News
Applications for 2024 Christmas Citizen Distributions are now Open
Toquaht Nation is now accepting applications for Citizen Distributions. The distribution applications are due by November 28th, with distributions planned for:
- December 6
- December 13
- December 20
To learn more about distributions or to access the Application, please click here. Please send your application electronically to Naomi at naomim@toquaht.ca by NOVEMBER 28. You can also mail your application to Toquaht Nation Government at:
Toquaht Nation
PO Box 759
1971 Peninsula Ave Ucluelet, BC
V0R 3A0
If you need additional support to submit an application, please call 1-250-726-4260 or 1-877-726-4230.
RCMP Indigenous Pre-Cadet Training Program is now accepting recruits
The Indigenous Pre-Cadet Training Program is one of the RCMP Indigenous recruiting initiatives designed to give young Indigenous people, ages 19-29, a first-hand look at a career in policing while also preparing them to be competitive in the application process.
Requirements to Apply
Basic requirements to apply for the IPTP:
•between 19 and 29 years of age,
•First Nation, Inuit or Métis descent
•Canadian citizen,
•be of good character,
•able to pass an enhanced reliability security check,
•in good physical condition,
•possess a Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma or equivalent
Costs
The program costs are covered 100% by the RCMP for successful candidates including travel, uniform, meals and accommodations.
To Apply or Learn More
To get more information or to learn how to apply, contact RCMP Indigenous Relations Services: Cpl Maureen Greyeyes-Brant – National Coordinator, at maureen.greyeyes-brant@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. For candidates in BC, contact BC RCMP Indigenous Policing Services: Cpl Rebecca Munro – Indigenous Recruiter, at rebecca.munro@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions can be found online. Additionally, applications are also available online.
2024 Achievement and Excellence Awards Announced
Toquaht Nation is pleased to announce the following winners of the annual Excellence Awards. Congratulations to all the nominees on their continued excellence in areas of athletics, community services and academic excellence. Our thanks also go to those who took the time to submit nominations – your support of your fellow Toquaht our masčim is an excellent example of ʔuuʔałuk– Taking care of one another.
The Toquaht Nation Government Achievement and Excellence Awards have been created to recognize achievement of Toquaht citizens in areas of community service, academics and athletics and sports. A citizen can be nominated by another Toquaht community member including family, friends, as well as Toquaht Nation government and administration.
The three awards are named after exceptions Toquaht Nation individuals who have contributed to the respective areas of service, achievement and excellence. More information about the awards can be found here:
Winners:
Carter Emerson – Athletics and Sports Award
Carter is an outstanding athlete who loves all sports and was recently named to the Minors National Little-League All Star team. He also plays academy soccer and rugby.
Some of Carter’s recent accomplishments included over the summer where he threw more than 70 pitches during the All-Star tournament, helping his team achieve victory.
At 9 years old, Carter is destined for greatness!
Talon Morgan Banke – Athletics and Sports Award
Talon’s achievements include not only athleticism, but also sportsmanship. Known by his teammates and coaches for his positive attitude toward his teammates, referees and opposing team members, Talon excels in basketball. This past year he selected to play for the Dime Valley league and at Timberline Secondary where he was chosen as MVP at the annual athletics banquet.
“Talon has a great skillset on the court that can be attributed to his relentless work ethic and dedication,” says his coach, Justin McNamara. “Talon’s leadership could be displayed through his calm and quiet demeanor … [he] never has anything but positive words for his teammates, myself, his opponents or the referees.”
Talon balances his heavy high-school schedule with a job, basketball practice and games with grace; this Toquaht youth is a great example to those around him!
Gloria Webber – Athletics and Sports Award
Gloria is a great example of how, if you can’t find your own niche for excellence you create one! An avid softball player, Gloria created her own team three years ago to fill a gap after she started playing five years ago.
Her nominator says her family are her biggest fans and are extraordinarily proud of her for accomplishing her goals, and that this year her team took first place at a tournament.
Congratulations Gloria; you truly are an inspiration!
Sampson McMullan – Academic Excellence Award
Sampson recently graduated with distinction from his nursing degree program at Vancouver Island University (a recent article about his work in Mexico as a student nurse can be found in the Toquaht spring 2024 newsletter and, according to his nominator, his transcript “is full of As and A+s!”
Sampson plans to focus his career on the most vulnerable of patients and has already landed his dream job – he was hired immediately after graduation to the acute speciality medicine unit at BC Children’s Hospital in June, after supplementing his already full course load with pediatric health-care courses at BCIT and as a pediatric student nurse.
Sampson’s passion and dedication really shine through as he completes a strenuous educational journey!
Noreen Frank – Academic Excellence Award
Noreen is an excellent example of a lifelong learner. For more than 16 years, Noreen has worked for Toquaht Nation’s Community Development department, focusing on supporting patient travel, social development and as commission for Toquaht Nation.
Noreen has attended a number of workshops that included restorative justice, suicide intervention and sexual assault education.
Noreen applies this learning into her work while maintaining a cultural lens, applying her knowledge and values to assure protocol is followed.
Noreen is an invaluable asset to Toquaht Nation and its masčim!
David Johnsen – Community Service Award
David is the director of Lands and Resources for Toquaht Nation, but his contributions go far beyond leading a team focused on environmental planning and restoration – he also provides much of the technological needs of the community of Macoah.
Whether it’s setting up equipment, troubleshooting technical issues, or providing guidance and support to others, David goes above and beyond to ensure the community’s technology infrastructure runs smoothly.
Thanks for all you do, David!
2024 Movable Feast coming to Macoah!
Toquaht Nation is proud to host the Toquaht Moveable Feast 2024, a FREE full day all-ages music festival, featuring local, regional and national Indigenous musicians and dancers.
This festival, managed by 2 Rivers Remix Society, will celebrate the citizens of Toquaht Nation, whose territory covers Toquaht Bay, Mayne Bay and western Barkley Sound, as one of the proud Nuu-chah-nulth Nations, and we want you to be a part of the day.
- When: Saturday August 31, 2024 – 11 am – 11 pm
- Where: Macoah
- FREE to attend
- FREE admission
Artist Line-Up and more information is available here.
Note:
- The event is FREE but there will be food and drink to purchase on site. There will be washrooms available and limited parking on site, as well as accessible parking for those with mobility assistance requirements. Car-pooling is encouraged.
- If overnight camping is needed, there are NO spots in Macoah; however, Secret Beach Campground is open for the season. More information on booking at Secret Beach is available here.
- Sorry, we are unable to provide financial assistance to attend this event.
*************This is a drug and alcohol free event*************
For more information on this event, please visit www.2riversremix.ca or email questions to general@toquaht.ca.
Introducing Voyent Alert
In times of crisis it is important that residents have access to trusted, timely and accurate information to ensure their own safety and that of their family and loved ones. In response to this need, the Macoah Emergency Team (MET) has chosen Voyent Alert! as the communication service provider for these kinds of events.
Voyent Alert! is a multi-purpose communication service used to send alerts to residents, businesses, and visitors during critical events like extreme weather or wildfires, as well as day to day communications like road closures and utility disruptions.
Voyant Alert! now covers the Toquaht traditional territory of Macoah, so sign up today!
How to Register:
Registration for the service is FREE, simple and totally anonymous.
Mobile App Users: Download and install the Voyent Alert! app from the Apple or Google Play app stores.
Email, Phone or SMS Users: Click here to register online to receive email, phone call or text-based alerts
What You Can Expect
Personalized Communications: Voyent Alert! provides informative communications. Critical information such as the distance and direction from an incident, time of intercept and preferred evacuation routes from your tracked locations are provided.
Track Multiple Locations: Voyent Alert! allows you to create and track multiple locations such as “Kids School” or “Mom’s House”. Any event or communication related to your tracked locations will be forwarded to you along your preferred communication channel.
No Message Fatigue: Voyent Alert’s smart alerting capabilities ensure that you will only get notified when a communication is relevant to you or one of the locations you are tracking.
Communications Your Way: Receive alerts over a wide variety of communication channels including mobile apps, text/SMS alerting, email or voice calling You can register for all or one of them.
Privacy is Paramount: Registration is anonymous, and no information volunteered or derived is shared or used for marketing or data harvesting purposes. Locational information from your tracked locations is only used to determine its proximity to an alert event and to provide critical context within the communications (such as distance and direction).
Leaving is Easy: Both mobile applications and web-based accounts provide access to an unsubscribe feature accessed via the menu icon on the top left of the screen/page. If the service isn’t working out simply click on the “Unsubscribe” button and you won’t be hearing from us again.
For more information you can check out the FAQ and the Voyent Alert Privacy Policy.
Summer 2024 Citizen Distributions Now Open
Toquaht Nation Government will release a Citizen Distribution this summer to all Toquaht citizens aged 18 and over. Toquaht citizens who are minors will have their distribution held in trust.
This year’s distribution application is due by July 4th for distribution planned on July 12th.
To apply, complete the Citizen Distribution Application form and provide a direct deposit form from your banking institution or a void cheque. We don’t accept handwritten banking information. You can submit the completed forms and any supporting documentation by emailing them to naomim@toquaht.ca. Alternatively, contact Naomi Mack at 1-250-726-4230 or 1-877-726-4230 (toll-free) to have the form mailed to you or to get assistance with filling it out.
2024 NTC Scholarships and Graduation Ceremonies
Grade 12 Students!
It’s time to start planning for graduation!
The annual Nuu-chah-nulth graduation ceremony will be on Saturday, June 15 at the Alberni District Secondary School. Graduation Registration forms can be found here and are due by June 1. You can email them to graduation@nuuchahnulth.org.
In addition, scholarship applications are due by May 16, 2024. Applications can be found here and MUST be emailed to scholarships@nuuchahnulth.org.
Scholarship categories include academic, artistic, athletic and cultural. Please review all the supporting documentation that is required on page 2 of the application.
You will be informed shortly after the deadline if you are the recipient of a scholarship. If you are, plan to attend the scholarship ceremony on June 14!
To attend the scholarship ceremony on June 14, submit your Intent to Attend form by June 1.
Parents!
If you have a student in kindergarten through Grade 3, they may be eligible for either an athletic or cultural scholarship. Information on the scholarship, and the application, is here.
For students in Grades 4 through 12, scholarships are available for academic, artistic, athletic and cultural achievement. Information on that scholarship, and the application, is here.
If your student is a scholarship recipient, they will be notified between after June 1. Note, the invitation to attend the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Scholarship Ceremony, which will be held on June 14, is due on June 1, so don’t delay getting it in. The form to attend is here.
Spring People’s Assembly date selected
The Spring People’s Assembly will be in person at the t̓uk̓ʷaaʔatḥiic hišimyiły̓ak (Toquaht Gathering Place) in m̓aʔaquuʔa (Macoah).
The People’s Assembly will be at 10 am with a virtual option to attend if you are unable to attend in person. Information on registration via Zoom or in person will be available in coming days.
After the People’s Assembly ends at 12 pm, there will be a catered lunch with celebrations that include singers and dancers, and an afternoon of activities will follow.
For citizens who need to travel more than 150 kilometres to attend, there may be accommodation support on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please refer to the registration form for more information.
For more information on the People’s Assembly, email Naomi Mack at naomim@toquaht.ca. If you need help registering, please call Naomi at 250-726-4230 or toll-free at 1-877-726-4230.
New Director of Operations to lead Toquaht Nation Government
Toquaht Government is pleased to share that Donna Monteith has been hired as the new Director of Operations. She joins Toquaht on Monday, April 8, from her role with the City of Port Alberni as the Director of Corporate Services. Prior to that, Donna was the Chief Financial Officer for the District of Ucluelet and District Administrator for the Cowichan Bay Waterworks District. Donna’s experience includes executive leadership, public engagement, communications, leading local government strategic policy development, and financial and asset management.
Toquaht Nation Elder Appreciation Nominations Now Open
Once again, Toquaht nation is opening nominations for Toquaht Elders to be nominated for recognition. Send us their name and a short note about why they inspire you, and the Toquaht Elder will be entered to be randomly selected for one of two prizes of $500. Nominations can be made by Toquaht citizens or residents, but Only Toquaht Elders are eligible to be selected.
Nominations close on Friday, February 16 at 4pm. Email your nomination to noreenf@toquaht.ca or fax to the office at 250-726-4403.
Traffic Advisory
For Travel to Macoah
Starting January 9, 2024, There will be delays and short road closures on Maggie Lake Forest Service Road for approximately six weeks.
The Ministry of Forests will be conducting a rock scaling project to minimize risk of future rock falls and safety hazards on this section of the FSR. Due to the unpredictable nature of this work, wait times may vary and could be lengthy.
Alternative route: It is recommended to use Maggie Branch 4; AKA The Barkley Forest Service Road for access beyond 8.9 km to avoid wait time.