Rochelle Baker
Journalist | Quadra Island |
English
About Rochelle Baker
Rochelle Baker is the Quadra and Cortes Islands reporter for Canada's National Observer, thanks to a grant from the Local Journalism Initiative of the Government of Canada. Rochelle has worked as a newspaper reporter and photographer in BC's Lower Mainland for over 10 years.
Federal COVID-19 aid for fishers poorly timed and leaves new entrants to flounder, critics say
Federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bernadette Jordan announced Wednesday that the Fish Harvester Benefit and Grant Program will open for applications from Aug. 24 to Sept. 21.
Gardens nourish body and soul during pandemic
Gardening is a powerful and symbolic medicine for what ails us during the pandemic, mental health experts say.
Coastal residents lose right to board before tourists on BC Ferries
Island residents will no longer board BC Ferries before tourists after the B.C. government revised the COVID-19 emergency order Thursday.
B.C. marine rescue team scrambling to locate three distressed humpback whales on B.C. coast
Three cases of entangled humpback whales have been reported within the past four days, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has confirmed.
Youth who overdose on drugs need to be helped, not detained, advocates say
Judy Darcy, B.C. Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, says a controversial bill that would allow youth to be involuntarily hospitalized after they overdose is on hold. But critics want it permanently nixed.
Food bank use expected to surge with the end of CERB in B.C. island communities
Food insecurity can only be solved by raising incomes and food banks are an ad hoc solution that senior levels of government rely on to avoid repairing a frayed social safety net, says expert Graham Riches.
Cortes Island director sues Strathcona Regional District
Cortes Island area director Noba Anderson is suing the Strathcona Regional District for legal costs and punitive actions linked to a 2019 lawsuit.
B.C. fishermen say their industry needs a lifeline
"Slipper skippers', who have never fished a day in their lives, are leasing quota to commercial fishers who can see 85 per cent of their catch going to quota and licensing fees,” Gord Johns, NDP Fisheries critic on who benefits from B.C's fish and what needs to change.
While B.C. wrestled COVID-19, opioid deaths shattered records
In June, 175 people died from illicit drug overdoses across the province, up from the previous record high of 171 fatalities set in May, the BC Coroners Service reported Thursday.
Health authority sounds alarm as fatal overdoses surge among B.C.First Nations people
B.C. First Nations people continue to be disproportionately impacted by the opioid overdose crisis during the pandemic. Though First Nations people comprise 3.3 per cent of the province's overall population, they represent 16 per cent of all overdose deaths as of May 2020.