Latest news with #Ha-Shilth-Sa
Hamilton Spectator
18-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
IslandLinkBus nixes service from Tofino and Ucluelet to Port Alberni, passengers must first go to Nanaimo
Nora O'Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Ucluelet, BC - IslandLinkBus has cancelled their service from Tofino and Ucluelet to Port Alberni. In a rather confusing string of emails, Islandlink says passengers riding between Tofino and Ucluelet must first go to Nanaimo's Departure Bay Terminal, even though the bus stops in Port Alberni in front of the Casino en route to Nanaimo. A one-way ticket from Ucluelet Junction (the pick-up spot is Ukee Poke) to Departure Bay is $75. The cost for a bus ticket from Tofino to Departure Bay is $85. It's $45 for a ticket from Departure Bay to Port Alberni. 'This is all necessary to fine tune our operations and costs of operations, we are not subsidized in any fashion,' said Lisa Brisco, IslandLinkBus operations manager. 'Passengers from Tofino and Ucluelet wanting to go to Port Alberni must first go to Nanaimo and then return to Port Alberni. We do understand there are added costs incurred, but that is the only way with our license,' she continued. 'To make that stop would be operating contrary to our license. That in turn will risk our jobs and the services we offer on the island, so we do as we are licensed to do.' 'IslandLink has a 'connector' license where Greyhound/Tofino Bus had an 'inter-city' license,' Brisco explained. 'Our one and only destination is Departure Bay in Nanaimo and our service connects with the BC Ferry service in Nanaimo.' IslandLink also told the Ha-Shilth-Sa that they cancelled the Tofino/Ucluelet to Port Alberni service 'as the numbers to and from the coast were not enough to keep that route at this time.' The company said to 'check with BC Transit'. BC Transit confirmed in an email that 'there has been no formal exploration of service between the West Coast and Port Alberni'. Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Administrator Iris Frank is deeply troubled by the reduction of bus service. 'We on the West Coast have an urgent need for reliable transportation,' said Frank. 'This service is not a luxury. It is a need. Tla-o-qui-aht members, along with members from Ahousaht and Hesquiaht, depend on this transportation to access medical care that is not available in our home communities. These trips also allow our people to take care of vital needs—groceries, prescriptions, financial services, and family obligations—often all in one trip,' Frank continued. 'Without a consistent and affordable bus service, many will face impossible choices. The absence of this essential connection will create additional financial hardship for our people. This is not just about transportation. This is about equity and fairness. We must not allow our communities to be left behind,' she said. IslandLinkBus has a trip leaving every morning from Port Alberni to Nanaimo's Departure Bay Ferry Terminal at 8:40 a.m. The cost is $45, one-way. Then IslandLink picks up passengers at 10:40 a.m. in Nanaimo for a trip to Tofino and the Ucluelet Junction. IslandLink collects passengers in Tofino at two stops (House of Himwitsa or Cox Bay Visitor Centre) and then Ukee Poke (2201 Pacific Rim Hwy) at 3 p.m. before heading eastbound to Port Alberni. The bus stops in Port Alberni at 4:30 p.m. to pick-up passengers headed to Nanaimo. An IslandLink bus driver re-iterated that if he lets passengers off the bus in Port Alberni, they could lose their license. The final trip of the day is a 6:10 p.m. service from Nanaimo, Departure Bay Ferry Terminal to Port Alberni, 3800 Block Maple Way, opposite the Casino. 'Our service originates and ends in Port Alberni daily, we employ three Port Alberni residents and have maintenance services and fuel purchases in Port as well,' said Brisco. Elloise Hoey, 29, was waiting for the IslandLinkBus service from the Ucluelet Junction to Nanaimo on June 16. She missed the 3 p.m. bus and is out $75 because she was waiting at the Junction Visitor Centre instead of Ukee Poke where the bus collects passengers for its eastbound trip – an honest mistake coming from a U.K. traveller on a work visa. Gutted having missed her bus, Hoey was unsure as to how she was going to get to Nanaimo for a flight the next day. Hitchhiking was not an option in her mind, but she did have a family member in Lake Cowichan that she could call on to do the roughly four-hour drive to collect her. Frank called on all levels of government to recognize the urgent need for sustainable transportation solutions that 'respect the realities of life in remote Indigenous communities.' 'This is a moment to rally together, to raise our voices, and to insist that no one should be denied access to basic services simply because of where they live,' said Frank. MLA Josie Osborne reminded West Coasters that both Island Health and the First Nations Health Authority helps with travel for medical appointments. 'I encourage any constituent with questions about these programs to reach out to my office,' said Osborne in an email. 'Establishing a new inter-regional service between the West Coast and Port Alberni will require a strong partnership between the local governments, First Nations and B.C. Transit, especially knowing that most new routes and service expansions are initiated by local governments. As the local MLA, I will do everything I can to support communities and local voices in this important work to improve transportation access for people,' she continued. Osborne noted that West Coast communities, local governments, and First Nations worked hard to establish a new public transit service on the Pacific Rim, the first new route added to BC Transit in eight years. 'We now have reliable, safe and affordable options for people to travel between Tofino, Ucluelet and Hitacu, and this is a massive accomplishment for our communities,' said Osborne. Visit the IslandLink at for more information on rates and booking queries. -30- Captions IslandLinkBus picks passengers up at Ukee Poke/West Coast Shapes for a cross-Island trip to Nanaimo. While this bus stops in Port Alberni to pick up more passengers, Tofino/Ucluelet passengers are not permitted to step off the bus. If they want to go to Port Alberni, they must carry-on to Nanaimo and then purchase a one-way ticket from Nanaimo to Port Alberni. IslandLinkBus leaves Ukee Poke at around 3 p.m. on June 17 for an eastbound trip to Nanaimo, Departure Bay Ferry Terminal. (Nora O'Malley photos) Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . 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Hamilton Spectator
04-06-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Chantel Moore's mother talks about change in policing, 5 years after of her daughter's shooting death
By Nora O'Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Tofino, B.C. – Chantel Moore's daughter Gracie is 11 this year. 'She's growing. She often talks about her mom and how she misses her,' said Gracie's grandmother Martha Martin on June 4, 2025, the fifth anniversary of her daughter's fatal shooting by Edmundson City Police Force Officer Jeremy Son during a wellness check. 'She was six when her mom passed,' said Martin. 'She struggled with it for a really long time. She would always ask, 'When are the angels going to be done with my mom? Can they just send her back now?'' 'There are times when she gets really quiet and it's in those moments I know that she is missing her mom, and rightfully so,' she adds. 'It's really tough. I'm never going to be able to take her mother's place.' Moore was 26 when she was shot and killed at her New Brunswick home. To honour the memory of her daughter, Martin is walking with family and supporters 33-kilometres from the Tofino-Ucluelet Junction to Tofino's First Street Dock. Last year when she did the walk, the pain from a leg injury and her personal struggle with mental health had her in tears by the end. But this year, Martin says she's in better health – physically and mentally. 'Hopefully it won't be as hard and as long. I've been doing training for the last month. This year I'm more prepared,' Martin told the Ha-Shilth-Sa before setting off north to Tofino. There are also positive developments within policing services that Martin shared. 'Victoria's Police Chief Del Manak started a co-response team in honour of my daughter. A couple of weeks ago I was there, and I was able to do a presentation. I put the yellow pin dress on their co-response team,' said Martin. She offered a 'huge applause' to Chief Del Manak for being willing to make change. Front line RCMP officers are now being equipped with body-worn cameras as part of a national rollout to across Canada's rural, urban and remote locations. The deployment of body-cameras is something the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council has been calling for since Moore's shooting death in 2020. 'My daughter had a huge part of this,' said Martin. There is no actual real-time surveillance, police vehicle dash cam or body-worn video camera evidence depicting the actual events of what took place the day Moore was shot four times by Officer Son. Officer Son was not criminally charged for the shooting death of Moore, and within a few weeks of the tragedy he was back on duty. Martin has a civil lawsuit against the City of Edmundston and Son, with a meeting set for March 2026. Moore's auntie Corinne Martin says she misses her niece's bubbly personality. 'She was so full of life, just her energy. She was just like her mom when she walked into the room, she could get everybody's attention,' said Corinne, who joined Martin for the journey from the junction to Tofino. Moore's family members Hjalmer Wenstob and Timothy Masso performed the Healing Song for Martin before she began to walk on the overcast Wednesday morning. Five months after Moore's tragic shooting death, Martin's son Mike Martin died in police custody. 'I'm keeping her name alive. I will never let the government forget her or my son,' she said. She went on to note that Hotel Zed Tofino currently has a display up in the lobby that tells Chantel Moore's story. 'I look at my granddaughter and I see my nieces and nephews and I want to ensure that their future safety - should anyone be pulled over and should anyone need a mental health check - that they will not be shot multiple times. That's unacceptable,' said Martin. -30- Captions The family of Chantel Moore gather on June 4 at the Tofino-Ucluelet Junction before walking to remember the loss of a young Tla-o-qui-aht woman. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Reshaping a B.C. court to include Indigenous values
By Nora O'Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Tofino, B.C. – Direct efforts are underway to address the distrust and problematic history First Nations face within Canada's justice system. At the beginning of May, Tofino Provincial Court was relocated from the Tofino Community Hall to the Tin Wis Conference Centre on Tla-o-qui-aht-First Nations traditional territory. Court will continue to be held at this new location on Tla-o-qui-aht land for the next few years. Tin Wis is the former site of Christie Indian Residential School. 'It used to be the gymnasium of the residential school. It holds a lot of significance,' said Tla-o-qui-aht Justice Manager Curtis Joseph (Tayiisimčił). Members of the newly formed Tla-o-qui-aht Justice Committee will also be present during the sentencing process to ensure community members are represented – and to allow for accountability. Elder Gloria Frank is a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht Justice Committee. Frank, alongside all nine members of the justice committee, has taken an oath of confidentially. 'Whatever happens, it stays (in the court),' said Frank. 'We are there to have a serious impact on victims. We want to give them a positive voice and make sure they are safe. We offer comfort and reassurance that it's not (their) fault. We want to take that fear away from our victims.' 'On one side, we are the loving, guiding, community members, but we also have to be unbiased and non-judgmental,' elder Debbie David adds. Dezerae Joseph, Tla-o-qui-aht's women and girls project co-ordinator, also sits on the justice committee. She says since its inception a couple years ago, more people are coming forward, wanting to see justice. 'People are speaking up about sexual assault, violence and impaired driving,' said Dezerae. 'We are seeing the change. We are seeing people not wanting to be silenced.' Provincial Court Judge Alexander Wolf said what Tla-o-qui-aht is doing is 'indigenizing' mainstream court; they are creating a one-of-a-kind concept that is distinct from First Nations/Indigenous Courts. 'One of the difficulties we have [with] the mainstream court systems is they are sort of exclusive,' Judge Wolf told the Ha-Shilth-Sa. He added that these court systems can exclude the needs of a community, disregarding the wishes of elders 'and alternatives that exist to mainstream problem solving.' 'From the judiciary side, this is a great national example of how reconciliation is a process and it's a journey,' said Judge Wolf. 'It's not a destination, to me. Some people, when they look at reconciliation, they say, 'Well we can't have it because we can't go back to a time and place and restore a sense of harmony that never existed.' But I think, as we go forward, that judiciary with communities can go forward and make one view and belief compatible with another.' The Law Foundation of BC granted Tla-o-qui-aht's justice initiative $1 million over four years, under the same stream of funding that Indigenous Courts are funded, according to Joseph. The Tla-o-qui-aht Justice Committee is the primary forum for discussions between the Tofino RCMP, and the two parties have created a formal Letter of Expectation (LOE), with input/approval from Tla-o-qui-aht Chief and Council. Youth Engagement is listed as the top priority in the draft letter for this year. 'It's about building that relationship,' said Joseph. 'Sgt. Owen Smith has been very co-operative with us. He gives us an idea of where we need to focus energy on, and a lot of that is alcohol related.' Tofino/Ahousaht RCMP Detachment Commander Sgt. Owen Smith expressed positivity towards the shift to include Indigenous values. 'In the 18 months that I have worked with (the justice committee), the focus and impact of our work has expanded significantly,' said Sgt. Smith in an email. 'Communication is critical to a good working relationship, and I feel TFN and the RCMP have been great partners in recent months.' 'I hope that our work with the committee removes a lot of the unknown about policing, highlights the work the RCMP is doing to keep community members safe, and demonstrates that we're working together, toward the same goals,' he said. Joseph says they are in regular conversation with Crown Counsel and are also working on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Port Alberni Community Corrections and a MOU with the West Coast Community Resources Society for third-party reporting for sexual assault. Sgt. Smith confirmed that 'all but two officers in Tofino and Ahousaht are now trained in the use of, and equipped with, body-worn cameras. They are a great addition, providing many benefits to the public, officer and court files.' Judge Wolf urged all First Nations communities to create a stronger partnership with the judiciary and to focus on creating a healthier environment, especially for Indigenous women and girls. 'We have a national crisis of children in care, and we put more Indigenous women in jail than any other group. The atrocity to me nationally is how higher incarceration rates are for Indigenous girls aged 12 to 18,' said Judge Wolf. He offered words of wisdom from retired Judge Barry Stuart, who uplifted justice reform in the Yukon by implementing the Peacemaking Circle: 'Stuart said, 'You don't need money to make change, you just need a pot of coffee and a dozen donuts and some people that want to make change'. You need people and you need heart. That's essentially what we did here,' said Judge Wolf. -30- Caption Circled by provincial peace officers and Crown Counsel, members of the Tla-o-qui-aht Justice Committee elder Gloria Frank, elder Debbie David (front seated), Justice Manager Curtis Joseph, Judge Wolf and women and girls co-ordinator Dezerae Joseph honour a milestone first week of relocating Tofino Provincial Court to Tin Wis on May 5. (Nora O'Malley photo)
Hamilton Spectator
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Spring Carving on the Edge Festival uplifts the next generation
Tofino, BC - Hammering chisels with rubber mallets, children helped hollow out a traditional Nuu-chah-nulth log drum at the spring Carving on the Edge Festival, which took place May 1 to 4 at the Tofino Community Hall in Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations territory. Tla-o-qui-aht artist Hjalmer Wenstob said the focus of the spring festival was all about coming together. 'Our log drum is what we built the whole festival around. It was drop-in carving throughout the whole festival. Really, it's just basically about learning about different tools,' said Wenstob. 'It's a nice, simple block of wood that people aren't afraid of. We're gonna hollow it out as a community,' he said. Three different school groups participated in the log drum project: the Grade 2/3 class from Wickaninnish Community School, an art class from Ahousaht and a high school group from Oregon. 'When young people come and create, it's beautiful. Having elders, the knowledge keepers in the room, to share with the next generations… it's all about sharing knowledge and building something together,' he said. Wenstob will take the log drum home and carve it into a wolf. He plans to gift the final work of art to Tla-o-qui-aht. 'I know they haven't had a traditional log drum in a while. We've been hosting the festival for 15 years now in Tla-o-qui-aht, so we thought it would be a good way to give back,' Wenstob continued. Beside the log drum, Port Alberni-based artist Kelly Robinson was working on a huge Thunderbird spirit mask in Nuxalk Nation's distinct style. 'Nuxalk is bulbous, voluptuous, curvy and deep,' said Robinson, who has had Nuxalk work in market for over 15 years. 'I've been practicing Nuu-chah-nulth style seriously for the past five years, and it will take a lifetime to learn. Nuu-chah-nulth is really fine with shapes coming out of nowhere,' he said. Robinson expressed his gratitude for the Carving Festival as it gives space for artists to network and just hang out with other artists. 'We're alone the majority of the time. It's been great to meet younger artists and share,' he told the Ha-Shilth-Sa. Tla-o-qui-aht artist Ivy Cargill-Martin agreed. 'I loved the overall feel of all the artists coming together, talking together and inspiring each other. It was so laidback. The whole vibe was just artists coming together to do art,' she said. When she wasn't hosting a busy lino carving and print making station, Cargill-Martin worked on a wooden fish commission inspired by Nuu-chah-nulth style, although a little more 'free'. 'My late uncle Darren Williams taught me to be more free and not as structured. He used to say to not draw with an eraser and just go with the mistakes you made,' Cargill-Martin shared. During the May 2 afternoon program, Hesquiaht artist and world-renowned carver Tim Paul surprised non-Indigenous west coast community member Laurel White with a Nuu-chah-nulth name. Surrounded by his family, Paul gave her the name ʔuuʔałuk, meaning 'taking care of'. 'Take that name and use that name as you go on in life. Just make sure you take care to pass on to our young people,' said Paul. White was raised in Prince Edward Island. She now lives in Ucluelet and works for the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council (NTC) as a public health researcher with a focus on what it means to live well and raise children well. She was shocked and notably speechless after receiving her Nu-chah-nulth name. 'I was trying not to cry. It's more than a word, it carries meaning,' White said. 'It's such an honour, but also a gift of responsibility to the knowledge and learnings that have been shared with me over my years of working with the NTC health dept, such as the responsibility to take care of those teachings, share them and embed them into my work and my life,' she said. Since 2021, White has been working with Paul and other Nuu-chah-nulth Elders on the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative . 'Elders like Tim amplify the work. I have so much gratitude and respect for Nuu-chah-nulth culture. It's such a beautiful thing,' White said. The Nuu-chah-nulth log drum will be displayed at the fall Carving on the Edge Art Show coming Oct 3 to 9, 2025. -30-
