On The Island from CBC Radio British Columbia

How should parents talk to teens about drug use? The Victoria High PAC is holding a parent workshop on the subject following two students' overdose deaths.

Angela Williams of Langford who has carried pregnancies for two different Vancouver Island couples. She spoke with CBC Victoria's Deborah Wilson.

Leia Swanberg, CEO of Canadian Fertility Consulting in Parksville B.C. says her surrogacy-support service's business has increased fivefold in the past three years.

Joe Walker's passions included his family, the outdoors and amateur boxing, his mother Janice Walker says. In the weeks before he died Dec.11, her son felt confident he had finally won the fight against addiction.

The Cowichan Valley Regional District is asking the Supreme Court of Canada to review a contaminated soil dump in Shawigan Lake. Sonia Furstenau is a local area director for the CVRD and the Green candidate in the upcoming BC election.

Martyn Brown, Elizabeth Cull, and Norman Spector discuss the province's announcement of more funding to hire teachers following their loss in a Supreme Court of Canada case over classroom funding.

Tilikum, the orca, has died at Seaworld in Orlando that was the focus of the documentary Blackfish, has died. Tilikum spent many years at Sealand of the Pacific in Oak Bay. To talk about the animal's legacy, we called Paul Spong at Orcalab.

Madeline ("Mel") Bolen was founder of Bolen Books challenged chains, supported local authors.

The director of a Victoria agency that supports people with mental illnesses is lamenting the failure of a federal offer of targeted mental health services funding.

Alex Kamwanga is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He spent several years at a refugee settlement in Namibia, before coming to Canada as a privately-sponsored refugee. He told Gregor Craigie a bit about what that was like.

Foley artist R. J. Peters creates dozens of sound effects for the shows from an assortment if common and strange objects in two Christmas classics on stage in Victoria.

For Victoria mayor Lisa Helps, this week's federal task force recommendations on marijuana sales look a lot like the regulations her own city council approved in September.

There are still no trains, but plenty of activity along the E and N rail corridor as work proceeds to convert the Maplebank Road to Hallowell Road section into a cycling trail.

Maintenance company says 150 new jobs coming to service new Airbus C-295 FWSAR planes across the country.

Earlier this year, Brett MacMillan found himself living on the streets of Victoria. Now, he has steady work and a place to stay in Our Place's transitional home "Choices." He told Gregor Craigie having a roof over his head has made things a lot better.