Each week at Global BC, we highlight our stories to bring a bright spot to your Friday and into the weekend.
Here are the five stories we wanted to share:
‘Frybread as Fok’: Art exhibit centres being unapologetically Indigenous
A new exhibition in Vancouver called Frybread as Fok is highlighting Indigenous joy and the power of coming together.
“There’s a lot of hardship, and there’s a lot of trauma and a lot of these really heavy things that happen,” said Zoë Laycock co-curator of the display at Emily Carr University.
More than 30 Indigenous artists have their work on display during Frybread As Fok, which is the Aboriginal Gathering Place’s 2024 exhibition — including students, faculty, staff and alumni.
“Everyone does amazing work, there’s a lot of different sculptural pieces and, a lot of mixed media work in this in this show,” said Laycock. “There’s everything from paintings to printmaking to video and all kinds of sculptural garments.
“Lots of merging traditional material practices and contemporary material practices and, it’s really lively.”
Canada to stage 13 games at 2026 FIFA World Cup between Toronto and Vancouver
Canada will host 13 of the 104 games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with seven in Vancouver and six in Toronto.
As expected, the U.S. will stage the lion’s share of the action — with 78 games — at the expanded 48-team soccer showcase. Like Canada, Mexico will host 13 games.
Canada will stage 10 opening-round games, split evenly between Toronto and Vancouver, which will host Canada’s two other opening-round matches at BC Place Stadium.
Toronto and Vancouver will each stage a round-of-32 knockout game with Vancouver also hosting a round-of-16 match.
Vancouver likely gets one more game than Toronto because it offers a bigger venue. Capacity at BC Place for the tournament will be 54,000 while BMO Field, once extra seats are added, will accommodate 45,000.
Pitch contest aims to give Black entrepreneurs a business boost
Starting a new business is a challenge for anyone, but it can be even harder for those who face multiple barriers.
Securing critical funding to start or scale a company up can be particularly tough for racialized people or new immigrants, especially if they don’t own assets like a home as collateral.
For the second year in a row, the non-profit organization Black Entrepreneurs and Businesses of Canada Society (BEBC), based in B.C., is using Black History Month to run a competition aimed at addressing some of these challenges.
“The lack of funding and financing really cascades to everything else, so we are just trying, on a really small scale, to change that,” BEBC founder and CEO Jackee Kasandy said.
Canada’s only Black Pitch Contest offers a prize of $25,000 to help Black entrepreneurs launch or accelerate their businesses. Competitors also get access to tools, resources and opportunities to reach customers, along with education and support applying for the Black Business Awards.
Hypothermic loggerhead turtle rarely seen in B.C. waters is rescued
A loggerhead sea turtle rarely seen in British Columbia waters has been rescued after being found suffering from hypothermia near Victoria.
The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society says the reptile nicknamed Moira by staff had a core temperature of only 8.4 C after being found on Sunday in Pedder Bay between Victoria and Sooke.
The society says the turtle is receiving fluid therapy and antibiotics to nurse it back to health as its temperature is slowly raised.
It says it’s only the second time a loggerhead turtle has been seen in B.C. waters in recent memory, and the species is more commonly seen in subtropical and temperate seas.
Surrey’s FVDED in the Park music festival returning in 2024
Organizers behind the massive music festival FVDED in the Park in Surrey, B.C., have announced it is returning in 2024.
It will be held at Holland Park in Surrey on July 5 and 6.
“It’s been an incredible 13-year journey together and we can’t wait to create new memories and friendships this summer dancing in the park,” organizers said in a social media post.
The artist lineup was dropped on Wednesday and features huge international artists including Swedish House Mafia, deadmau5 and Kaskade.