Good morning! 

Clean energy is becoming a focal point on Vancouver Island, as the T’Sou-ke, Pacheedaht, and Malahat Nations are all receiving funding from the province for special clean energy projects that are unique to each group. Read all about it, and more, in today’s edition of the Westshore.

— Emma

ENVIRONMENT

T’Souke, Pacheedaht and Malahat First Nations receive clean energy funding

First Nations communities on Vancouver Island are leading clean-energy projects with BC government funding to empower community members with access to more efficient and sustainable sources of energy. Last week the government announced that T’Sou-ke, Malahat and Pacheedaht First Nations would be three of the recipients of the First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund (FNCEBF).

The projects receiving funding demonstrate the ways FN are adapting and leading, in the tradition of stewardship, on a number of fronts in creating greener communities today and for future generations.

With its $492,910 share of the funding, T’Sou-ke Nation, already a leader in renewable energy sovereignty, will power its new 12,500-square-foot community complex and health centre with a state-of-the-art solar photovoltaic system. The facility was designed using the Seventh Generation Principle.

Michelle Thut of T’Sou-ke FN said, “We started our journey with sustainable energy in 2008 with comprehensive community planning that involved everyone in our community, this involved looking 100 years ahead. We owe it to our children and our children’s children to look at long term conservation in our territories and utilize resources of the lands, waters, and skies in more meaningful and sustainable ways.”

T’Sou-ke Nation Chief Larry Underwood said, “We are grateful for the support we received through this grant, which enabled us to build a resilient and sustainable community space that reflects the values held by our people since time immemorial.”

Read the full story by Sidney Coles to learn about the other local projects receiving funding.

COMMUNITY 

Local fundraising group supports Ukraine through breast milk bank initiative

The Vancouver Island Supports Ukraine team is already moving forward with a new initiative just a few months after their return from Ukraine. The group, led by retired Langford fire chief and humanitarian Bob Beckett, is raising funds to purchase medical equipment to create a breast milk bank for the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children's Hospital in Ukraine, something that is urgently needed. 

“We just came back from our third trip, but on our second trip, we did have some exposure to the children's hospital and the neonatal intensive care units, and that's when we first were made aware that the hospital had seen an increase in premature births,” said Beckett. “It was very moving to walk in, not expecting to see this 500 gram baby fighting for her life in the unit—that really resonated with us. But because we had seen a number of military personnel injured and that's to be expected and I think everyone can realize that in war that's going to happen, but you don't think about the unborn.”

On their most recent trip, with the goal of delivering medical equipment, the group was able to see just how much worse the situation was getting. Beckett said the sheer amount of premature babies that had been born as a result of stress, war time, and lack of proper resources had increased from three to five prematures to 30 to 40 per month. On top of this, mothers had difficulty being able to produce sufficient breast milk for their babies, something that is filled with important nutrients and supplements to promote health and growth and prevent disease. Beckett told the Westshore in November that the team had plans to continue to support Ukraine, and after seeing the impacts on pregnancy, he knew it would be sooner than expected. 

“In the 30 or 40 odd years that I’ve done humanitarian work, I've come to the conclusion that every mom and dad, every family that I've met regardless of religion, culture, geography, we all want the same thing,” said Beckett. “We want a roof over our heads, we want food on the table and we want an education in the future for our children—I get emotional thinking that we're so blessed here in Canada for the most part, and there are families around the world that don't.” 

Funds raised in the effort will go towards equipment, which includes a human milk analyzer, a pasteurizer, a medical freezer, and pharmaceutical refrigerator. A GoFundMe page has been set up with a project goal of $50,000. The group will also be holding a presentation and documentary this evening at Belmont Middle School from 6-8pm to discuss their previous and current work with Ukraine. 

“Everything is dependent on donation, and of course in the past we have procured equipment and we were there to deliver it in person,” said Beckett. “In this case, we feel strongly that although we're looking to deploy again this year, we don't think we're gonna wait; once we reach our target, we'll send it over to the hospital foundation in Ukraine and get them started as soon as possible.”

As the group continues to push for support, many in the community have already provided tremendous help through donation and educating themselves. With the community continuing to rise in support of Ukraine, Beckett looks forward to a legacy of growth and togetherness and encourages people to help in any way they can. 

Around the 'Shore

🏞️ Viewpointe Estates under scrutiny for environmental impacts: Sooke has given Viewpointe Estates a warning to stop work within the 30-metre riparian area of its development project, citing potential violations of environmental regulations. The city also stated that the company must hire a qualified environmental professional to assess the area and give an impact report; with residents pushing the city to investigate the impact on Ella Stream and the surrounding watershed. The incident has gone beyond municipal jurisdiction and is involving the BC Ministry of Environment. [Sooke News Mirror]  

🚨 Stew Young fights back against City of Langford: Former Langford mayor Stew Young is frustrated at the use of his name in a recent press release after councillor Keith Yacucha was harassed by a resident. Young stated he should not have been mentioned, and was considering potential legal action against the City of Langford if it didn’t remove his name from the release. Yacucha’s incident was investigated by West Shore RCMP, and while it wasn’t considered a crime, RCMP did say the incident was concerning. [CTV] 

⚽️ Island player comes home for CONCACAF tournament: Callum Montgomery played on home turf after Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League faced Orlando City of Major League Soccer in their CONCACAF Champions Cup game last night at Starlight Stadium. The team unfortunately lost 3-0, but are scheduled to play Orlando again on the 27. [Times Colonist]

Community Events

🎥 Monthly movie night: Are you a movie fan? Enjoy a $5 movie night this Feb. 23 at the Sooke Community Theatre at EMCS. The featured movie is ‘House of Flying Daggers’ and the event will go from 7 to 9pm; doors open 20 minutes prior and tickets will be sold at the door. 

🎻 Theo Nathaniel and violin string quartet show: Enjoy a live musical performance while supporting a good cause this Feb. 24 and March 2 with singer Theo Nathaniel accompanied by a violin quartet. Starting at 7pm both nights at the Colwood Church, Nathaniel is a local performer who will be performing songs that tell a tale of love. While the performance is free, donations are being accepted to support the BC Cancer Foundation and Ocean Wise Conservation by cash or online.

🛠️ Repair cafe: Fix your broken household items this Feb. 25 from 11am to 3pm with ReImagine Westshore’s Repair Cafe. Held at the Metchosin Arts and Culture Centre, bring old and broken appliances so the volunteer repair team can assess and more than likely help you get your item repaired; you will also have the chance to work on fixing things yourself, with materials and tools available for you to test out.

❄️ Coldest Night of the Year Walk: Starting at Langford Parkway this Feb. 24, the event will go from 4-7pm with different routes to choose from. All funds raised will go to support people on the Westshore through services offered by Pacific Centre Family Services Association and Our Place Society.

What’s Offshore?

🚢 The Lavender is a bulk carrier built in 2010, sailing under the flag of Panama. It is coming from 🇨🇦 North Vancouver ➡ 🇨🇦 Roberts Bank and was scheduled to arrive Feb. 5, 2024.

⛴️ The Los Angeles is a bulk carrier built in 2012, sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands. It is coming from 🇨🇳 Qingdao, China ➡ 🇨🇦 Victoria and was scheduled to arrive Feb. 14, 2024.

Westshore Snaps

Esquimalt Lagoon late afternoon.  —Gary Woodburn, Colwood

That’s it!

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