B.C. First Nation builds small island, fisheries officials check for habitat damage
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.99/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/06/2025 (320 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
VICTORIA – A First Nation has built a small artificial island in Coles Bay off Vancouver Island, triggering an investigation into potential habitat destruction and whether the work was authorized.
The Department of Fisheries says its officers are assessing whether the Pauquachin (PAK’-quw-chin) First Nation needed permission to construct the island, which is part of a plan to build a clam garden in the shallows of the bay.
Excavators and dump trucks were involved in building the island over several days last week, hauling loads of rock into the tidal waters.
North Saanich resident Richard Smith watched the construction and says he’s concerned about the state of the ocean floor.
Smith says its important for the federal government and the First Nation to be transparent about the work, including whether permission was required.
The First Nation has been calling on the federal and the provincial governments to clean up Coles Bay, so it can resume shellfish harvesting for food and ceremonial purposes.
Shellfish harvesting in Coles Bay has been prohibited since 1997, because of pollution from nearby septic systems.