Island Insider

B.C. Premier John Horgan announced Monday that an election will take place Oct. 24, in the midst of the ongoing pandemic.

Ocean acidification and new diseases tied to warming ocean waters are significant threats to the viability of B.C.’s shellfish aquaculture sector.

The B.C. government is urging residential, agricultural, and industrial water users to try to conserve as a number of salmon streams on the island are reaching critically low levels.

“You only have to look out the window right now to see the effects of climate change,” Erik Krogh, Vancouver Island University air quality researcher, as smoke from U.S. wildfires smothers southern British Columbia.

Rural residents needing to travel outside their community for healthcare often face steep out-of-pocket costs. The problem is compounded by a provincial assortment of subsidy programs that cause regional disparities and hinder equal access to medical care across the country, say experts.

Significant out-of-pocket expenses makes it clear rural residents are facing obstacles getting the medical care they need outside their community, say advocates.

Global warming is likely to significantly reduce the areas suitable for the farming of Atlantic salmon along the West Coast, according to a recent UBC study.

The marine adventure tourism sector — so critical to the economy of many small coastal communities in B.C. — took a big hit as international visitors vanished this year.

Marnie's Books, a tiny bookshop situated on isolated Cortes Island off B.C.'s West Coast, has an outsize effect on visitors and locals alike.

B.C. Premier John Horgan has called on the federal government to decriminalize the personal possession of illegal drugs, but his own government hasn't acted on similar measures at the provincial level, critics say.

Quadra Island resident Judy Hagen is getting kudos from the B.C. government for 30-plus years of dedicated work aimed at keeping her community safe.

It’s not too late to use the funds to employ youth and support businesses and community groups across the country that are struggling economically during the pandemic, said Rachel Blaney, MP for North Island-Powell River.

Agencies and advocates battling B.C.'s illicit drug overdose emergency reiterate calls for senior levels of government to decriminalize illicit drug use which increases the stigma and shame of substance users.

The ask is the bare minimum needed to maintain child-care spaces that existed before the pandemic, hiring new staff and to cover costs associated with enacting new pandemic safety protocols, says NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

The growing number of Indigenous language programs at post-secondary institutions is a fundamental stepping stone to reconciliation, says Kwak' wala educator Sara Child. And protecting and revitalizing those languages is key to the wellness of Indigenous people and communities.