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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The Campbell River Waste Management Centre is no longer taking any asbestos.

For now, the only locations where residents and licenced waste haulers can take asbestos-contaminated material are in Nanaimo. Waste management in the Comox Valley is no longer taking it, either.

The arrangement with the Regional District of Nanaimo is temporary. Comox Strathcona Waste Management Service board co-chair Mark Baker thanked Nanaimo for helping out “while a local solution is re-established.”

The Comox Strathcona Waste Management service did not provide a reason for the local service reduction.

Material with asbestos must be properly bagged, and when dropping it off you must follow WorkSafe BC and regional district rules. Drop-offs are only on certain days.

For the full details, visit the Comox Strathcona Waste Management's website.

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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 provincial government says they plan to make significant investments to support the growth of local communities and economies across Vancouver Island. 

Minister of jobs, economic development, and innovation Brenda Bailey attended a media event at Ron Anderson and Sons in Chemainus today where she announced the government’s intention to provide close to f$5 million in funding towards six capital projects and four planning projects. 

According to Bailey the projects will help local manufacturers contribute to local supply chains, grow, and diversify their operations through new product lines, new equipment, and new technology while creating new jobs. 

Ron Anderson and Sons president and CEO Jack Downing says they’re excited to be receiving up to $2 million in funding and plan to use the money towards a project that will use automation and advanced manufacturing to diversify products.  

“We are more than excited to be a recipient of the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund,” he says. “By expanding and modernizing our facility in Chemainus, we’re not only creating new local jobs, but increasing supply and accelerating installation, of much-needed wood frame housing across B.C., efficiently and in a sustainable manner.” 

Along with Ron Anderson and Sons, GRT Holdings in Nanaimo will receive up to $735,000 and Aquila Cedar Products in Parksville will get up to $879,000. 

The province says the fund will help create more than 1,100 jobs and protect close to 2,000 existing manufacturing jobs in the province. 

Currently, the fund has committed up to $91 million to BC’s manufacturing sector, which the province says supports 81 organizations to expand and grow. 

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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

• 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 are invited to a special event next week to share knowledge about salmon, and how to better protect them.

UBC and the Pacific Salmon Foundation are co-hosting the event at the Anchor Inn. It’s being 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 events scheduled around BC, Campbell River hosts the first.

Organizers hope the dialogues 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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Canada’s national animal can be annoying, causing flooding and property damage if unchecked, but it is possible to co-exist with beavers.

In fact, beavers can protect wildlife habitats, save community resources, and even prevent flooding and damage, if managed properly.

Professionals from VanIsle Wetlands and Rewilding Water and Earth will be on Quadra Island next week to offer advice for locals on how to get along with their tail-slapping neighbours.

The sessions will teach non-lethal, low-impact strategies including how to use pond levellers and special fencing to manage beaver activities.

The goal is to protect and conserve aquatic ecosystems and wetlands on the island created and maintained by beavers. The wetlands help clean and store water, sequester carbon, and mitigate floods and erosion caused by rain.

The first session is April 30 from 2-4 pm at the Quadra Community Centre. The second is May 2 from 6-8 pm at the Quadra elementary school gym.

The sessions are possible thanks to the Strathcona Regional District's Emergency Program.

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You can now get rebate top-ups anytime until March 31 next year.

That comes from the City of Campbell River, announcing that their partnership with the province has been extended from March 31 this year to 2025.

The goal of the partnership is to give more top-ups to residents switching from a fossil fuel system to an electric air source heat pump.

Heat pumps are heating systems designed to give you heating and cooling without buying an air conditioner.

The top-ups are $350, and they are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For how to apply, click here.

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BC Ferries announced it is adding outdoor pet areas to two major vessels after a successful rollout in 2023. 

The new pet areas will be available on the Queen of Surrey and the Queen of Coquitlam servicing Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay to Langdale. 

“Our customers have told us that their pets need a better way to travel and we’ve taken steps to make that a reality. This is great news for customers preparing to travel with pets in the busy spring and summer seasons,” said Melaine Lucia Vice President of Customer Experience. 

She adds that over 92 percent of surveyed customers said they were in favour of expanding the outdoor pet areas. 

If you plan on using the new pet areas, you’ll need to keep your dog on a leash and cats must stay inside carriers. 

BC Ferries is also considering adding outdoor pet areas to sailings on the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route. 

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