History

How a Comox Valley fossil discovery forever changed paleontology in B.C.

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By David Flawse, The Discourse, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

In late autumn 1988, Richard Hebda — then head of botany at the Royal BC Museum — stepped into the living room of a man named Mike Trask following a report of an interesting fossil find on the Puntledge River.

According to Hebda, when he shook hands with the amateur fossil hunter, he was not expecting much. Before this, the paleobotanist had a call about dinosaur ribs in a dry creek bed near Chemainus that turned out to be dirtbike tracks.

But this stop at the Courtenay resident’s home would be different.

Continue reading How a Comox Valley fossil discovery forever changed paleontology in B.C. →
Rivers & Oceans

Canada’s oceans provide billions in value beyond fish

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Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Canada’s healthy oceans are worth billions more than what can simply be extracted from them.

Oceans and coastal ecosystems generated at minimum $7.1 billion in benefits in 2023, new figures from Statistics Canada suggest. 

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Health

BC’s Drug Response Isn’t Following the Evidence: Former Coroner

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By Michelle Gamage, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Former chief coroner Lisa Lapointe recently criticized B.C.’s drug policies, saying the province’s approach to the ongoing toxic drug crisis is not evidence based. 

Lapointe, who was B.C.’s longest-standing chief coroner and held the position for 13 years before retiring in 2024, was speaking as part of a new, ongoing webinar series, “Perspectives on 10 Years in Crisis,” hosted by the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. 

Continue reading BC’s Drug Response Isn’t Following the Evidence: Former Coroner →
Health

Lions Gate Hospital deploys robotic surgical system

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By Abby Luciano, North Shore News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On a recent Saturday morning in an operating room at Lions Gate Hospital, Dr. Nava Aslani’s set to work performing surgery. 

But it’s not the typical sight of a surgeon hovering over a patient. She is, in fact, a few metres away from her patient, sitting in a chair looking through a viewer. With subtle foot movements, she uses pedals to control a camera trained on the patient. With her thumb and middle finger placed in a console, her hand movements control robotic arms that make critical, precise movements while working on the patient. And, in this instance, the patient is a small plate of colourful blobs.

The new machine is the Da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgical System, allowing surgeons at the North Vancouver hospital to perform procedures in the Paul Myers Tower for prostate removal; bowel, rectal and kidney cancers; hysterectomies and complex hernias.

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Indigenous Nations, Politics

Two Regional Directors Speak Out on Local Governance and the Path of Reconciliation

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With all the current hype about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), Cortes Currents reached out to two rural politicians to ask how they see this legislation working at the local level. Mark Vonesch is the Regional Director for Area B (Cortes Island) and Robyn Mawhinney is the Regional Director for Area C, which includes Quadra and most of the other Discovery Islands. They both sit on the board of the Strathcona Regional District (SRD). 

Continue reading Two Regional Directors Speak Out on Local Governance and the Path of Reconciliation →

As Broadcast over CKTZ, Whats Current on Cortes and Beyond