All posts by David P Ball

Indigenous Nations

With court win, Quw’utsun Nation sees a ‘spiritual homecoming’ after 150 years

By David P Ball,  IndigiNews, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The shoreline at Tl’uqtinus village — once the annual home to more than a thousand people during salmon season — is today a tangle of blackberry bushes and shipping terminals in what is today ‘Richmond, B.C.’

The riverside village of Tl’uqtinus — once the annual home to more than a thousand people during salmon season — is today a sprawl of retail warehouses, mostly unused municipal lots, a Coca-Cola plant, and a fuel facility for the nearby Vancouver International Airport.

Less than 15 kilometres up the “Fraser River” from the Salish Sea, the former fishing village’s once-busy shores are today host to shipping terminals and a tangle of thorny and invasive blackberry bushes.

Last week, Tl’uqtinus village sparked an even thornier public debate over Indigenous people’s right to land — and settlers’ private property — across the province.

The B.C. Supreme Court, after a record-length trial, declared the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) Nation holds title to the 7.5-square-kilometre village site and the right to fish near it — a century-and-a-half after the province sold it to settlers.

Continue reading With court win, Quw’utsun Nation sees a ‘spiritual homecoming’ after 150 years →
Indigenous Nations

Híɫzaqv leaders take RCMP to court, say police discriminate against the nation’s laws

 IndigiNews, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Hereditary and elected leaders of Híɫzaqv Nation are taking the RCMP to court, saying the police force refuses to enforce the nation’s bylaws — including a law expelling drug dealers and sexual offenders from the community.

The lawsuit says this had led to “an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness” on reserve that put members’ safety at risk. 

It further states that the case has broader implications around whether “Canada” respects Híɫzaqv jurisdiction on their own territories.

Continue reading Híɫzaqv leaders take RCMP to court, say police discriminate against the nation’s laws →
Community, Humanity

People with disabilities demand an end to below-poverty rates

“the Pulse” @ Vancouver Co-Op Radio, CRFO 100.5 FM, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

The provincial government’s partial reversal of cuts to disability assistance top-ups didn’t dampen the turnout at a rally this week demanding an end to rates they said keep people with disabilities far below the poverty line.

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Family, Health, Indigenous Nations

Birth Alerts: more First Nations demanding control of their children

“the Pulse” @ Vancouver Co-Op Radio, CRFO 100.5 FM, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

A growing number of First Nations in British Columbia and beyond are ramping up their urgent demands for control over the welfare of their own children, particularly after numerous reports of “birth alerts” surfaced in the media this year.

Continue reading Birth Alerts: more First Nations demanding control of their children →
Community, Finances, Poverty

BC recovery benefit application virtually inaccessible to people who need it

“the Pulse” @ Vancouver Co-Op Radio, CRFO 100.5 FM, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

The newly launched BC Recovery Benefit opened for applications last week — a key NDP promise in last fall’s controversial election — but already it’s turning into an insurmountable barrier for some low-income people and seniors faced with an unexpected barrage of paperwork and documentation.

Continue reading BC recovery benefit application virtually inaccessible to people who need it →