Capital Daily for Friday, June 26

Indigenous people in British Columbia affected by police violence, misconduct, or negligence can now get free legal support through the BC First Nations Justice Council's Police Accountability Unit, which launched out of a 2024 pilot.

The unit exists because the numbers are stark. Indigenous people make up 5.1% of Canada's population but account for 16.2% of police-involved deaths, and in 2024 nine Indigenous people were killed by police across the country in a single 20-day stretch.

For Martha Martin of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, the help arrives late. Her daughter, 26-year-old Chantel Moore, was shot and killed during a wellness check in New Brunswick in June 2020. Five months later, her son Mike died in custody at the Surrey Pretrial Centre. The waiting for answers, she said, has been the hardest part.

The unit's managing lawyer, Alexander Kirby, said demand has already outpaced expectations and the team will need to grow. Justice Council director Cloy-e-iis (Dr. Judith Sayers) said one of its key jobs is documenting an ongoing pattern of Indigenous people harmed by police, and reassuring people who fear backlash for filing a complaint.

Saturna Island, where the only gas station will soon run out of fuel for good, is about to get something it's never had: fast internet over the water.

The Capital Regional District and B.C.-owned CityWest are bringing high-speed fibre to Galiano and Saturna by sub-sea cable. About 1,049 homes and 50 businesses qualify on Galiano; nearly 600 homes and 20 businesses on Saturna. Construction starts on Galiano later this month, with Saturna's work slated for the fall.

The arrangement is unusual. Rather than just hire CityWest and walk away, the CRD will collect a share of the company's annual profit for 30 years, then plough that money back into economic development across the Southern Gulf Islands. Ottawa is covering $5.27 million through its Universal Broadband Fund, which aims to connect every Canadian household by 2030.

The fibre backbone stays open to other internet providers, which the CRD argues should keep prices honest once the cable is live.