With an increase in measles, whooping cough, and other preventable diseases around the world the province says they are promoting this year's National Immunization Awareness Week. 

According to the federal government’s website, so far Canada has 50 active cases of measles and estimates a total of 60 cases have been reported so far this year.  

The government also estimates there is one case of rubella syndrome has been diagnosed in across Canada. 

Health minister Adrian Dix says this annual event helps people get the proper immunizations they need to lower the risk to themselves and reduce the impact on hospitals across the province. 

“Immunization plays a vital role in maintaining public health by reducing the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases,” Dix says. “It lowers the number of cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities associated with these diseases, thereby improving the quality of life.” 

The province says measles is highly contagious and everyone who has not got their shots should consider consulting their medical practitioner, especially babies and children. 

Dix says this is why the government has implemented a program to offer, and extend, protection for those who need it, crediting medical professionals for their hard work. 

“I want to thank the healthcare professionals who provide information to their patients about the benefits of immunizations, administer vaccines, and help people keep safe from the spread of diseases,” Dix says.  

The province says measles is quickly spread in schools, and children who are not immunized or fully immunized are offered a vaccine or excluded from school. 

The World Health Organization reported a 79 per cent increase in measles cases last year, compared to 2022. 

The last case of measles in BC was reported in 2019. 

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An orca calf trapped in a lagoon for a month after her mother died swam out on her own early this morning.

A statement from the Ehattesaht First Nation says kʷiisaḥiʔis the ‘Brave Little Hunter’ swam out of the Zeballos lagoon around 2:30 am, with the high tide. This morning, she was spotted moving into Esperanza Inlet, which connects with the open ocean.

The statement says the rescue team will now focus on encouraging her to keep going, so her calls will be hopefully heard by her family pod.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the local nations are asking people and boaters to keep clear of the area, to prevent anything from discouraging the orca from reuniting with her family.

The orca had been in the lagoon for a month after she and her mother entered chasing prey. When the tide went out, her mother was beached and died. The only entrance to the lagoon is a narrow passage under a bridge, only open at the highest tides.

Rescuers have been trying to encourage the calf to leave ever since, with almost 50 people involved in the attempts at one point, with everything under consideration from a helicopter lift, to banging metal pipes underwater.

In the end, the orca swam out on her own terms.

The orca is a Biggs killer whale, which eat mainly marine mammals. Rescuers have been feeding her seal meat during her time in the lagoon.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.

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The City of Powell River is getting ready to transform downtown in preparation for ‘another sweet celebration.’ 

Blackberry festival is scheduled to take place Aug. 16 and Powell River Chamber of Commerce president Dave Formosa says residents and visitors will have the time of their life.  

“The Blackberry Festival Street Party is more than just a celebration of a fruit; it’s a celebration of our community spirit,” he says. “It’s a time for us to come together, enjoy each other’s company, and create lasting memories.” 

The festival is set to include fireworks at Willington Beach, live music, and food vendors including blackberry-themed treats, pies, jams and beverages.  

For more information on the event email the Powell River festival committee directly. 

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B.C.’s very own humpback whales were featured on an episode of Planet Earth III.

The show is a BBC series focused on showcasing landscapes, newly discovered behaviors, and the challenges animals face, all narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Episode 7 had a segment on humpback whales, with the Marine Education and Research Society assisting the team on that episode.

The society works on education, research, and response on Vancouver Island, with the goal of understanding and reducing the threats that marine wildlife face.

Humpback researcher Jackie Hildering says they were chosen because of their research on trap feeding, a strategy that at least 32 humpbacks learned to do.

“Once we had initial contact it was very clear we were unified with the filming team, with the producer Fredi Devas in terms of ethics,” said Hildering.

“Once we realized the magnitude of it, that we would be able to bring attention to the vital importance of whales globally and that the estimated audience of Planet Earth III is one billion people, I don’t know that it has sunken in.”

Trap-feeding is used by some whales in specific conditions where if juvenile herring are in small schools, they set up a trap by staying beside the fish with their mouths open.

Hildering says their first contact with Devas was back in 2018 and it had been back and forth about the ethics of the segment, adding that the society wouldn’t have been interested if it was only for pretty footage of humpbacks.

She says the last thing they wanted to do is increase pressure on the whales.

“It became very clear that it would be about really big-picture messaging around a second chance of humpbacks, and that by having them back what they are doing is fertilizing the ecosystem,” said Hildering.

“In realizing that, it became secure that it would be about conservation and that the gains would be greater than the potential disturbance of the whales.”

She says Devas came to the Island in 2019 and was surprised by how well the team knew the whales, which Hildering says would lead to better filming and less disturbance of the whales.

Because of the pandemic, filming began in 2021, continuing into 2022 to capture the feeding.

The episode aired on Sunday on BBC Earth.

“British Columbia used to kill humpbacks until 1967, now we care about them as individuals.”

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The annual National Day of Mourning for workers killed on the job is coming up this weekend.

The mother of a young man who died at sea in a tugboat incident will be one of this year’s speakers. In February 2021, on the Central Coast, the MV Ingenika lost power during a sub-zero storm. The barge it was pulling passed over the tug, capsizing and sinking it. Two crew died, including Charley Cragg.

This year his mother Genevieve will be speaking in Vancouver at the Day of Mourning ceremony.

Ceremonies are planned around the Island, the first will be on Friday in Courtenay and in Campbell River.

Here's the schedule for events in our communities, visit the official website for a full list and any last-minute changes.

Friday, April 26

• Campbell River: 10:30 am at Fire Hall 1, 675 13th Ave
• Courtenay: 10 am at Simms Park Pavilion, 5th St

Sunday, April 28

• Lake Cowichan: 10 am at Forest Workers Memorial Park, 46-58 South Shore Rd
• Nanaimo: 12:30 pm at Pioneer Waterfront Plaza, 90 Front St
• Powell River: 11 am at the Cranberry Cemetery Workers Memorial

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Amateur and professional scientists on the Island are invited to share knowledge about salmon, and how to better protect them.

UBC and the Pacific Salmon Foundation are co-hosting three events on Vancouver Island starting in Campbell River next week. They are managed by Dr. Brian Riddell, a world-renowned expert on Pacific salmon and former foundation president.

The Salmon Dialogues aim to collect local knowledge from communities and salmon scientists with the goal of more effectively rebuilding Pacific salmon production on the coast.

There are 13 dialogues scheduled around BC.

Organizers hope they will help encourage more open communication and collaboration to rebuild Pacific salmon stocks, and identify what actions should be top priority.

For more information, and to sign up, visit the official website.

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In the coming years Harbour Air will transform it's fleet of seaplanes to e-planes.

North America’s largest seaplane airline signed a Letter of Intent with magniX to purchase 50 of its electric engines.

Harbour Air calls it a “significant step” in electrifying its fleet for sustainable aviation.

CEO Bert van der Stege says the agreement underscores their “commitment to revolutionize commercial aviation with electric propulsion and to pave the way for cleaner, quieter, and more efficient air travel.”

A part of that vision is the development of a sustainable aviation hub on the west coast, providing electrification conversions and services to 3rd parties.

The single eBeaver that is being tested has completed 78 flights using an electric engine.

Harbour Air is hoping to have commercial certification of their first electric aircraft by 2026 and plans to convert additional aircraft and offer third-party conversions.

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Prosecutors will not lay charges against any of the RCMP officers involved in the shooting death of Jared Lowndes in Campbell River nearly three years ago.

He died as police attempted to remove him from a vehicle and place him under arrest in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.

The BC Prosecution Service says no charges have been approved against three officers from Campbell River RCMP detachment involved in the fatal shooting.

The Chief Civilian Director of the Independent Investigations Office determined there were reasonable grounds to believe the officers may have committed offences when he submitted his report to prosecutors.

However, the BCPS found that “the available evidence does not meet the BCPS’s charge assessment standard,” and prosecutors would not be able to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officers committed any offence.

As a result, no charges have been approved.

On July 8 of 2021, Lowndes was seen in a parked vehicle by an RCMP officer on routine patrol and was wanted on an arrest warrant for breaching a conditional sentence.

As the officer approached the driver’s window, the vehicle quickly backed up, struck the police vehicle, and sped away.

Lowndes was spotted later in a drive-thru at a local restaurant in Campbell River where three police officers attempted to box him in with police vehicles.

Lowndes was able to get out of the drive-thru, but was prevented from driving out of the parking lot and attempted to go backwards through the drive-thru and was blocked again by a police vehicle.

During the attempt to take Lowndes into custody, a police dog – Gator – was fatally stabbed, a police officer suffered stab wounds to his left hand, and a taser was used twice.

Lowndes then got out of the vehicle holding the knife and shots were fired by two of the RCMP officers.

He died at the scene.

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The BC Government says social media giants Meta, Snap, TikTok and X have agreed to work collaboratively with the province of the development of Bill 12, its public harms legislation, and will be part of BC's Online Safety Action Table. 

The province says it will place Bill 12 on hold while discussions take place on how to create safe, empowering experiences online.
 

 In a news release, the province says it's an opportunity to bring experts, parents, technology companies and government together to find new ways of helping young people stay safe online and  be better protected from online harms. 

The province also says Meta has also committed to working with BC’s emergency management organization to help amplify official information for people in emergency situations like wildfires. 

The official opposition says the NDP's decision to retract Bill 12 only comes after significant public backlash. 

BC United says the business community and concerned citizens across the province forced the NDP to acknowledge the flaws in the legislation. 

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A lodge on Vancouver Island is a part of this year’s Next Great Save competition.

The Next Great Save is a project focused on empowering communities to save heritage places at risk.

For this year, St. Andrew’s Lodge is currently one of the finalists. It’s a lodge in Qualicum Beach that welcomed travellers and vacationers for nearly 80 years.

The St. Andrew’s Lodge Historical & Cultural Society aims to restore it to its former glory, where according to President Jay Smith, many people have an emotional attachment to the lodge.

“The property was bought by town council in 2018 and they were going to tear the lodge town and the demolition crew had showed up,” said Smith.

“Dozens of seniors, younger people and school children began protesting the demolition. 300 emails were sent to the council, and that’s a tremendous number.”

Smith says through the building’s construction quality, years of service and history, people have fond memories of the lodge.

He also says the lodge being a part of Next Great Save is an endorsement.

“We entered the competition, made the final 12 and I think that speaks to the quality of our application,” said Smith.

“We have received a $211,000 grant last January from Heritages Canada for our seismic work, but there is so much other work to do.”

He adds if they win the $50,000 prize, it could help them install a heating and electricity system.

Currently the Lodge is in sixth place, and you can vote until May 6.

For where to vote, click here.

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Starting next month, residents of Lasqueti Island can get immunized.

Island Health and the qathet Regional District announced that a community immunization clinic is coming to the Judith Fisher Centre.

The clinic will be for COVID-19 vaccines, where you get a dose of the XBB.1.5 vaccine.

Island Health recommends the vaccine for those 65 and older, people who live in a long-term care home, babies six months and older, and those who haven’t taken the vaccine from October 2023 to March 2024.

They add once you receive the invite through email, phone, or text, you can book an appointment here.

The clinic will arrive on May 31.

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The Executive Director of Dyslexia Canada, Alicia Smith, is applauding the BC government for introducing a screening program to identify children with learning difficulties in kindergarten to grade 3. 

Smith says universal screening is a significant step forward in ensuring every child receives the support they need to thrive. 

She says a lack of reading skills creates a challenge because so much learning in school is "done through reading and writing," so both skills are very important. 

"When kids get off to a poor start with learning to read it really impacts their entire life trajectory in terms of their confidence and how they feel about themselves, but also how successful they're likely to be in school academically in other subjects." 

She says falling behind in class can result in low self-esteem and lead to serious mental health issues like anxiety and depression. She says many kids express their frustration through bad behavior or may shut down entirely. 

She also says it affects high school graduation rates and reduces opportunities to participate in post-secondary education, so understanding what additional supports are needed is important. 

Smith says an early diagnosis of dyslexia or other learning disabilities goes a long way to helping children avoid problems later in life. 

She says a study done for the Association of Chiefs of Police found that not only are people with low literacy far more likely to be incarcerated for crimes but are far more likely to become the victims of crime. 

Smith also says a higher literacy level among adults provides an overall boost to the country's economic health. 

She notes a study done by Deloitte for the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation found that a one per cent increase in adult literacy would create an economic benefit of $67 billion in gross domestic product for Canada per year. 

Smith says screening and early intervention can prevent reading difficulties for over 95 per cent of all children, including those with dyslexia. 

She says these programs are gaining traction across Canada with universal screening introduced in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia looking at doing so. 

Over the next three years, $30 million is budgeted for several provincial outreach programs and teams, and support for literacy-focused development and training for teachers and support staff. 

The goal is to implement evidence-based early literacy screening for all students in kindergarten to Grade 3 to provide support when additional help is needed. 

The BC government says early literacy screening intervention and outreach support for schools will begin to roll out in the 2024-25 school year. 

According to Smith, this will mean about 62 per cent of Canadian children will live in provinces committed to implementing universal screening. 

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The orca calf trapped in a lagoon near Zeballos began eating more food over the weekend.

That comes from both the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Ehattesaht First Nation, who say while conducting daily health monitoring on Sunday, the calf was seen eating herring.

This comes after the calf ate some offered seal meat on Thursday, pausing another rescue operation.

Chief Simon John says seeing the calf eat the fish surprised them.

“Normally the Biggs killer whales are thought to eat only marine mammals like seals, sea lions and whales but this shows there is some flexibility in their diet of younger orcas,” said John.

He says that while she didn’t eat much, it is a good sign that she is finding ways to sustain herself in the lagoon.

In the meantime, the team is monitoring her while planning continues. John adds by eating food, the calf will be stronger once she is moved to a spot where she can find her pod.

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The health authority responsible for First Nations in BC has won an award for good governance.

The First Nations Health Authority provides health and wellness services to more than 200 First Nations communities across BC. Its goal is to reduce service gaps and promote culturally safe practices for Indigenous patients in the health care system.

This week, the health authority received the National Indigenous Good Governance Award from Honoring Nations Canada. The award was for community governance and programming.

Health authority CEO Richard Jock says they are grateful for the recognition, and thanked the many people and partners who are working to transform health programming for First Nations people in BC.

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A new round of climate action funding encourages local governments to attempt larger projects.

The province announced earlier this week that they will provide nearly $72 million through the Local Government Climate Action Program, a program aiming to help local communities lower emissions, turn to clean-energy sources and prepare for a changing climate.

This funding comes as part of Budget 2024.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change strategy George Heyman says many sources of emissions are local in nature.

“By providing the next three years of Local Government Climate Action Program funding upfront this year, we can build a more sustainable and climate-friendly future for British Columbians,” said Heyman.

For this funding, the province is giving the money away in a lump sum instead of disbursing it annually, with hopes it will give local governments more confidence in making these projects.

They add the projects need to be aligned with CleanBC and/or climate adaptation objectives.

To learn more about the program, click here.

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A Vancouver Island man has received the highest recognition in the country for bravery.

Nick Rivers with Arrowsmith Search and Rescue received the Governor General’s Decoration for Bravery on Saturday night. CHEK News reports the award was for his actions in December 2020, when he rescued a man from a river north of Parksville.

Rivers was lowered into the water in a rope rescue, which required a lot of training, technical skill, and bravery to pluck the man from the freezing, powerful currents.

Rivers was able to rescue the man before he tumbled over a waterfall. He says it was the most intense rescue he’s ever done, and thanked his team and his training for making it possible.

In 1972, Queen Elizabeth II established a series of medals recognizing courageous acts. In the last 50 years, the Governor General has awarded Decorations for Bravery to more than 4200 recipients: Canadians and others, civilians and uniformed personnel, living and deceased—in recognition of acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances that range from potential drownings and vehicle accidents to animal attacks and burning buildings.

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Coastal communities will get to resume talks with BC Ferries members next month.

The ferry line says Ferry Advisory Committees will restart engagement so they can start tackling ideas and requests from ferry users across the coast.

Vice-president of public affairs and marketing Lindsay Mathews says while it's important to review safety and security protocols, they have been eager to return to face-to-face engagement.

“I’m encouraged we can now put our focus back where it needs to be – on important discussions with people in the communities we serve,” said Mathews. “For the rest of this year, we’re looking forward to prioritizing everything we’ve heard from communities, ensuring that people can see and feel actions being taken in an order that best aligns with the public interest across the broader ferry system.”

This comes as in-person meetings were suspended last year after a member of the public made comments at a Sunshine Coast meeting that were interpreted as threats.

They say virtual meetings will take place next month, followed by in-person meetings in June and July. There will also be a community prioritization panel, dedicated to prioritizing ideas that have come in the past few years.

They aim to put together a final public report that will be used to make decisions on how to improve service and experience for customers.

The report will be delivered on October 31.

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You could win yourself PRISMA festival tickets or recreation complex day passes just for composting.

The City of Powell River has announced the Compost-ition challenge, a competition aiming to showcase ideas for compostable bags.

To participate, you first need a newspaper or compostable paper. You then make your own do-it-yourself organics waste bag, and you either take a photo or video of the bag and send it to the city.

The best ideas will be posted on their Facebook page, all submissions will be entered into a draw to win festival tickets or day passes at the complex.

You can send your ideas to the city at info@powellriver.ca. The deadline is May 15.

For how to put together a bag, click here.

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Plans to relocate the orca calf near Zeballos have been paused because the calf ate some food.

According to Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the 2-year-old ate some seal on Thursday night, making it the first time she has taken food after attempts by both the Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations.

Because of this, the team decided to pause their relocation for this weekend, where instead they will be changing plans to support a successful response.

Along with adapting to the new information, the DFO also says they will collect more data and adjust their approach to make sure that the calf’s health and ability to reunite with her family is a high priority.

It has now been four weeks since the calf got stranded in a lagoon after her mother died.

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