Local Journalism Initiative

A pedestrian makes his way along an icy sidewalk Tuesday, February 26, 2019 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Okanagan school district needs kitty litter for ice, not kids

Responding to social media, SD67 says it’s not ordering litter for students who identify as cats

A pedestrian makes his way along an icy sidewalk Tuesday, February 26, 2019 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Nanaimo has banned natural gas as the primary heat source in new buildings. (News Bulletin file photo)

Fossil fuels industry targets B.C. city after move to block natural gas

Canadian Energy Centre pushing campaign to restore possibility of Fortis hookups in new builds

Nanaimo has banned natural gas as the primary heat source in new buildings. (News Bulletin file photo)
Women dance during the Abyas song to cleanse and bless the ground for the cedar mortuary pole replica carved by Mungo Martin in 1955 was removed from Thunderbird Park during a commemorative ceremony on the grounds of the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito)

‘Forbidden Music’ explores complex preservation of B.C. Indigenous culture

Film documents 1950s efforts to preserve music threatened by potlatch ban, residential schools

Women dance during the Abyas song to cleanse and bless the ground for the cedar mortuary pole replica carved by Mungo Martin in 1955 was removed from Thunderbird Park during a commemorative ceremony on the grounds of the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito)
A new report compiled for the provincial government details a shortage of sheriffs across B.C., resulting in court closures and delays. (Photo: Province of B.C.)

Cash coming to address B.C.’s longstanding sheriff shortage: Sharma

Report reveals workplace culture issues feeding recruitment and retention crisis

A new report compiled for the provincial government details a shortage of sheriffs across B.C., resulting in court closures and delays. (Photo: Province of B.C.)
Kyley Gagnon is seen here on the floating home she owns on Kootenay Lake. The forestry ministry wants to evict her. Photo: Submitted

Facing eviction, B.C. mom living on floating home pleads for reprieve

She says she’ll be left homeless if the forestry ministry removes her home from Kootenay Lake

Kyley Gagnon is seen here on the floating home she owns on Kootenay Lake. The forestry ministry wants to evict her. Photo: Submitted
Tashi Townley took this photo of a Mola mola in Kyuoquot Sound being observed by Megan Komori-Kennedy and Violet Komori. Marine Education Resource Society Facebook.

Hola Mola! Researchers tracking massive tropical fish off Vancouver Island

Marine Education Resource Society is collecting data on sightings from the public

Tashi Townley took this photo of a Mola mola in Kyuoquot Sound being observed by Megan Komori-Kennedy and Violet Komori. Marine Education Resource Society Facebook.
Old growth cedar in the Russell Creek drainage in the Slocan Valley. Photo: Bill Metcalfe

Old growth trees still falling despite B.C. promises: environmentalists

‘Any old growth inventory map is obsolete the day you make it’

Old growth cedar in the Russell Creek drainage in the Slocan Valley. Photo: Bill Metcalfe
Buttle Lake, high in Vancouver Island’s Strathcona Park, offers the type of snowpack-fed water supply unavailable in other areas, like Quadra Island some 50 kilometres away. (John McKinley file)

Rural B.C. residents work to protect water in face of growing drought

Quadra Island water security team works to get a handle on supply as supply grows more scarce

Buttle Lake, high in Vancouver Island’s Strathcona Park, offers the type of snowpack-fed water supply unavailable in other areas, like Quadra Island some 50 kilometres away. (John McKinley file)
File photo. (Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)

Extreme weather is sending Okanagan migrant farmworkers home early

Fires forced hundreds of workers to evacuate from West Kelowna and Lake Country

File photo. (Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)
Clams are being nurtured in a clam bed restoration project underway on the West Coast of Vancouver Island this summer. File photo THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Building walls: B.C. Indigenous youth reclaiming clam harvest heritage

Coastal First Nations youth make their mark by cultivating ancient food systems in their territories

Clams are being nurtured in a clam bed restoration project underway on the West Coast of Vancouver Island this summer. File photo THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
A memorial for the five victims of the July 2021 fatal crane collapse stands in front of the Bernard Block construction site in downtown Kelowna in October of 2021. (Capital News)

2 years after Kelowna deadly crane collapse, B.C. considers safety improvements

WorkSafeBC has proposed new regulations, including stronger requirements that supervisors

A memorial for the five victims of the July 2021 fatal crane collapse stands in front of the Bernard Block construction site in downtown Kelowna in October of 2021. (Capital News)
A deep sea octopus. Dr Cherisse Du Preez Ocean Exploration Trust, Northeast Pacific Seamount Expedition Partners

Deep-sea octopus garden nursery discovered beneath B.C. waves

Researchers uncover rare nursery for deep sea octopus brood off the west coast of Vancouver Island

A deep sea octopus. Dr Cherisse Du Preez Ocean Exploration Trust, Northeast Pacific Seamount Expedition Partners
Carving by Ben Davidson. Credit: David Koppe, University of Victoria

From struggle to triumph: B.C. woman completes Indigenous Law journey

Mercediese Dawson shares her march toward finding and sharing her voice

Carving by Ben Davidson. Credit: David Koppe, University of Victoria
Photo: Mark Brett, Penticton Herald/Local Journalism Initiative Hardeep Singh Chahal holding daughter Keerat Kaur, his wife Kamaldeep Kaur and daughter with good friend Pierre Levesque Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at the Penticton Sikh Temple.

Happy ending for Penticton family who feared deportation

The family has been invited to reapply for their cancelled work visas

Photo: Mark Brett, Penticton Herald/Local Journalism Initiative Hardeep Singh Chahal holding daughter Keerat Kaur, his wife Kamaldeep Kaur and daughter with good friend Pierre Levesque Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at the Penticton Sikh Temple.
Apprentice carver Rey Dickie and master carver Stan Hunt stand next to the log that would be carved into a monument to remember Indigenous children who died at residential schools. (Tyson Whitney - North Island Gazette)

Residential school pole touring Island before Vancouver installation

Master carver Stanley Hunt preparing to unveil emotional memorial project

Apprentice carver Rey Dickie and master carver Stan Hunt stand next to the log that would be carved into a monument to remember Indigenous children who died at residential schools. (Tyson Whitney - North Island Gazette)
Bryant Doradea is a rapper who grew up in foster care in East Vancouver. instagram @hkeezay

Hip-hop artist and former child in ‘care’ brings message of visibility to B.C. legislature

Artist and youth worker presents ‘The Foster Kid Survival Guide’ to government officials

Bryant Doradea is a rapper who grew up in foster care in East Vancouver. instagram @hkeezay
Vancouver Island University is applying to offer programs in Canada’s north. (News Bulletin file)

B.C. university wants to offer remote degrees in the Northwest Territories

Vancouver Island University has applied to deliver a remote Bachelor of Education program

Vancouver Island University is applying to offer programs in Canada’s north. (News Bulletin file)
(File photo by BLACK PRESS)

Paramedic shortages still plague B.C. rural areas, but remedies may be in the works

Part-time staffing model, better on-call wages may help areas facing staffing gaps

(File photo by BLACK PRESS)
The snow-covered top of Mount Seymour is visible through low cloud as a Harbour Air floatplane approaches Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday December 28, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

North Shore Rescue saves two backcountry skiers lost on Mt Seymour

Pair of women got lost after accidentally skiing into the out of bounds

The snow-covered top of Mount Seymour is visible through low cloud as a Harbour Air floatplane approaches Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday December 28, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Juvenile Rockfish in Barkley Sound. (Photo courtesy of Emily Adamczyk)

B.C. scientist eavesdropping on fish to fathom their underwater secrets

Researchers have devised a relatively low-cost portable audio-visual system for tracking fish sounds

Juvenile Rockfish in Barkley Sound. (Photo courtesy of Emily Adamczyk)