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This week Kelly Black, a historian who has taught B.C. and Canadian history at Vancouver Island University, takes a look at the efforts by First Nations to protect ancient burial sites.

Locally, the issue of burial sites came up during the dispute over the site of the treaty protected ancient village of Sxwayxum by the Snuneymuxw First Nation on the Millstone River.  

The First Nation identified shell middens and two intact burials in one site and another contained “the remains of as many as 10 individuals.”

The village site was eventually returned to the Snuneymuxw First Nation after the province’s Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation intervened. 

You can read Black’s story about the history of burial sites at the link below. 

Thank you for reading,

Mick Sweetman

What Ye’yumnuts teaches us about ongoing efforts to protect ancient sites

Historical records show that for 150 years, First Nations have called on colonial governments to protect ancient sites as they do their own.

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On the Island

🌊  Two B.C. filmmakers documented raging wildfires in the Okanagan over two seasons. Our Comox Valley reporter asked them what they learned.

🌊 As the Duncan Farmers’ Market turns 110, a food coupon program that’s helped lower income people access healthy food could lose its funding. Read about it here.

In other news

👉 The Conservative Party of B.C. will be hosting its annual general meeting in Nanaimo next month at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. The party’s executive director Angelo Isidorou said that the decision to hold the meeting in Nanaimo, which is home to two NDP held ridings, was made because the party needs “to connect with the community and enable future electoral success." The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.

👉 BC Ferries has scaled back its plans to redevelop the terminals for the Gabriola Island Ferry, with the cancellation of plans to install a second berth at the Nanaimo Harbour Terminal. This means that there will be no prolonged shutdown of the service in the spring of 2026, instead it will close for a total of 10 days between fall 2025 and spring 2026. The Gabriola Sounder has the story.

👉 Grade 7 students at Ecole Quarterway Elementary in Nanaimo are learning about broadcast journalism first hand as they produce a weekly episode of Quarterway Nouvelle in their French immersion class. CHEK News has the story.

👉 Nanaimo city council is looking at creating a new bylaw that would protect tenants from eviction by landlords looking to redevelop rental buildings. This comes after the province gave local governments the power to create such bylaws. Nanaimo councillor Hilary Eastmure said, "As a renter myself, you do live in a state of uncertainty and change can be scary, especially if you feel like you're going to be pushed out by new developments." The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.

👉 City council also approved the concept plan for a public park at Five Acres Farm that will include walking trails and boardwalks through the property as well as a gathering area and public washrooms. It will also continue to be used to grow food by the Nanaimo Foodshare society and there are other areas that could be used for urban agriculture. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.

HAVE YOUR SAY

📣 Our story on Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog’s advocacy for involuntary care at a forum in Vancouver organized by the Save Our Streets Coalition drew some thoughtful replies on our new Bluesky account. You can follow us on Bluesky at @thediscourse.ca and have your say.  

Thank you for reading,

— Mick and The Discourse team

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