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Highlights from The Discourse
Analysis: What’s really on the cutting block at Fairy Creek?
Many readers have told us they appreciate Julie Chadwick’s balanced and well-reported analysis of the Fairy Creek old-growth blockades. Read it here.
Coast Salish foods of today: Evolving towards a new path
Coast Salish food systems are in dire disrepair, writes Jared Qwustenuxun Williams. But in the midst of this is an evolution towards a new path. This is the final article in a three-part series on Coast Salish food and culture, part of our Food For Thought reporting. Read more.
First Nations Police build connections in Cowichan Tribal Schools
Katłįà Lafferty, reporter for IndigiNews, got an inside look on how the RCMP’s Indigenous Policing Services section is building connections in Cowichan communities. Read more.
New substance use recovery program welcomes Greater Victoria youth
Greater Victoria youth who are battling substance use issues now have access to a residential recovery program, Shalu Mehta reports. Read more.
News and announcements
- B.C. is now registering people 50 and older for COVID-19 vaccine appointments, and all Indigenous adults. People born between 1956 and 1966 are also eligible to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine at some pharmacies, including in the Nanaimo region and Greater Victoria. Expect wait lists. Cowichan Tribes’ last first-dose clinic is on April 15. All Indigenous adults living in the Cowichan region can attend.
- Restaurants are bracing for an extension into May of the circuit-breaker COVID-19 restrictions that prevent indoor dining. The province is accepting applications for grants for hospitality and fitness businesses impacted by the restrictions.
- The majority of trans youth in Canada are supported and flourishing, The Conversation Canada reports.
- This week, on the fifth anniversary of B.C. declaring the overdose crisis to be a public health emergency, the province committed to formally asking the federal government for an exemption in order to decriminalize drug possession. Overdose deaths climbed during the COVID-19 pandemic after a dip in 2019. In 2019, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry called for the urgent decriminalization of drug possession in B.C. and outlined ways to do it, with or without federal approval.
- Literacy Now Cowichan has launched the annual $500 Barb de Groot Grant for promoting literacy in the Cowichan Valley. For more information or to nominate someone, email [email protected].
- Observers saw two men remove red dresses, placed as a memorial to missing and murdered Indigenous women, from along the highway in Oyster Bay, the Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle reports.
- The Cowichan Valley Trail has reopened following repairs after a culvert failure.
- The survivor of a recent home fire in Duncan reunited to thank the woman who saved his life, CHEK News reports.
Have your say
- North Cowichan’s master transportation plan survey is open through April 22.
- The Cowichan Valley School District’s budget survey is open through April 20.
Community events
- Thursday, April 15: 🔨 The Indigenous Employment Hub is hosting an online job and training fair.
- Friday, April 16: 🎸 The Cowichan Performing Arts Centre will host An Evening with Blue Moon Marquee, an online performance. Get tickets here.
- Through Monday, April 19: 🎺 Catch the best independent music and arts that Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland have to offer at the Woodstove Film Festival 2021. The program of on-demand videos recreates the magic of wandering the streets of Cumberland, B.C. from the comfort of your home.
- Tuesday, April 20: 🎒 Cowichan Valley DPAC is offering a free, virtual workshop on how to advocate for your child within B.C.’s public school system.
- Through Thursday, April 22: 💃 The BC Assembly of First Nations is hosting its annual Women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People’s dialogue sessions virtually this year.
- Friday, April 23: 📚 Renowned author Eden Robinson will read from and discuss Return of the Trickster in an online event hosted by the Vancouver Island Regional Library. Space is limited.
- Friday, April 23 through Sunday, April 25: 🏺The Cowichan Artisans’ spring tour will go ahead this year, with COVID-19 safety protocols in place. Visit the website for more information.
- Through Saturday, April 24: 🎨 Catch Awake: Youth Arts Showcase 2021 online or in person at the Cowichan Valley Arts Council gallery in the Cowichan Community Centre. In The Annex, see a show by the Warmland Calligraphers through April 26.
- Available now: 🤓 Get nerdy with I Never Would Have Guessed That!, a video trivia series by the Mill Bay Malahat Historical Society.
What did I miss? Let me know what events are coming up near you by sending me an email.
In your words
Kimberly sent us this comment on Jared Qwustenuxun Williams’s impressive series on Coast Salish food systems.
Thanks! We’re so glad you appreciated the work. [end]
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