,” Epstein said. “That was basically an analysis bringing together best-available data to build a predictive map of these carbon stocks across Canada’s continental margin. That was published back in May of 2024.”

With the recently-released study, stage two is now also complete.

“This second part which has just come out a couple of weeks ago was basically using that data and thinking about it within the framework of Canada’s marine conserved and protected areas strategy and how this carbon stock seabed sediments can be incorporated into Canada’s marine protected areas strategy,” he said. Epstein was the lead in analysis for the second study. Partners were also brought in, including Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Oceans North, an organization that develops solutions for marine conservation to enhance ecological and human prosperity.

“It is sort of a perspective piece that brings the argument and the data that we have and compares it to habitats that are already quite well considered, or are generally trying to be considered, within Canada’s protected area network in terms of natural carbon storage and marine environments,” Esptein said.

Those include seagrasses, salt marshes and to some extent kelps.

Afocus of the study – details were released on Jan. 17 - is that seabed carbon storage has been overlooked in marine protected area planning.

“It is something that is getting more attention,” Epstein said. “The seabed

sediment carbon has been studied for decades.And in 2021 there was a very high-profile paper that got published that really sort of brought a lot of attention to seabed sediment carbon and its potential to maybe be disturbed and how that could have feedbacks on the wider ocean carbon cycle.”

Epstein added momentum on this topic has been building in recent years.

“There’s been more and more work about potentially protecting areas of the sea floor for their carbon value,” he said.

“But there’s been work for a number of decades on how different disturbances might affect the geochemistry or the carbon within the seabed surface, particularly around fishing. It’s really starting to build up momentum over the last four or five years.”

Since the study’s release some DFO representatives have expressed some interest in the findings.

“We have (DFO) members who are pretty engaged in our work,” Epstein said. “And we continue to try to engage different parts of the agency as we move forward with the work that is ongoing.”

Epstein added he’s hoping interest will also be generated among different conservation bodies or communities that are thinking of proposing certain marine areas for protection.

Epstein is hoping information released in his study is put to good use.

“The way we like to put it is this is another consideration that should be put into decision making around protected area and around activities that are going on in the marine environment,” he said.

“And so, bringing it back to this paper which has just come out, it’s specifically thinking about the marine conserved and protected area network, that’s predominantly focused on biodiversity.”

Epstein’s recent report not only identified but also ranked a total of 274 priority areas for future research and potential future spatial protection.

Areas were ranked on various items, including the estimated amount of carbon, the potential vulnerability of the carbon as well as the biological and ecological significance of the area.

High priority areas included many of the fjords and inlets on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Besides Ocean North, study research was funded by Blue Carbon Canada, Mitacs and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

The third and final phase of Epstein’s work will be concentrating on fisheries and the potential for disturbances where certain areas may be most at risk to be disturbed and impacted by the fisheries.

Parenting 101

Jan. 20 toApr. 11

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

Hoobiyee

February 28 and March 1

PNE Forum, 2901 East Hastings St., Vancouver

The Hoobiyee Ts’amiks Edition is a cultural celebration marking the Nisga’a new year. Volunteers are needed, and online application open Jan. 10, 2025.

&Community Beyond

Official invitations were sent out to dance groups inAugust 2024. Community meetings for the feast will be announced in January.

All up-to-date information and forms can be found at https://tsamiks.com/hoobiyee

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 250723-8281 ext. 233

Le er to Editor

I strongly believe that our Nuu-chahnulth language should be free to learn and we can then able to be fluent in our own language. It makes me sad that we have to pay to learn our own native tongue. However, I am happy that we can take a course at our local college. Our language was stripped from our ancestors during Residential School. If our ancestors spoke our language, they would be beaten, tortured, sexually assaulted, or murdered and missing. What I want to know more about is what gives the government the right to make us pay for our own language at the colleges, yet English is free.As well, why do they not teach our Nuu-chah-nulth language in schools? Why don’t they teach our Nuuchah-nulth language in schools just like English, French, and Spanish? People in our town often say, “What are we,

chopped liver?” Native people must be treated equally; just as much as everyone else. With no thanks to our government who are dividing us and bringing hatred upon everyone. This makes me sad. I feel a solution that would be awesome is adding our language to the school core curriculum courses. They shall be taught to the future generations to keep our Nuuchah-nulth language alive. Our Elders say, “It doesn’t matter. If you know a little or a lot of our language, you’re making our ancestors proud.” Many of our ancestors and Elders could not speak our language when they were here. The people who should pay are our provincial and federal governments. They need to get off their high horses and pay for us to learn our language and make it free for all. Shame on you Government of Canada!

-AlandaAtleo

BC Millenium BookArrives in Nuu-chah-nulth-aht B.C. woods.

The travelling BC Millenium book and its keepers were formally welcomed onto Hupacasath territory on February 4, 2000.

Elder Tat Tatoosh, joined by Robert Dennis Jr., offered a prayer chant and sang a welcome song as the Hupacasath ladies danced. The book travelled to over 200 communities throughout the course of the year with the intention to give every British Columbian a chance to sign their name and make their mark on history. The book’s cover, carved by artists Phillip Smith and Katherine Woods, was made using a variety of

Hupacasath Chief Councillor Judy Sayers invited the members of her community to sign the book saying, “The pages are designed to last 1,000 years. It is our hope that by the year 3000 we will have settled our differences with the other two governments and that we will be able to share the land and resources in an equitable manner. By the year 3000 we hope to achieve our dream of economic independence.”

The book was sent to the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria on December 31, 2000, where the pages were turned day by day to share contents to the museum’s visitors.

Original story by Denise Titian

Graham Epstein

Need work experience? The Port Alberni Friendship Centre is looking for interested applicants for various positions. Call 250-723-8281

Post secondary students struggle to make ends meet

Even with tuition covered and a monthly stipend from the

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

British Columbia – Nuu-chah-nulth people are fortunate when it comes to opportunities to advance their education in colleges and universities, but without extra support, many struggle to make their living allowance last from one month to the next.

University tuition in B.C. has risen to between $6,000 – 9,500 for most full-time undergraduate programs, with post-graduate studies costing even more. Nuu-chah-nulth students usually get their tuition covered either by their First Nation or the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council’s Education Department, and the NTC provides a monthly living allowance to the over 100 students currently supported. The NTC provides a single student without dependents $1,600 a month.

But despite these supports, the demands of studying and challenges of relocating to a city for post secondary can present a taxing situation as adult students struggle to make ends meet.

Julie John of Nuchatlaht earned her degree nearly 10 years ago and says she is scared to go back to full-time post secondary education because of how hard it was with the financial stress.

It was around the year 2010 when she left her tiny, remote Nuchatlaht community of Oclucje and went to Campbell River to begin her post-secondary education. She had to start from scratch and get her own place.

“I was poor going into the program, had no furniture,” she shared.

The only apartment she could afford was in a dangerous area, but the rent included utilities.

“When I got my own place, I was sleeping on a camping cot in the living room by my tv,” she recalled. Furniture came from second-hand stores that sometimes gave away overstock.

One of the tenants in the apartment building abandoned their unit so the landlord offered John any of the furniture she needed.

Looking back on it, John said the only reason she was okay with being there was because she didn’t have children.

“I wouldn’t live there with my child now,” she said.

John would like to begin work on a second degree but has concerns.

“It is actually scary to go to school full-time right now, because I remember going to PS (post secondary) for my first degree. I remember that 24 hours after getting my living allowance, that I did not have a dollar to my name,” she shared. At the time, John was single.

“I would pay for my hydro, my rent, my phone/internet, groceries for one month, and all my money was gone after that,” said John.

There was no money for extras like dinner out or even a pop from the corner store.

Alicia James of Mowachaht/Muchalaht and Tla-o-qui-aht is studying at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo. She has completed her Bachelor ofArts in Indigenous Studies and is about to enter a nursing program.

She says she receives a living allowance of $1600 from the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, which is up substantially from when she started post secondary in 2018/19, when it was about $1200 a month.

“Lucky, still live with mom,” she said. James splits rent with her mother, which

NTC, it can be a ba le to cover costs while in school

Arts in Indigenous Studies and is about to enter a nursing program. takes a large portion of her living allowance.

“There’s not a lot of wiggle room for other necessities,” she added.

James relies on the bus system for transportation and pays $200 per semester for a city bus pass. She works at Starbucks part-time to help make ends meet. On workdays, James starts her shift at 4:30 a.m., working to 9 a.m., then goes to VIU to start her 10 a.m. classes.

On weekends, James puts in 25 to 30 hours at Starbucks.

“I don’t have to pay for coffee,” she laughs.

James goes without sleep, she shared. But even with part-time work, times can be hard.

“Acouple of times I had to reach out to VIU services when I had absolutely no money left,” she shared.

She was grateful to be able to get grocery cards.

For Julie John, she stretched her month supply of groceries by making food that would last.

“I would make something like spaghetti and make it last three or four days,” she shared.

By doing that, she was able to dedicate more time to studying instead of cooking. She said she also ate a lot of fish hash and canned soup.

“I am only a part-time student right now,” said John.

She now has a child and worries about the financial stress.

“Going four years without being able to go out or even to afford a pop,” is what scares John. “I couldn’t imagine doing post secondary while having a child, that’s why I chose not to get pregnant while doing my degree.”

James says it’s the unexpected expenses that cause her stress.At one point she had to come up with $200 immediately for an online course she needed. While it is a covered expense and it will get

Building Brighter Futures bursaries,” she shared.

The bursaries allowed her to take a couple of summer courses and helped with bills and groceries.

On January 30, 2025, the BC Scholarship Society announced that it provided $1.4 million in scholarship awards to more than 300 Indigenous post secondary students in the province last year. The awards make life less stressful for those struggling to make it on monthly student allowances.

The BC Scholarship Society said the Indigenous StudentAwards program was created to assist in removing barriers to higher education for Indigenous students studying at all post-secondary levels, from trades training to doctoral programs.

Even with her concerns, John plans to begin work on her second degree very soon. Her young daughter is getting to an age where she’s more independent, helping John feel more confident about returning to her studies.

James has this recommendation for people contemplating going to post-secondary institutions.

“Know where to find the resources, build any kind of community,” she advised.

James says she’s part of Indigenous Studies at VIU and finds them helpful for accessing resources.

reimbursed, $200 is a big hit for someone living on student allowance.

“It was (a choice between) textbooks or groceries that week,” she remembered.

But James is grateful for what came from her hard work.

“The last couple of years I won Indspire

According to KirstyAllen, a post secondary counsellor with the Nuu-chahnulth Tribal Council, a single student supported through the NTC Education Program receives a monthly living allowance of $1600. This amount is intended to cover rent, food, travel and other daily expenses. Scholarship awards can help cover the rising costs of living.

Allen says the NTC Education Department provides scholarship information to its more than 100 supported students. While she cannot share confidential information, she says she is aware of Nuuchah-nulth students that applied for and received scholarship awards from the BC Scholarship Society.

The provincial government provides a list of scholarships available to Indigenous students at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/ gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/program-management/indigenous-education/indigenous-scholarships Allen says there are many awards available.

“The FNESCAboriginal Learning links page includes links to some of the larger award programs that are available for all students to apply to,” she said.

Submitted photo

Alicia James of Mowachaht/Muchalaht and Tla-o-qui-aht is studying at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo. She has completed her Bachelor of

Julie John

Alberni hosts 40th invitational wrestling tournament

Facing someone on the mat can be both intimidating and rewarding for developing athletes, say ADSS coaches

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

PortAlberni, BC -As many as 450 young athletes hit the mat in PortAlberni for the 40th year that the city hosted its invitational wrestling tournament.

Over 40 school teams from across Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland came toAlberni District Secondary on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 for the annual event hosted by the high school and theAlberni Wrestling Club. Boys’and girls’divisions were grouped into weight classes, ranging from 38 to 130 kilograms, with junior Grade 8 and 9s competing separately than the older Grades 10-12 wrestlers.

In the past the historic tournament has attracted even more athletes at larger venues like theAlberni Valley Multiplex and the Glenwood Centre, but for the last several years theAlberni invitational has taken place in the high school. This has enabled the event to focus on the young competitors in a school setting, explained Alberni Coach John McDonald.

“We want it to be centrally focused on the students,” he said. “It got to the point where we noticed that school connection - we were losing that, and it was getting expensive.”

TheAlberni invitational came a few weeks before the provincial championships in the third week of February, allowing the more honed wrestlers to get an idea of what their competition from elsewhere in the province might be. But the priority for theAlberni team is for its athletes to focus on their individual goals, which can differ greatly depending on their confidence and experience level.

“Going to this tournament will allow them to visually see the level of competition this year in that weight category, and then to be able to set some goals for the year ahead,” said McDonald as his team was preparing. “For some of them, it will be the biggest tournament that they’ve wrestled in so far, so they will be nervous about that.”

Grade 8 wrestlerAlex Edgar admits that pre-tournament anxiety can be one of the most challenging things about the sport.

This is the third year that the Uchucklesaht member has participated, an involvement that currently takes up four days a week for Edgar, between her practices atADSS and with theAlberni Wrestling Club as well. She wasted no time while on the mat during a practice at the high school on Jan. 7, determinably going after her opponent’s legs as the two grappled to the point of exhaustion.

Edgar says that with time aches and bruises are overcome.

“When I first started out I was terrified,” she said. “You get used to it after a bit. The first year I wanted to quit, but once you get into it you don’t quit.”

Alberni Coach Travis Cross took the sport to the elite level, representing Canada at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He admits that being alone against an opponent can be daunting – but this can bring valuable lessons for young athletes.

“It’s just you and one other person on the centre of a mat with all of the other people around you,” he said. “That can be really intimidating. You’re out there in a singlet and there’s nowhere to hide. If you can get over that, then that’s a life skill in itself. Being vulnerable, but being able to perform under pressure.”

“For these kids, success can be determined in a lot of different ways,” added McDonald. “Sometimes just winning a match at a tournament is a start…each student can adjust their goals as well, which is unique to the sport. You determine where you want to take it.”

In his first year of wrestling, Grade 9 student T.J. Hernandez hopes to one day be able to beat his friend Jackson Price, who got him into the sport.

“He wanted me to join last year,” said Hernandez.

TheAhousaht First Nation member also plays rugby, and is involved with sports four days a week this winter. Things were rough at his first wrestling tournament, but Hernandez pushed through it.

“I had one of our teammates land on my ankle. That tournament did not go well,” he said. “I still played.”

Although wrestling is an individual sport, it has a strong team component as well.Athletes are present for a whole tournament to cheer on their teammates, and in theAlberni invitational schools earned trophies for having the most competitors to place.

“This is my first year in high school, and it has helped to make friends and socialize better,” said Edgar, who has family members who have participated in the sport. “I just wanted to be a part of something, and the wrestling team is really strong.”

“The good thing about this sport is that everybody can be included,” said McDonald, noting that nobody gets cut from theADSS wrestling team. “Everybody can find a place to participate, any size and any shape.”

Eric Plummer photos

Athletes onAlberni District Secondary’s wrestling team practice on Jan. 7 (above) at the high school.ADSS hosted the 40th annualAlberni School Invitational on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, where wrestlers from over 40 teams came to compete (below).