On 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 crisisManda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U – On February 7, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Elizabeth Burr to chat about concussions, brain health, and nervous system regulation. This discussion shed light on the hidden impacts of brain injuries, healing resources, and the path to recovery.
Continue reading Folk U: Concussions, Brain Health, and Nervous System Regulation
Anna Kindy was sitting in her Campbell River office. Her assistant stood almost out of the frame long enough to wave, before handing Kindy a headset and disappearing. The thing I find refreshing about Kindy is she doesn’t sound like a politician, which is understandable because she only recently became one. She and her husband are both doctors. Anna Kindy was elected as the MLA for North Island on October 19, 2024 and is the Health Critic for the Conservative party Shadow Cabinet, but has yet to sit in the legislature.
This fact emerged when I asked her about the trips between her home in Merville and the provincial legislature.
Continue reading Anna Kindy: Waiting for the legislature, the Health Crisis & Being the MLA for North Island.
