All posts by Guest Post

Forests, Indigenous Nations

Searching for solutions in the Kispiox Valley

By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Clear plastic bags hang from small spigots plugged into birch trunks in a  mixed stand of deciduous and coniferous trees on a hillside above the  Kispiox River in northwest B.C. Denzel Sutherland-Wilson and his  19-year-old niece, Hailey Wilson, pour the birch water collected  overnight from five trees into a 20-litre bucket, explaining they’ve  been doing this every day for a couple of weeks. 

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Community

Understanding modern racism

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By Aly Laube, Fraser Valley Community Radio, CIVL 101.7 FM, Local Journalism Initiative

As a researcher at the University of the Fraser Valley, Olivia Daniels has noticed a divide between the white and brown students. A post made this year saying that there were “too many immigrants at UFV’ was met with a disturbing amount of support online, spurring Black Connections, a UFV-based group for supporting Black culture and excellence, to respond on their Facebook page, she recalls. 

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History, Indigenous Nations History

The Klu Klux Klan comes to Abbotsford

By Aly Laube, Fraser Valley Community Radio, CIVL 101.7 FM, Local Journalism Initiative

To understand the nature of systemic racism and white supremacy in Abbotsford, you have to understand the history. But that history can be hard to find, tucked away in archives and couched in vague language. The information is there if you look, and it speaks volumes about the area’s past in relation to upholding structures that support white settlers.

In 1925, American Klu Klux Klan members came to Abbotsford in search of new recruits. For $10 apiece, residents born in Canada, the US, the UK, and Northern Europe who were white, male, able-bodied, Protestant, and “of sound mind” could sign up to join the KKK and become part of an organized effort to “maintain forever White Supremacy.” 

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History, Indigenous Nations History

Abbotsford’s secret History of Racism: Introduction

By Aly Laube, Fraser Valley Community Radio, CIVL 101.7 FM, Local Journalism Initiative

Interviews have been edited for length and clarity. This content might include some explicit language. 

Abbotsford, BC is the largest municipality in the Fraser Valley Regional District, an exurban area about an hour east of Vancouver. It’s growing very quickly, with a 2013 City of Abbotsford Official Community Plan expecting 40,000 new residents within 20 years.

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Family, Finances, Indigenous Nations

Budget 2021: Indigenous children & families

By Anna McKenzie,  The Discourse, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Canada’s child-welfare system is broken and “will cost billions to fix,” says Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller. 

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