Tune in on April 18th for a special collaborative FolkU episode, featuring Emily Bootle, a funeral director and founder of DeathCare BC. This is a live recording featuring Emily’s presentation at the Cortes DeathCare Collective’s AGM, and it covers body-care, green burials, and the importance of planning ahead.
Continue reading Emily Bootle’s Presentation at the Cortes DeathCare Collective AGM
The Blue Hat Memorial Project opens at 10 AM this morning, Tuesday, April 14, 2025. Campbell River artist and city councillor Ron Kerr has installed 50,000 flags at Tyee Spit (ʔUxstalis), representing the number of people who have lost their lives through Canada’s ongoing opioid crisis.
“What I really want to do is to stimulate conversation about the gaps in men and boy’s healthcare. These deaths are generally fentanyl drug deaths. If you look at the other results of addiction, alcohol addiction, and other kinds of addiction, the numbers are far higher. I don’t think the men’s health system is doing an adequate job of addressing that,” he explained.”
Continue reading Blue Hat Memorial Project: 50,000 Flags on Tyee SpitOn April 11, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Yasmina Cartland and Emma Tius to discuss their work with the DeathCare Collective and recent learnings from visiting guest presenter Emily Bootle. This conversation re-imagines end-of-life care through community-driven death education, advocacy, and support.
Continue reading The DeathCare Collective visits Folk U
By Madeline Dunnett, The Discourse, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Air quality in Courtenay is improving while pollution caused by wood stove smoke has been steadily decreasing over the past five years, according to a recent report presented to the City of Courtenay council.
Continue reading Air quality in the City of Courtenay is improving thanks to local initiatives, report saysEditor’s note: Approximately 0.2% of fentany entering the UnIted States comes from Canada (10 pounds in 2024), the rest comes from Mexico. 98.5% of the US border patrol’s encounters with migrants are on the US-Mexican border – gleaned from a CNN report using US Government sources.
By Richard Young Megaphone Magazine, Local Journalism Initiative
In response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of heavy tariffs, Canada has appointed former RCMP deputy commissioner Kevin Brosseau as the country’s first “fentanyl czar.”
This role, created to address concerns over fentanyl trafficking across the northern border, aims to ease tensions and avert a potential trade war.
In a statement about the appointment, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Brosseau is being asked to work closely with U.S. counterparts and law enforcement agencies to “accelerate Canada’s efforts to detect, disrupt and dismantle the fentanyl trade.”
The idea that fentanyl is being manufactured on such a large scale right here in the province of B.C., considering the volume of it, is a surprise to many communities. There has been an assumption that the deadly drug was primarily coming from China and Mexico.
Continue reading Canada’s billion-dollar border gamble won’t end the drug crisis
