Building of a New community for Ahousaht First Nation

Hundreds of Ahousaht members have been living in the Alberni Valley (for four generations!), still very much tied to family and relations in their ancestral home on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, but without a central place to live or celebrate culture in Port Alberni.

That is changing, thanks to an incredible vision and partnership to build 35 affordable homes, an outdoor gathering space and playground, and a cultural centre in the former site of Glenwood Elementary School in Port Alberni.

Ahousaht First Nation leaders first seized the vision of building homes for their members living in the Alberni Valley a few years ago. They formed the Čitaapi Mahtii Housing Society, to follow traditional protocols and seek the partnerships needed to build these homes.

They conducted Nuu-chah-nulth protocols and sought the blessing of the Hupacasath and Tseshaht nations (in whose territories these new homes will be built). They worked with the City of Port Alberni to secure land (donated by the City) and establish the proper zoning.

They developed a dedicated team of professionals - from architects to development specialists - and they secured seed funding from CMHC before successfully applying for $6.4 million

Congratulations to Ahousaht First Nation, the Čitaapi Mahtii Housing Society, Josie Osborne and the BC NDP government, Sharie Minions - Port Alberni Mayor, her Council and City staff and the Port Alberni Friendship Centre for making this happen. It will make a difference to many lives and many families for generations to come!

Latest posts

IN THE NEWS: Local MP launches campaign for stable BC Ferries funding

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns is leading the Fair Federal Ferry Funding campaign, which includes an electronic petition that he plans to submit to the House of Commons. Johns said he hopes to gather signatures from residents of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Johns said federal operational support for BC Ferries is significantly lower than funding provided to ferry services in Atlantic Canada. He has previously raised the issue in the House of Commons.

“According to an analysis by the Library of Parliament, BC Ferries received approximately a-dollar-sixty-three in federal operational support per passenger in 2024-25, compared to that of 291-dollars for federally supported east coast ferry systems,” Johns said in the House of Commons in May.

IN THE NEWS: Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns presses feds for better ship recyling regulations

MP Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni) is pressing the Canadian Government to take action on the country’s growing ship recycling gap, as well as invest in the infrastructure needed to retire aging vessels responsibly.

Johns spoke to the House of Commons on June 11 during Question Period, telling the House that Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy focus on building and maintaining vessels, but has neglected to form a plan for retiring those vessels. Johns said that more than 900 derelict and end-of-life vessels are sitting off the province’s coast. The derelict vessels endanger the marine environment. Additionally, ships in the Royal Canadian Navy and the Coast Guard are nearing retirement.

“Canada has a national shipbuilding strategy, but no national ship recycling strategy,” said Johns. “We’re building and maintaining vessels, but we don’t have the capacity we need to safely retire them here at home. That’s a missed economic opportunity and a serious environmental risk for coastal communities.”

IN THE NEWS: Carney government passes law allowing authorization of banned pesticides

The federal government has brought in major changes to how pesticides are regulated in Canada, granting cabinet the power to authorize their use — even pesticides Health Canada has deemed are unsafe.

"The Liberal government chose to shut down debate and fast-track the passing of their omnibus bill," the NDP said in a statement.