Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper April 20, 2023

Family of three severely injured in collision

Parents and daughter face burden of hospital bills after receiving emergency medical care south of the border

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Enumclaw, WA – What was supposed to be a fun trip to the U.S. to play lahal nearly turned tragic as a Nuu-chah-nulth family of three were struck head-on by a suspected drunk driver.

Stephen Lucas Sr., his wife and daughter left their homes in PortAlberni and Nanaimo toAuburn, WA. to spend the Easter long weekend playing in the Muckleshoot Stick Game 2023 tournament. The tournament was held at the White RiverAmphitheatre, 48 kilometres southeast of Seattle.

After sorting out their accommodations on Friday,April 7, the family drove back to the Muckleshoot grounds to play lahal that night. It was after midnight, early in the morning onApril 8 when they climbed into their 2015 Ford Fiesta to drive the 14.5-kilometre trip to their motel room in Enumclaw when the unthinkable happened.

Lareina Lucas was driving east on the two-lane road when she saw a vehicle with its headlights off veering into her lane.

“At the last second I turned the wheel hard to the right so that I would take the hit and save my parents,” she said.

Lucas says she lost consciousness on impact and when she came to, “all I could hear was agonizing screams of pain, it was like the ancestors were calling us.”

Lucas remembered the instant pain she felt when she regained consciousness.

“I heard my mom yelling my name and I kept fading out, but my mom kept me awake,” she said.

Lucas recalls being unable to move. She wanted to look behind her to see if her father was okay, but she couldn’t turn.

“I told my parents not to move, that it might not be safe for them to move,” she said.

Lucas recalls a man and woman checking on them before paramedics arrived.

“I know I couldn’t move (on my own) but it felt like my arm moved closer to me, to a safer place, like a higher power was moving me, protecting me,” she said. Sometime later, paramedics worked carefully to extract Lareina’s broken body from the tangled wreck.

“They had to pull on my broken arms and leg to get me out and they kept apologizing for the pain this caused,” she remembered.

Lareina was flown by helicopter to Harborview Hospital in Seattle.

According to a Washington State Patrol press memo issuedApril 8, Lareina Lucas, age 40, was driving with her mother,

April Gus, 60 and her father Stephen Lucas Sr., 69, heading eastbound on State Route 164 at about 1:30 a.m. when a 2015 Toyota Tundra pick-up truck travelling in the opposite direction veered into their lane, striking them head-on. Both vehicles were totalled.

The driver of the Toyota wasAllen S. Moses, 21, ofAuburn, WA. He is facing charges of vehicular assault and driving under the influence.

Everyone in the Lucas car suffered serious injuries, including broken bones.All involved in the collision were transported to area hospitals.

“Charges against the driver of the first vehicle, allegedly fromAuburn, have not yet been filed as ofApril 7; it is suspected that drugs or alcohol were involved,” states a report in the Enumclaw Courier Herald.

According to the Washington State Patrol, both lanes of SR 164 at 228thAve. SE was closed for three hours and 42 minutes. Both Moses andApril Gus were transported to the Valley Medical Centre in Covington, WA.

Afamily member reports that Gus suffered a broken wrist, ankle, pelvis and ribs, with a punctured lung.

Stephen Lucas Sr. suffered a broken sternum, collar bone and pelvis, according to a family member. He was transported St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma. Lareina Lucas suffered extensive injuries with compound fractures in both arms and a broken leg. She was transported to Harborview Hospital in Seattle and required multiple surgeries.

Lareina stated that both her parents have had surgery and that her father was able to walk onApril 11.

In a video posted to social media, Lareina told her family that she loved them. She admitted that she is in pain and that she worries about her parents who are at other hospitals. She has visible stitches in her forehead, splints on three of her extremities and traces of dried blood on her face. She has a stylus in her mouth because she can’t use her hands.

“I don’t know if I want to drive again for fear of another drunk driver being out there,” she told her audience.

Friends and relatives of the Gus/Lucas family quickly launched fundraisers to help them and to get children and grandchildren to the U.S. to visit. There are several small fundraisers taking place in an effort to support the family’s needs.

Lareina has five children and was able to see the older three while in hospital, thanks to the efforts of family and friends. She had the identification of her two younger children, ages 10 and 12, in her possession, so they weren’t able to cross the border. She saw them through video calls.

Lucas was pushing to go back home to the Island.

“The social worker makes it sound easy and says it’s up to me,” said Lucas. But, to go home, she would be sent in a wheelchair in a private vehicle, likely her daughter’s car.

The hospital social worker has been helping Lucas with paperwork necessary to get assistance from her First Nation so that accommodations will be covered for her husband and daughter who are staying by her side.

None of the injured had traveler’s insurance. It is not known how the hospital expenses will be covered.

OnApril 13, Lareina learned thatAllen Moses, who collided with her, had a driver’s license but didn’t have insurance. She told Ha-Shilth-Sa she is worried about how the hospital bills will be paid.

The Government of Canada advises its citizens to buy traveler’s health insurance even for a day trip to the US. This is because your Canadian health insurance may not pay your medical bills while you’re outside Canada, and that your provincial or territorial health plan may cover none, or only a small part, of the costs of your medical care abroad.

Close family members did what they could to assist Lareina and her parents as they tried to figure out how their medical expenses would be paid and how they would get home. But without answers or an advocate, the family has more stress to contend with on their long road to recovery.

Just over a week after the accident, all three members of the Lucas family arrived in Nanaimo with the help of family members. They were all admitted to Nanaimo Regional Hospital on Sunday, April 16. Stephen Lucas has since been released from hospital.

Lareina Lucas stated on social media that she was hoping to be released from hospital onApril 19 if doctors are satisfied with the condition of her healing broken leg.

If you would like to help the Lucas family, you may send donations to Lareina Lucas’s daughter: lakishalewis@hotmail. com or directly to Lareina at ariannajade2011@hotmail.com

If you use Paypal please send to ariannajade2011@hotmail.com

Submitted photo

Lareina Lucas was in a Washington State hospital for almost a week with broken bones after a vehicle collision onApril 8.

Unhoused moved from encampment due to safety risk

City of Vancouver removes 94 tent structures in the East Hastings camp alongside Vancouver police on April 5

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Vancouver, BC - With concerns for ‘fire, life and safety’the City of Vancouver, with help from the Vancouver Police Department conducted a sweep to close an illegal encampment where approximately 80 tent structures stood along Hastings Street in the city’s notorious Downtown Eastside.

“Today, City staff, with assistance from members of the VPD, will be working to remove all remaining entrenched tents and structures in the area, approximately 80 in total,” reads the City of Vancouver press release fromApril 5. “The VPD will be present to ensure staff safety as they do their work and enforce the Streets and Traffic Bylaw as necessary.”

The press release states there have been more than 400 outdoor fires occurring on East Hastings Street in the last eight months.

Another concern that was noted was violence within the encampment.

According to the Vancouver Police Department, there was a 27 per cent increase in “serious street-level assaults” since July 2022.As well, a survey conducted byAtira Women’s Resource Society with a total of 50 women who had spent time in the encampment reported that all of them had experienced physical and sexual violence.

After an order was issued by the Vancouver Fire Chief in July 2022, city staff have been working to remove structures from the encampment which total 600, the statement continued.

The press release goes on to explain that

sinceAugust, the City of Vancouver has been working to connect those in need to housing options and support. Ninety people have now accepted and moved into housing, and 165 have accepted referrals to shelters.

But a joint press release from Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (DEWC) and Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) stated that they are “appalled” that this occurred with no support or secure housing available for those being displaced. It goes on to say that the operation was carried out with “no regard for impacts” on women’s safety.

“Each person is being given a rolling barrel to put personal items in and everything else is being disposed of,” reads the statement from DEWC and BWSS.

In an interview withAndrea Glickman, DEWC Board Member, she said, “I think people that are already in a precarious

living situation were put into a further state of emergency with the exclusion zone and then with the sweeps.”

Glickman explains that those within the exclusion zone were unable to access services such as food and showers provided by the DEWC for a period of time.

“The reality is that the exclusion zone was put up suddenly and with a high volume of police officers, and so the impacts were quite traumatizing on anyone that was within the exclusion zone,” said Glickman.

She goes on to explain that shelters are not secure housing because individuals have to go back to the streets every morning.

“You’re going to be… in a situation where people are just going to naturally, probably, float back to Hastings Street,” said Glickman. She also noted that it is likely they will come back together

elsewhere too.

When reflecting upon the City of Vancouver’s intention on providing “safety,” Glickman said that the impacts of the operation “did the exact opposite.”

“It’s impossible to deal with homelessness without providing homes,” said Glickman.

Christina Faith Dawson, a pastor in DTES, said that she believes it’s possible that some Nuu-chah-nulth members were at the encampment.

In a message to Ha-Shilth-Sa, she wrote, “There may be a few of them down here. I am pretty sure a lot of the homeless got scattered and makes it hard to find our people that were DTES. I haven’t seen M.T. (ANuu-chah-nulth male) for a few months.”

To date, City of Vancouver removed 94 entrenched structures and 50 propane tanks.

Wikimedia commons photo

At the beginning ofApril, the City of Vancouver ordered an encampment in the Downtown Eastside be closed due to concern for safety.According to a City of Vancouver statement, 94 structures and 50 propane tanks were removed.

Drug checking shows unpredictable mix of additives

Testing sites are spreading across Vancouver Island, showing that most drugs contain unexpected substances

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Vancouver Island, BC -Alab was shut down in late March, stopping $7.8 million worth of fentanyl and cocaine that were meant to be distributed throughout the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

Vancouver Police Departments launched the Toluene Project in January to focus on criminals manufacturing and trafficking illicit drugs throughout the region.

“Every day in British Columbia, more people die and new people become addicted to illicit drugs that are manufactured and trafficked by organized crime groups that operate in plain sight,” said Inspector Phil Heard, commanding officer of VPD’s Organized Crime Section, in a statement. “While the results of this investigation are impressive, there is much more work that needs to be done to address B.C.’s overdose crisis and the criminals that profit from it.”

The fentanyl lab, operating in a Richmond, B.C. neighborhood, contained seven kilograms of suspected fentanyl, 800 grams of methamphetamines, and $39,000 in cash, reads the statement.

Fifteen kilograms of suspected fentanyl, and two kilograms of cocaine was found on a man who was arrested, and another $48,000 in cash was located in a vehicle parked near the operation.

Another search was executed in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour, believed to be connected to the aforementioned lab, with 4.7 kilograms of fentanyl found and $272, 000 in cash.

Overall 27.7 kilograms of fentanyl, two kilograms of cocaine, 800 grams of methamphetamines, and $365, 000 in cash was seized by investigators.

The VPD press release goes on to say the three men arrested have been released pending completion of the investigation, though multiple charges will be recommended.

In the first three months of 2023 the province has seen 596 deaths due to unregulated drugs, reads a press release from the BC Coroners service.

Over 11,000 lives have been lost due to drugs since the provincial public health emergency was declared in 2016, states

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe in the press release.

“The 596 lives lost between January and March is the second-highest total ever recorded in the first three months of a calendar year, behind only 2022 (599 lives lost),” the B.C. Corner Service statement reads. “The total number of deaths equates to a provincewide death rate of 44.1 deaths per 100,000 population”

According to the B.C. Coroners Service, fentanyl was detected in seventy-eight per cent of drug related deaths in 2023.

Since 2018, Substance Drug Checking has been operating a free and confidential service in Victoria, providing information such as “main active ingredients, fillers or cutting agents, any unexpected drugs, and the presence of fentanyl.”

In recent years, the service has expanded throughout the Island to Campbell River and PortAlberni, among others.

The service uses infrared absorption spectroscopy, raman spectroscopy, paper spray ionization mass spectrometry, and immunoassay test strips to evaluate the components of drugs.

“Drug checking also has the added value of monitoring the supply, so identifying novel substances or new substances that are entering the market, but also looking

Wikimedian

People huddle in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood where the effects of B.C.’s opioid crisis are particularly prevalent. Drug checking services are spreading across West Coast cities, giving users and health officials a clearer

at trends,” said Piotr Burek, a research associate for the Vancouver Island Drug Checking Project. “Not only is it effective for people who use drugs and who might require harm reduction services or drug checking services, but it also has that broader public health component.”

The Vancouver Island Drug Checking Project releases a monthly report with the breakdown of components in tested samples throughout the Island. Though the majority of samples come from Victoria, in February 41 samples were tested from PortAlberni.

Thirty of these samples were expected to be opioid-down, meaning opioids from the street, six were expected to be cocaine, two methamphetamine, two unknown, and one dissociative.

Of the opioid-down samples from Port Alberni, 23 contained the expected drug and were contaminated with an unexpected active, and three samples did not have the expected drug and only contained an unexpected active. Of the six cocaine samples, two had no cocaine and only an unexpected active.

According to the report, PortAlberni samples of opioid-down were contaminated with additional components, such as benzodiazepine (10), bromazolam (11), cocaine base (1), fluorofentanyl (11), furanyl UF-17 (2), and xylazine (2).

Three samples expected to be opioiddown contained only unexpected actives: 5-Fluoro-MDMB-PINICA(1), benzodiazepine (1), Fluorofentanyl (2).

Of the two samples with unexpected actives rather than the expected cocaine, they contained bromazolam (2), fentanyl (1), and fluorofentanyl (1).

While testing in Victoria, samples can be obtained within 15 to 20 minutes on

site. In PortAlberni some information can be provided at the site, while additional data is provided after the sample is delivered to Victoria with results online in a few days, said Burek.

The PortAlberni drug checking site can detect baseline components within a sample. It tests for fentanyl and some benzodiazepines, and also can indicate what the cut is made with, said a worker at the PortAlberni site.

It cannot detect all benzodiazepines and additives. It also cannot detect xylazine and carfentanil, the worker continued.

But once a sample is in Victoria it is broken down further.

“We know that fentanyl is used extensively in and out of medical services without people necessarily dying from using it,” said Burek.

But he noted that variability within the supply is what makes the drug toxic.

“It’s not knowing how much of a particular substance is in a drug [and] if there’s other additional substances in there,” said Burek. “That’s really what creates the risk for people, is not knowing what is in the supply.”

“With the supply on Vancouver Island, for example, we see multiple components in the opioid supplies,” he continued. “It’s not just fentanyl, but it’s fentanyl analogues, it’s benzodiazepines, and other kinds of substances that we see quie often.”

Burek said that as people begin to grow aware of the drug checking sites, more samples are coming in from locations in Duncan, PortAlberni, Campbell River, and Comox.

“Fentanyl has saturated the market… since we started doing drug checking fentanyl was the primary component in

opioids,” said Burek. “What we’re certainly seeing is kind of just variability in terms of the additional components that are in there.”

Last month over 50 per cent of expected opioid-down samples contained benzodiazepines and/or analogues. Burek said that benzodiazepine alongside fentanyl has grown to be a common occurrence in opioid samples.

He notes that xylazine is entering the market, which is a veterinary sedative.

“We also know that criminalization is a really big barrier,” said Burek. “Alot of the research points to criminalization as one of the biggest barriers for people accessing drug checking services.”

Burek hopes that the decriminalization of personal possession of some drugs in the province will “make it a little bit easier for people to access services.”

From Jan. 31, 2023 to Jan. 31, 2026, adults above the age of eighteen carrying opioids, crack and powder cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMAwith a combined total of 2.5 grams or less will not be subject to criminal charges in British Columbia.

Drugs will remain prohibited in places such as schools and licenced day cares.

“Substance use is a public health matter, not a criminal justice issue,” reads the provincial website.

“As long as we have kind of continued criminalization of people who use, buy, and sell drugs, then we’ll see it as a barrier to accessing harm reduction and drug checking services,” said Burek.

In PortAlberni the drug checking site is located at the Shelter Society Overdose Prevention Site, 3699 3rdAve.

Commons photo

picture of the unpredictable mix that is being obtained on the street.

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Contraception becomes more accessible

Amid widespread doctor’s shortage, B.C. expands roles of pharmacists and nurses

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

OnApril 1 the province set out to provide free contraception to all British Columbians covered under MSP.

This includes oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices (copper and hormonal), hormonal implant, hormonal injection, and emergency contraception, such as Plan B, which requires no prescription.

The First Nations HealthAuthority will continue to fund patches and rings, which are not included in recent changes, said Dr. Unjali Malhotra, the FNHA’s medical director, who specializes in women’s health.

“There shouldn’t be any issues surrounding coverage for any First Nations person that is registered with the First Nation HealthAuthority,” said Malhotra.

“It’s very exciting that we have free contraception in British Columbia… and what’s even more exciting is we can have a conversation surrounding access.”

In September 2022 it was announced that the Ministry of Health and the College of Pharmacists of B.C. would develop regulations to allow pharmacists to prescribe medication for minor ailments and contraception.

It was recently announced that this would begin on June 1. With this change individuals seeking a contraceptive prescription or counseling can receive these services at a pharmacy.

Malhotra explains that having pharmacists provide contraceptive counseling and prescribing will reduce barriers that people have, especially those living remotely.

“Reducing the number of contact points for some people is a really good thing,” said Malhotra.

Additionally, in September of 2022 the BC College of Nurses and Midwives approved a new scope of practice for registered nurses who are certified to prescribe. The Ministry of Health continues to work with institutions on training requirements, while RNs are currently not authorized to prescribe contraception.

“The college sees that we need to expand our practice in order to help with the doctor shortage,” said Lucy Chiasson, a community health nurse at the Strong

Family House, when reflecting on expanded roles for pharmacists and nurses.

“I think that’s probably part of the reason why that’s being expanded.”

Malhotra goes on to explain that, though it is currently pending as to when a certified RN can prescribe contraception, the FNHAis in favor of broadening their scope of practice.

“The increase in numbers of folks that have the opportunity to offer prescriptions and counseling is a really important movement forward,” said Malhotra.

“What we want to see is an increase in access and a reduction in barriers in all circumstances.”

Kelsey Rix (Hahahtmaq aqsa), a community health nurse inAhousaht, said that she would like to be able to have contraception in her community to give to members who require it. She would also like to see emergency contraception on hand in communities so that nurses can dispense it.

“I still need a doctor’s prescription to be able to give people birth control,” said Rix. “I can educate them and I can discuss everything with them while they’re in my office, but it’s been a barrier to go to the doctor to get the prescription.”

For those located inAhousaht, a remote community on Flores Island near Tofino, they have to take a boat off the island to the closest pharmacy or clinic in places such as Tofino, Ucluelet, or PortAlberni

to receive a doctor’s prescription or contraception, including emergency contraception, explains Rix.

Rix explains that youth are among those who are likely to not seek out contraceptive care, so it’s important to meet them where they are at.

She explains that inAhousaht, twice a week there’s a doctor on site, but for the youth a barrier is confidentiality due to the close-knit community. Youth also might not be able to afford taking a boat to Tofino to obtain pharmacy items like emergency contraceptives, she continued.

“We want to meet them where they’re at, in that moment, because we just don’t know what else is going on in their life that’s already been a barrier for them to come and ask us in the first place,” said Rix.

According to the PharmaCare Newsletter from March 8, 2023, with the recent changes people can request multiple doses of emergency contraception and a larger supply of oral contraception. Health providers warn against using emergency contraception as a regular form of birth control.

Chiasson said these changes create “less barriers” for those living in remote communities.

But Malhotra noted that, beyond financial barriers, logistical and geographical challenges to getting birth control also need to be considered.

“No one piece of this is going to create a perfect situation,” said Malhotra. “However, a combination of change will lead to significant improvement to access.”

“We continue to work with our trusted partners on decreasing geographical barriers because we want to ensure they have access to culturally safe care as close to home as possible,” she added. “These are important steps in making that happen.”

Malhotra explains that having access to culturally safe care means receiving medical help that is respectful, engaging, and safe. This means that it is free of discrimination, racism, and bias, she continued.

“We have to realize that many of the community members are living in rural and remote areas,” said Chiasson. “Having that ability to have access to birth control means that they’re in control.”

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KUU-US Crisis Line expands for community needs

Society sees need to house those coming from treatment facilities, amid growing hazards of toxic drug supply

By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

PortAlberni, BC - KUU-US Crisis Line Society has brought on new cultural support workers to assist Indigenous individuals and have expanded their West Coast outreach services to reach more remote communities.

The non-profit registered charity has also added to their advocacy and youth cultural services, in partnership with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council’s (NTC) Family and Child Services Department.

“We have secured a contract with Community Living BC (CLBC) to provide daily individual support for one of our communities most vulnerable Indigenous clients and are continuing to work with CLBC to increase these services through KUU-US,” said KUU-US Crisis Line Society associate director Cindy McAnerin and executive director Colin Minions in an emailed statement to Ha Shilth Sa.

Three new cultural support workers are now part of the KUU-US team who provide clients with access to practices to aid and advocate in their wellness.

“Our cultural support workers are out in the community and supporting client’s literally where they are at,” McAnerin and Minions wrote. “Our cultural support workers facilitate a youth cultural group at our site to provide Indigenous foods and cultural teachings/practices to encourage our youth to embrace their history and culture. We work in partnership with NTC’s Family and Child Services to provide these supports for our local youth.”

KUU-US Crisis Line Society was established in 1993 after several suicide attempts among Indigenous youth. During a community meeting held by various Nuu-chah-nulth members, front-line workers, counsellors and the general public, the idea for a 24-hour crisis line was established.

The 24-hour crisis line provides sup-

port to callers in PortAlberni as well as Indigenous people throughout B.C. Once the issue for support has been identified, the level of severity for call handling is determined. The goal is to establish a non-judgmental approach to listening and problem solving.

The crisis phone operators asses the need for outreach services, which provide one-on-one support for those requiring emotional stabilization, medical risk assessment and Critical Incident Stress

Management (CISM).

During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the KUU-US Crisis Line provided supported people 9,105 times over their phone lines. The society provided support for basic needs and covid supplies—which includes weather provisions, clothing, shoes, blankets, pillows and personal protective equipment—5,267 times in the Alberni Valley and 4,732 to West Coast communities. There were 4,359 food hampers dispersed during the year. Also under their umbrella of support services, KUU-US offers those experiencing homelessness, or at risk of homelessness, with help finding housing. Their program Putting Hope Back in Home provides supportive housing to tenants as well as help for a personalized care plan to aid those in need in finding permanent housing.

McAnerin and Minions said KUU-US continuously struggles to support clients to secure suitable and stable housing in theAlberni Valley.

There is an increased need for supported transitional housing for those that attend

treatment facilities and return back to the community, they said.

Another trend the society has noticed recently while providing supports is an increase in the toxic drug supply and those living with mental health challenges.

“We definitely see a need for rapid access to detox centres and treatment facilities. There is an increased need for trauma-informed treatment centres with strong cultural supports,” McAnerin and Minions said. “KUU-US is seeing an increase in nations, agencies and teams working together to develop action plans to support the toxic drug crisis that is affecting our families, loved ones and community as a whole.”

To further support those in need, the society is working towards opening KUUUS Café and Gifts, which will be a profit for non-profit, with any proceeds made being put back to the society to provide for those in need. The café and gift store will also be used to provide training and employment opportunities for individuals ready to take on new learning opportunities.

Submitted photo

From left: KUU -US members Cherie Edgar, cultural support/outreach worker,Ashley Waller, outreach team lead, and Alanis George, outreach worker, provide services to those in need in theAlberni Valley.

First Nations fight for Discovery Islands fish farms

DFO points to migrating wild salmon being exposed to disease after announcing the final closure of 15 net pens

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Amid the fray of competing interests from environmentalists, advocacy groups, industry representatives and government agencies, two First Nations claim their inherent rights have been broken with the DFO’s closure of fish farms in the Discovery Islands.

The Wei Wai Kum and Wei Wai Kai Nations have applied for a judicial review of the DFO’s recent decision.

Meanwhile, the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship warns that the federal department’s decision to permanently discontinue the sites northeast of Vancouver Island will send ripple effects across the industry, affecting other Indigenous communities that rely on salmon farms for revenue and employment. Encompassing 276 Indigenous employees, 17 First Nations in B.C. have formal agreements with salmon farming companies, includingAhousaht, Ehattesaht and Tla-o-qui-aht in Nuu-chah-nulth territory.

“This court challenge is not about whether we support fish farming or not –it is about our inherent right as title holders to decide how our territory is used, and determine for ourselves if, when, and how fish farms could operate in the future,” says Wei Wai Kai Chief Councillor Ronnie Chickite in a press release issued by the coalition. “We strongly believe the minister’s decision to not reissue licences in our territories was a political decision heavily influenced by nations who do not have title in our territory.”

The closure affects 15 net pens in the Discovery Islands region, which were operated by different aquaculture companies. The sites have sat empty for two years, as an initial announcement to close them in late 2020 by Canada’s former fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan prohibited the restocking of the farms after the existingAtlantic salmon were removed.

Since then, the Discovery Islands sites have sat in limbo, while other salmon farms on the West Coast continued to operate amid a mandate for Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray “to create a responsible plan to transition from open net pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia by 2025.”All of B.C.’s salmon farming licences were renewed last summer for another two years, except the Discovery Islands sites.

“The state of wild pacific salmon is dire, and we must do what we can to ensure their survival,” said Murray in a Feb. 17 announcement of the discontinuation of

the Discovery Islands sites. “This was a difficult but necessary decision. By taking an enhanced precautionary approach in the Discovery Islands area, the Government of Canada will help ensure the well-being of wild pacific salmon for our children and grandchildren.”

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has assessed 31 salmon units from the Fraser River watershed, identifying that 11 are endangered, two are threatened and seven constitute “special concern”.

“Many First Nations along the Fraser River were unable to access wild salmon needed to sustain their FSC [food, social ceremonial] needs,” stated the DFO.

Over the last year Murray has met multiple times with First Nations that have a stake in salmon farming. In November the Wei Wai Kai and Wei Wei Kum proposed to reintroduce farming operations on a limited scale, one site at a time under its oversight on a trial basis.

“This staggered approach would have encouraged Indigenous-led detailed research and analysis of the impact of finfish farms in our waters, blending Western science and traditional ecological knowledge,” said Wei Wai Kum Chief Councillor Chris Roberts in a statement.

“Our proposal was entirely ignored,” said Chickite.

“Rejecting this proposal is rejecting our right to decide for ourselves, with our own research and knowledge, whether salmon farming was a fit for our commu-

nities,” added Roberts. “It’s a clear lack of recognition of our inherent right to self-determination.”

Further north up the coast, Isaiah Robinson has been watching the situation unfold as an elected councillor of the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation. Salmon farms in his territory account for $1.7 million in annual revenue, comprising more than half of an economy of $3 million.

“If 51 per cent of our economy is gone, how are these people going to pay for new mortgages, for food, for all these other things we’re hoping to do as a community?” he asked. “It’s concerning for us all in trying to run a business in remote communities.”

For the last 40 years Kitasoo has been building its salmon farming industry. For much of this time advocacy groups have campaigned against the practice, including the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, which has called for all West Coast farms to be moved out of the water onto land.A resolution passed by the UBCIC in February even accused the DFO of doctoring evidence to favour the salmon farming industry.

“DFO employees altered a scientific report to misrepresent the significant association between fish farms and wild juvenile salmon’s infestation with sea lice, altering the content to claim that there is no connection between fish farms and sea lice in wild stocks – an act of research fraud,” stated the resolution.

Robinson believes that such opposition to salmon farming has little understanding of how banning the ocean practice could harm a community.

“We would have nothing, other than regular public services here. That’s not an economy we’re able to thrive on,” he said. “Those types of decisions and those types of lobbying groups like theAFN or the BC Union of Indian Chiefs really need to understand the rights and titles of these situations and look at the bigger picture.”

For years the Discovery Islands area has been a focal point in the debate over if salmon farming is threatening wild stocks.Adecade ago the Cohen Commission pointed to farming in the area as part of its massive inquiry into the decline of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River.

“Salmon farms along the sockeye migration route in the Discovery Islands have the potential to introduce exotic diseases and to exacerbate endemic diseases which can have a negative impact on Fraser River sockeye,” stated the commission’s final report. “Disease can cause significant population declines, and, in some situations – for example, if a disease were to wipe out a vulnerable stock of Fraser River sockeye – such effects could be irreversible.”

But the Coalition of First Nations has stressed that scientific evidence does not necessarily indicate that salmon farms bring diseases to wild stocks.

“We’ve had world renowned scientists come up and do presentations to our community regarding these diseases that they’re talking about,” said Robinson of work in Kitasoo. “Alot of them, the diseases they get are not from the actual farms or anything like that, they’re just coming from the environment.”

Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship photo Leaders from the Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nations, including Hereditary Chief Paddy Walkus, speak to Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray on a Mowi Canada West salmon farm in their traditional waters on Friday, Oct. 14.

Pay parking returns ahead Tofino’s tourist season

District seeks input on bringing back parking meters, after the measure led to ‘extreme opposition’ back in 2007

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Tofino, BC – The District of Tofino plans to re-introduce parking meters in the downtown area, raising concerns of offshore residents who are already struggling to find space for their vehicles.

“Tofino’s summer vibrancy leads to increased parking pressures downtown, and pay parking is a proven way to increase turnover and parking availability as well as improving road user safety, while providing an important funding source to support community programs, services, and facilities,” according to the District of Tofino.

Currently, Tofino has a mix of unrestricted and pay parking areas.According to the district, there are approximately 800 public parking spaces in the downtown core.

“Approximately 110 of those spaces are restricted to offshore parking only,” the district stated in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa. The District of Tofino issues approximately 250 offshore permits per year.

Offshore permits are free for residents of Opitsaht,Ahousaht, Hot Springs Cove, or any other Clayoquot Sound community outside of Tofino. Contractors and essential service workers of those communities also may be eligible for an offshore permit.

The district recognizes that Tofino lies within the Haahuulthii of Tla-o-qui-aht and states that they have engaged with the First Nation on their plan.

Ahousaht resident and former deputy chief councillor Melinda Swan points out that the First Nation’s members alone

require 100 spaces. Sometimes offshore residents are forced to park in time restricted stalls, for which they are ticketed with a $50 fine.

In February 2007, Ha-Shilth-Sa reported that pay parking was coming to Tofino, noting that District of TofinoAdministrator Leif Peterson said plans of meter installation were going smoothly until the Pay Parking Committee heard “extreme opposition” from the community.

At that time, the District of Tofino proposed that locals and offshore residents could purchase annual parking permits for $10. This year they say the local and offshore permits will be free to eligible residents.

The revenue collected from paid parking would be used to pay for tourist infra-

structure and water system upgrades, the Ha-Shilth-Sa reported in 2007.

The district successfully implemented pay parking at local beaches in 2021. Local First Nations have access to free parking placards for their nation’s beaches.

The district states that eligible residents of Tofino,Ahousaht, Opitsaht, Esowista, Hesquiaht and Ty-Histanis can register online for free annual permits. Residents of Ucluelet and otherAlberni Clayoquot Regional District communities will receive a 50-per cent discount on an annual pass.

Parking rules and restrictions are indicated by signs at the various locations.

Drivers should follow all parking signage rules to avoid penalties and fines. District staff are looking for input on

the program. To learn about the project and share your ideas and feedback visit https://talktofino.ca/downtown-payparking

There will be a virtual town hall on Wednesday,April 26, from 4 to 6 p.m. to discuss the proposed downtown pay parking program. You may register for that here: Register for the Virtual Town Hall here(External link). During the session there will be an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback. You can also submit questions in advance by emailing: parking@tofino.ca

Implementation of the Tofino Downtown Pay Parking program is expected at the end of May 2023.

District of Tofino map

Tofino is proposing to make most of its Main Street metered parking, while some other areas will be free with a time limit.

First Nation awakens totem pole in their traditional winter

In the past the Mowachaht/Muchalaht sought refuge in Tahsis, now they look ahead with the coast guard to protect their people on

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Tahsis, BC - On a rainyApril morning in the Village of Tahsis, voices from the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation broke through the downpour with traditional song, reminding the crowd that their ancestors occupied the remote coastal site for thousands of years.

OnApril 6 the Canadian Coast Guard formally recognized this heritage when two artworks were unveiled at its Tahsis station: a totem pole carved by Sanford Williams and a conference room door bearing the carvings and painting of PatrickAmos. Presentation of the pieces, which were both made by Mowachaht/Muchalaht members, served as another nod to the continued partnership between the First Nation and the coast guard, which is tasked with ensuring safety in the surrounding waters of Nootka Sound.

Completed in 2020, the Tahsis Coast Guard station was among a wave of four facilities that were opened by the federal department to better serve the B.C. coast, with other sites established in Prince Rupert, Port Renfrew and Victoria.At the end of the Tahsis Inlet, the coast guard station works in communication with the Nootka Lighthouse, which has stood at the mouth of the sound since 1911 in the traditional Mowachaht/Muchalaht village of Yuquot.

The coast guard station came to Tahsis after consistent lobbying from the First Nation.

“We realized that the coast guard is a significant service to the region, particularly Mowachaht/Muchalaht,” said Tyee Ha’wilth Mike Maquinna. “We figured that Tahsis is a centralized place for those other areas that they need to serve.”

“They wanted it out in Friendly Cove, but there was not enough resources with transportation and fuel,” said Tom Mark, Mowachaht/Muchalaht’s coast guard liaison, referencing that Yuquot was initially considered for the location.

Now in operation, the Tahsis station presents employment opportunity for the First Nation, as a crew of half a dozen is available at the site at any given time.

“It’s opening doors for young people with training,” added Mark.

In recent years the First Nation’s collaboration with the coast guard became critical in the handling of a shipwreck that for over 50 years has sat 100 metres under the ocean’s surface by Bligh Island in Nootka Sound. In September of 2020 an oily sheen was discovered emerging from the site where the Schiedyk lies, an 8,700-tonne HollandAmerica freighter that hit a reef and sank on Jan. 3, 1968 after leaving from Tahsis the day before.

In close consultation with the Mowachaht/ Muchalaht, offshore booms and shoreline cleanup crews were employed to contain the spill. Using the expertise of the US-based Resolve Marine Group, by the

Mowachaht/Muchalaht members engage in a traditional practice to bless and awaken a

OnApril 6 the pole was unveiled at the Canadian Coast Guard station in Tahsis. summer of 2021 the remaining fuel was removed from the wreck, totalling 60 tonnes of heavy oil and diesel.Another 48,511 kilograms of oil and oily waste was recovered from the surrounding environment.

Guardian of the Land and Sea

On the rainyApril morning eagle down

floated through the air like snow around the totem pole after its covering was removed at the station’s entrance, as Mowachaht/ Muchalaht elders blessed the piece with a brushing from eagle feathers and the blowing of a whistle. Such protocol is undertaken to solidify the totem’s place as an immovable object, explained elder Tony Dick.

“We have to bless it, wake it up, so nothing goes wrong,” he said. “That totem pole cannot be touched anymore, it cannot be moved, it is stuck there now. If it falls, it stays.”

Titled Guardian of the Land and Sea, the totem project was assigned to Sanford Williams in March of 2019. By that time a red cedar log had already washed up

Eric Plummer photos

totem pole carved by Sanford Williams.

traditional winter home

to protect their people on the water

on the beach and been set aside at Yuquot. Williams started working on the log in June at his old waterfront carving shed in Yuquot, and by the end ofAugust the totem project was finished.

“I like to do a lot of my work out there because that’s where I feel the energy out there, the connection with the land,” reflected Williams, who began carving as a youth when he was growing up in the Nootka Island village site. “Because it’s so peaceful I reconnect with my land out there.”

The red cedar log that would become the totem pole was set aside by Sanford’s late father Ray, who lived in Yuquot for the majority of his life. Sanford credits his father for sharing stories that would inspire the creation of the pole’s figures, including the depiction of a wolf transforming into a killer whale. Ray passed in late October at the age of 80.

“I used to like talking with him about stuff like that,” reflected Sanford.

Sanford lives for most of the year in Hope, B.C., and was unable to attend the totem’s unveiling. But his brother Darrell Williams, who lives down the Inlet in Yuquot, was present to speak for the family.

“My dad was so proud of my brother for what he does for a living,” said Darrell before the crowd in Tahsis. “My dad would have been really proud to be here with all our people.”

‘They followed the ravens’

Inside the station another piece presents images deeply tied to Mowachaht/Muchalaht heritage. On the way into the building’s conference room a door carries the work of PatrickAmos, who on one side painted Chief Maquinna wearing a bearskin robe, with a whale harpoon, a float that was used to carry the animals to shore after they were hunted, a thunderbird and a lightning snake.

On the other side of the door a carving depicts First Nations people in a canoe, with two ravens flying overhead.Amos said the idea for the ravens came from a story he heard from a friend about a woman who went missing off Vancouver Island’s west cost about a decade ago. While visitingAhousaht, the friend and someone else performed a chant, resulting in four ravens circling overhead.

“He got his brother in law to get on the CB radio to tell people that we were looking for the missing lady fromAhousaht,” recalledAmos.

The ravens headed to Catface Mountain, ending at a location where the missing woman was found alive.

“They followed the ravens and they stopped right above where she was at,” saidAmos.

The door illustration was carved in red cedar, a material of choice forAmos, who has been making a living as an artist

for decades.

“We use cedar for everything,” he said.

“In the month of May you can start harvesting cedar bark, you can take a strip out of each tree so that your tree will still live.

The inner bark is used for clothing, for capes and dance regalia.And then the wood is used for making canoes, making homes, big houses, totem poles, everything.”

Aprolific river

For the Mowachaht/Muchalaht people, Tahsis was a seasonal home for this traditional lifestyle for thousands of years. Before the winter storms hit the outer coast, the tribe would relocate their village from Yuquot to the more sheltered site at the end of the Tahsis Inlet.

“This is our winter home, it’s our safety home,” said Dick.

The First Nation’s annual relocation to Tahsis is detailed in the writings of John.

R. Jewitt, a British blacksmith who was captured by Chief Maquinna for two years after the Mowachaht overtook the Boston in 1803 while the ship was anchored by Yuquot. Jewitt recounts when “the whole tribe” left Yuquot on Sept. 3, 1803 to travel 30 miles north up the Tahsis Inlet, “the navigation of which is very dangerous from the great number of reefs and rocks with which it abounds.”

“On these occasions everything is taken with them, even the planks of their houses, in order to cover their new dwellings,” continued Jewitt in his observations of the Mowachaht’s migration to Tahsis. “To a European, such a removal exhibits a scene

quite novel and strange: canoes piled up with boards and boxes, and filled with men, women and children of all ranks and sizes, making the air resound with their cries and songs.”

From the current coast guard station, Dick points across the inlet to a reserve where his ancestors benefitted from a productive river.

“Right beside the reserve is the river where we used to get all of our fish from,” he said.

Over 200 years ago, Jewitt documented the Mowachaht’s harvesting practices at the site.

“The salmon are taken at Tahsis, principally in pots or weirs,” wrote the British captive. “This pot or weir is placed at the foot of a fall or rapid where the water is not very deep, and the fish, driven from above with long poles, are intercepted and caught in the weir, from whence they are taken into the canoes. In this manner I have seen more than 700 salmon caught in the space of 15 minutes.”

The Grease Trail

Such a bounty enabled the Mowachaht to trade with their Kwakwaka’wakw neighbours directly north. The Kwakiutl regularly used a trading route from what is now

Alert Bay, via the Nimpkish River and Woss Lake. Known as “The Grease Trail”, this route ended with an overland passage from the mouth of Woss Lake to Tahsis, a walking trail extending 12 kilometres, according to information published by the Village of Tahsis.

“They used to pack their canoes all the way over this way, the Kwakiutl,” explained Dick. “They used to be able to go over to Yuquot.”

While the Mowachaht could produce large quantities of smoked salmon, their neighbours to the north brought Eulachon oil made from the small fish that are found in rivers within B.C.’s mainland.

“It turns into grease. We call it ƛiina,” said Dick. “It would be used for everything. It’s a medicine for a lot of our people. It keeps them healthy, it cleans their insides.”

Asong has even been shared that developed from the generations of travel along Vancouver Island’s Grease Trail to Tahsis.

“We got permission to sing it from the people ofAlert Bay,” said Dick. “It was given to us to use anytime we want to, because we’ve always been close to them, the Kwakiutl people…We have relatives there.”

PatrickAmos speaks about an illustration he painted on a door in the Tahsis coast guard station, which opened in 2020.

Family ties, survival of culture evident at @ictuuła

Coming of age ceremony honours 13-year-old, with family representation from throughout Vancouver Island

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Gold River, BC –Ayoung woman all dressed in white regalia is seated on a handmade wooden bench that she had just been carried into the room on. She is being honoured at theApril 8 ceremony as she reaches a new stage in life from childhood to womanhood, but also, she is taking in the teachings from the extended family that love her.

Thirteen-year-old Madison Lucas sits straight, taking in the songs and dances as her grandmothers, seated on each side of her, guide and protect. She listens intently and nods when speakers talk to her. She holds her hands up in praise at the end of each performance and speech.

The men’s powerful voices and the sounds of beating drums filled the room as dancers performed for young Madison. After each dance, a speaker would explain where the dance comes from and why they performed it.

Students from the Gold River Secondary School cultural class performed a song and dance that was composed by Stan Lucas, Madison’s great uncle. Stan Lucas told the group that he gave the song and headdresses to the students so that they can learn it and pass the teachings on. Emcee and floor manager Robert Watts did an excellent job explaining what was to happen and why. He praised the high school students on behalf of the hosts for rising to the challenge.

“You are keeping culture alive…there was a time when your parents and grandparents couldn’t do this, so your ancestors are proud of you,” he told them.

The Hanson family from Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/ Che:k’tles7et’h’performed a dance.

Standing with her family, Daisy Hanson reminded Madison to be proud of who she is. She said she hoped Madison would enjoy this opportunity to learn and to pass on what she knows.

Bill Oscar and family from Kyuquot honored Madison with a dance followed by more singing and dancing from the Johnson family of Mowachaht/Muchalaht. Standing with her Johnson family, MargaretAmos explained to Madison how all the people standing are related to her.

“We will always be here for you, Madison,” she added.

Madison Lucas is honoured at a ʕic̓tuuła, a coming of age potlatch, in Gold River onApril 8, with her extended family.

Madison comes from a large extended family. Her mother, Molly, has roots in Hupacasath, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ and Tseshaht through her natural parents. But she can also count Huu-ay-aht and Kyuquot through her stepfather, Ben Clappis and the foster parents, Pete and Daisy Hansen, she had growing up.

On her father’s side, Madison is connected to Mowachaht/Muchalaht and Hesquiaht. Her father, Brian Lucas Jr., is proud to say that when his mother Brenda married Sammy Johnson, the entire Johnson family took him as their own, giving him a strong connection to Mowachaht/ Muchalaht.

Lucas Jr. said he was estranged from his father, Brian Sr., for many years. He credits his wife Molly for bringing father and son together.

“She is our rock,” he said of Molly. Brian and Molly have a blended family. Brian has four other children, including two older daughters, but said he was in addiction when they became young women.

“I didn’t connect, culturally,” he said. But he always remembered the words of his late grandmother, Vi Johnson, when she held Madison for the first time.

“She said this baby will keep the family together and strong,” she told Brian and Molly.

For this reason, Madison’s ʕictuuła was held in Gold River, Mowachaht/ Muchalaht territory, in honour of Nan Vi Johnson.And most of the family wore shades of purple, her favorite color, in memory of her.

The Lucas’raised Madison in cultural teachings from the time she was in the womb. Brian said he would sing or play family songs next to Molly’s belly. When Madison was born, they did placenta and belly button ceremonies. Brian said he was proud when he saw that Madison recognized singers’voices and songs from a very young age.

Brian Lucas Sr. and some of his siblings were at the ceremony, singing and dancing for their granddaughter. Brian Jr. noted that his father’s aunt Mary was married into the Mowachaht/Muchalaht, further strengthening those ties.

Madison is culturally active and is being prepared for roles in her future, according to Brian Jr.

“We do this for her because we want her to hold her head up and be proud of who she is and where she comes from,”

he added.

Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’Ha’wilth

Eugene John acknowledged his connection to Madison in her family by singing a song composed by late Dennis John. He told Brian that he has permission to use the song when he needs to.

Both Madison and her mother Molly were given names from Johnny Williams. Molly was named Hoq Ya Tulth, meaning ‘coming in from the ocean’. Madison was named Hee See Qwa Nulth, meaning, ‘she’s along the beach’.

“I am grateful for the Ha’wiih that came all the way to Gold River to be here for this,” said Brian.

He thanks Mowachaht/Muchalaht for the ceremonial use elk tag and the Huuay-aht for the donation of salmon, which fed his guests good, traditional food.

The Lucas’together have seven children and are expecting their sixth grandchild very soon.

Looking back on how far he has come with his wife, Brian is grateful. He has this advice for young people: “Be gentle with your life and continue your education.”

Phrase†of†the†week:†%iih=iituk%itnaš†%a>†@itstuu>aa†%a>quu†c^Aaxtakš†up†>iimaqsti†%aqkin

Pronounced ‘eer he tok ish alth eeer it’s too lah alth koo chaatopksup tlee mia stee haa uck sup tlee mug stee haa qwa lit ee’, it means ‘when we have a “coming of age” for a young lady ,it is a very important event! Makes our heart and spirit’s very happy’Supplied by ciisma.

Illustration by Koyah Morgan-Banke

Denise Titian photo

Nearly $9 million invested for guardian programs

Province funds guardians, roles that are ‘keeping an eye on these sacred places’, says a Huu-ay-aht Wit Wak

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The provincial government recently announced an investment of $8.9 million, over a period of three years, for First Nations and the province to partner in the establishment of a guardianship training initiative.

“It supports, officially and importantly, things that have been going on in nations forever,” said Nathan Cullen, minister of Water, Lands, and Resources, in an interview with Ha-Shilth-Sa. “That is: having people out on the land and the water, observing, monitoring, protecting [and] enforcing - depending on which nation we’re talking about.”

Cullen explains that this funding opportunity answers what nations in British Columbia had been asking for: providing training opportunities and broadening the role for guardians.

The training will be designed “for the nation and by the nation” explains Cullen, and it will occur on their respective territories.

“This is going to happen within [their] territories and in a way that is culturally appropriate to the nations who are running the program,” said Cullen.

For Harry Brossault of Huu-ay-aht First Nation, he spends five days a week monitoring and protecting his ha’houlthee, as well as that of neighbouring nations, as a Wit Wak guardian for Cawak ʔqin Forestry.

“The benefits of the funding, it’s also not going to just help the nation or industry, it’s also going to help the community,” said Brossault. He explains that it benefits the commu-

nity because of the knowledge that Wit Wak guardians have about where to find devil’s club, yarrow, and when to harvest cedar bark, among others.

The Wit Wak guardians operate throughout TFL 44 defined forest area, which encompasses the territory of nations such as Huu-ay-aht, Ditidaht, Pacheedaht, Uchucklesaht, Hupacasath and Tseshaht, among others, said Brossault. Wit Wak guardians monitor these areas and ensure that the investments that nations are making in forestry are protected, he continued.

“It’s an honor to be able to assist another nation and I think it goes back to the way things were before where Huu-ayaht helps Tseshaht and vice versa, and it gets people back out onto the land,” said Brossault. “[We are] doing our best to ensure that our Ha’houlthee is being taken care of.”

Brossault shares that as a Wit Wak guardian, when he is driving through Nuu-chah-nulth territories in TFL 44 he helps drivers if they have broken down vehicles or need directions. He watches for people poaching firewood and monitors garbage from campers.

When Brossault notices a hazard on the roads he notifies his manager to get a crew in the area, and places signs for drivers to navigate safely.

He has also assisted with checking on big trees that are to be protected within the Ha’houlthee. With hazardous trees that have been taken down, he and his team have delivered firewood to elders.

Brossault said the knowledge of his Ha’houlthee that he’s gained from working as a Wit Wak guardian has benefitted him and those around him. He volun-

teers for the warrior youth group and has been able to bring youngsters out to their Ha’houlthee to harvest traditional medicine.

“I think it’s going to benefit many nations that can access funding for [it],” said Brossault of the new training program. “I get to drive up mountains, and possibly stand where some of my ancestors have stood before. I get to help take care of my territory and my neighboring territories as well.”

Duane Nookemis, councilor for Huuay-aht First Nation, said the guardian programs are enforced so that Huu-ayaht are aware of what happens in their Ha’houlthee. He explained some of these considerations were climate change, campers, fire bans, and protestors.

“I thought it was good for us to have some eyes out there to keep track of what’s going on, and document and to inform people of where they are, and what is expected of them as they camp or visit our area,” said Nookemis.

“I think [guardians] have a lot of responsibility when [they’re] out there. Not too many non-natives know the history of what they’re traveling through or whose territory they’re in [and] what spots are culturally significant to us and are important to us,” said Nookemis. “Alot of them don’t even know what the regulations are. So having a voice out there, explaining these things, and telling them where they are, I think is really important for us as a nation… It gives us a better idea of what’s going on and what we can do in the future to improve things.”

Cullen explains that guardianship programs are developed depending on the needs of the nation. The roles of guard-

ians are broad; some guardians take the role of compliance and enforcement, similar to a conversation officer or DFO official, while others participate in observation, monitoring, and collecting data within their Ha-houlthee, he continued.

“We make those agreements together between ourselves and the nation to get the guardian program right,” said Cullen. He explains that in order to restore land, enact conservation efforts, and bring back biodiversity, “having people out on the land and water is essential for that success.”

“Incorporating traditional knowledge into the decisions that get made, having that constant presence on the water and on the land is invaluable,” said Cullen. Additionally, Cullen said that having people on the ground to be the “eyes and ears” can help improve land and resource practices as well as ensure the agreements and decisions that have been made are implemented.

“I think [funding] brings the opportunity for… the First Nation perspective on what’s going on in our territories. I mean, the federal government [and] provincial governments - you don’t see them around [and] down in our remote areas that much patrolling or looking, keeping an eye on things,” said Nookemis.

“I think that’s the big part of the program, is keeping an eye on these sacred places and [culturally] significant places,” he continued. “Where you find your medicine and your plants, and all your other stuff that you use for medicine and traditional art.”

Submitted photo

Harry Broussault, a Wit Wak guardian with Huu-ay-aht First Nations, stands atop Heather Creek looking onto MountArrowsmith.

&Community Beyond

Wesco Food Society PortAlberni

Summer Market Group

April 21, 2023

Harbour Quay, PortAlberni

Every Friday night startingApril 7th until November. 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM. Local food, arts, crafts music and much more. For more information PortAlberni Summer Market Group -At the Harbour Quay | Facebook

Hesquiaht First Nation Band dinner

April 22, 2023

Hupacasath House of Gathering

3:00PM – 7:00PM Please Join us for Hesquiaht First Nation Band dinner in PortAlberni at the Hupacasath House of Gathering. Bring your shawls and drums! Dinner to be served at 5:00PM.

Food Talk with Jen the Dietician

April 27, 2023

Soaring Eagle

Nuu-Chah-Nulth teens named to Naig BC Team

Jamie-Leigh Lucas and Hayleigh Wa s of Port Alberni have been selected for 16U Team BC Softball roster

By Konnar Oliver Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

The NorthAmerican Indigenous Games (NAIG) will be taking place in July, held in host city Halifax, and this year two teens from the Nuu-chah-nulth area will be taking part.

Jamie-Leigh Lucas and Hayleigh Watts of PortAlberni have been selected for 16U Team BC Softball roster, following tryouts across the province.Athird Nuu-chah-nulth teen, Brynn Hawes, of Ladysmith, was also selected but has since had to decline.

The NAIG has a storied history that can be traced back as far as 1971, when the first Native Summer Games was held in Alberta. The NAIG as we know it now was first held in 1990.

“We would like to send out a huge congratulations to Jamie-Leigh Lucas and Hayleigh Watts, who have been chosen to represent Team BC at this years North American Indigenous Games in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They are teammates on the

u15B Blazers, and their commitment and dedication truly shows how hard work pays off,” says theAlberni Valley Minor SoftballAssociation in a post to their Facebook page.

Lucas and Watts join a prestigious group of Nuu-chah-nulth competitors at the games, of which four others have received medals for their respective sports.

“[We] have to thank all her coaches, uncles, aunties, siblings, [grandmas] and [grandpas], and everyone for helping her get to his level,” says Jeff Gallic, father of Lucas.

The 2023 games will feature more than 5,000 representatives from 756 different nations across NorthAmerica competing across 16 sports. Nova Scotia’s capital city Halifax will hold the majority of hosting responsibilities, alongside the city of Dartmouth and the Millbrook First Nation.

The games will run from July 15-23.All competitors are between the ages of 13 and 19.

Les Sam Construction

Bring your resume and prepare to be interviewed! Need a ride to the Career Fair? OnApril 27th, call United Cabs at (250) 723-2121, let them know you’re going to the Career Fair at theAthletic Hall, and the tab’s on us – so is your trip back home! Questions? Please call NETP at (250)723-1331 or WorkBC Centre Port Alberni at (250) 724-4560

Memorial Potlatch

May 6, 2023

Thunderbird Hall, Campbell River

We are extending an invitation to you and your family to join us as we celebrate the life of our late mother

MARGARET JACK and my perfect late son TREVORANTHONY JACK on May 6, 2023, starting at 10am at the Thunderbird Hall, 1420 Weiwaikum Road, Campbell River. If you have any questions, please messageAnita Baker on Facebook or text/call 778-676-1012

Loonie Toonie Fundraiser

May 6, 2023

Maht Mahs Gym, PortAlberni

10:00AM – 4:00 PM Tseshaht

haʔukw it ̓asin! (We’re going to eat!). Jen, the Dietitian, will be in the community on Thursday,April 27, to host a discussion about feeding young ones, gardening tips, and spring harvesting.Also, to answer any questions you may have. Meet Jen from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at Soaring Eagle.

Career Fair

April 27, 2023

AlberniAthletic Hall, PortAlberni

9:00AM – 3:00 PM. Nuu-chah-nulth

Employment and Training Program and WorkBC Centre are hosting a Career Fair. Free admission and door prizes!

Elders Fundraiser Loonie Toonie and Concession. Donations are appreciated and will be accepted until May 1, 2023. We are also looking for volunteers to assist on the floor and a team to take care of clean-up.All proceeds from this fundraiser will assist Tseshaht Elders with their travel expenses for upcoming event trips. For donations, volunteers, cleanup, or further information please contact: Elders Coordinator, Gina Pearson at 778421-8867 or gpearson@tseshaht.com

Marcy Keitlah Memorial Potlatch

September 23, 2023

PortAlberni, BC

Your hosts; Calvin Keitlah, Cory Frank, along with Grandparents Marilyn Watts and Rudy Watts Sr.

Looking for......

Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services are looking for individual/s or families who are interested in caregiving for teens with high-risk behaviors.

The Caregiver(s) would provide 24-hour care in a culturally safe and suppor ve environment, responding effec vely to challenging behaviours.

Compensa on would be built around the specific needs of the youth and the Caregiver, and could include both direct services and financial support to allow Caregivers to meet the needs of the youth.

For more informa on, please call Joni or Julia at 250-724-3232.

Submitted photo

Jamie-Leigh Lucas and Hayleigh Watts of PortAlberni have been selected for 16U Team BC Softball roster, following tryouts across the province.

Employment and Training

Port Alberni Friendship Centre Volunteers Needed

Need work experience? The Port Alberni Friendship Centre is looking for interested applicants for various positions. Call 250-723-8281

Tsunamis examined from an Indigenous perspective

New documentary tours Vancouver Island this spring, with stops in communities throughout the west coast

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Vancouver Island, BC – Ocean Networks Canada has produced a documentary film that explores the history of Pacific Northwest coast tsunamis with the goal of enhancing safety for today’s coastal communities.

Tsunami 11th Relative arose from the Northwest Vancouver Island Tsunami Risk Project, led by the Strathcona Regional District in partnership with local First Nations, Ocean Networks Canada, four municipalities, two regional districts and several stakeholders.

The First Nations involved in the project include Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k:tles7et’h’, Nuchatlaht, Ehattesaht/Chinehkint, Quatsino, and Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations.

The name of the film comes from a story shared by Hesquiaht carver Tim Paul, according to producer Pieter Romer.

“I learned from Nuu-chah-nulth artist, Tim Paul, who was taught by his grandmother, that sky, sun, moon, mountains, rivers, lakes, land, sea, wind, and stars are all our relatives,” he explained. “Earthquake/Tsunami is our 11th relative which is intended to teach humility - remind us of our place in this world and that we are the very smallest part of this universe.”

One of these stories includes a magnitude nine earthquake that occurred in the Cascadia subduction zone on January 26, 1700, producing a tsunami so large it reached the top of mountains. This knowledge has impacted modern practices, such as the practice of communities’

installing back-up solar power generation on higher ground.

According to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, the Cascadia Subduction Zone “megathrust” fault is a 1,000 kilometres-long dipping fault that stretches from Northern Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino California. It separates the Juan de Fuca and NorthAmerica plates. The Juan de Fuca plate moves toward, and eventually is shoved beneath, the continental NorthAmerican plate.

The documentary explores traditional Indigenous knowledge and ocean science,

combining the two so that communities can be better prepared for the “big one.”

Pieter Romer,who also serves as ONC Indigenous community liaison, saysAboriginal Peoples’survival and adaptations in the face of past devastating earthquakes and tsunamis are woven into the stories handed down through generations.

“We know in our family history that we are the survivors of the last big earthquake, the big tsunamis,” said Tim Paul.

Apreview clip of the film, featuring Nuchatlaht House SpeakerArchie Little, is posted on the Ocean Networks Canada

website.

“The Oceans Networks Canada (ONC) supported documentary shares Indigenous knowledge of past ‘great saltwater floods’that reached northwest Vancouver Island, told through a tapestry of stories set against the backdrop of the rich, natural beauty of the island,” reads and ONC media advisory.

Besides the great earthquake and tsunami of 1700, elders share knowledge of the 1964 tsunami that surged through Hot Springs Cove, PortAlberni, and Zeballos.

Besides its educational value, the film also preserves the oral history of local First Nations.

“Generational knowledge is a critical component in tsunami risk assessment as it helps us see the whole picture and mitigate future impacts in our communities,” said Romer, who is of Nisga’a descent.

Tsunami 11th Relative will be touring Vancouver Island fromApril to June 2023 with free public screenings. The tour started in PortAlberni on Friday, April 14 and finishes in Victoria, at UVic in early June.

Other stops include Kyuquot on May 2, Oclucje on May 3, Zeballos with two showings on May 4, Campbell River on May 5, Tsaxana on May 6 with another showing at the Gold River Community Hall and Tahsis on May 7.

Go to https://www.oceannetworks.ca/ news-and-stories/stories/new-documentary-explores-history-of-west-coasttsunamis-from-indigenous-perspective/ for a full list of showing dates, times and locations.

Declaration Act tests mineral claim system in court

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Vancouver, BC - The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesAct does not “give independent legal force” to its articles, states the province in its defence of a mineral claim system that brings no obligation to consult before mining in a First Nation’s territory.

Over the first two weeks ofApril the B.C. Supreme Court heard from the Ehattesaht/Chinehkint and Gitxaala First Nations, who assert that the province’s current means of granting mineral rights goes against its obligations under the DeclarationAct, or DRIPA, and Canada’s ConstitutionAct of 1982. Passed in November 2019, the DeclarationAct tasks the province to align its laws with the internationally recognized United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which includes the duty to acquire “free, prior and informed consent” to use or profit from the traditional territory of an Indigenous people.

But there is no obligation for someone to follow this under B.C.’s system of granting mineral rights. Currently any Canadian corporation, partnership or person over 18 who lives or is authorized to work in Canada can become a certified “free miner” after paying a fee of $25, according to the Mineral TenureAct.A claim can be made online by choosing a cell on a map and paying $1.75 per hectare with a credit card.

The claim holder is then “entitled to those minerals…that are held by the government and that are situated vertically downward from and inside the boundaries of the claim,” according to the provincial legislation.After a year the claim

expires, but exploration and development work renews it, as does paying another fee. Mineral rights can also be transferred to another person.

The legal limit for extraction by any “free miner” is 100,000 tonnes of ore a year, beyond which a large-scale permit is required by the province, according to calculations provided by the Gitxaala’s legal team.

Meanwhile, First Nations that have called these claim areas home for thousands of years are being left out of the equation. The Ehattesaht’s concerns go back to 2018, when exploratory mining done by Forest Crystals exceeded what the company was authorized to do in the area near Zeballos, states documents submitted to the court by the First Nation. From January 2020 toApril of last year 32 mineral claims were registered in Ehattesaht territory, issued to GMR

Global Mineral Resources Corporation, Almehri Mining and Privateer Gold. Amid this surge in interest, the First Nation proposed an agreement with the provincial government that aligned with the DeclarationAct, but no deal was made, according to the Ehattesaht’s filing.

“For many years, Ehattesaht have witnessed the entry into their land, and, the use, exploitation, and extraction of resources in their Ha-Hahoulthee without Ehattesaht’s consent and without recognition of Ehattesaht’s prior use and ownership,” states the First Nation’s submission to the court. “Individually and cumulatively, resource development activities negatively affect the environment and animals on which Ehattesaht rely for the exercise of theirAboriginal rights.”

“B.C.’s Mineral TenureAct is the root cause of a host of problems,” said Jamie Kneen of MiningWatch Canada in a

statement, who is also co-chair of the BC Mining Law Reform Network. “It disregards Indigenous rights and allows claims to be staked in almost anyone’s backyard, without their knowledge, much less consent.”

“In this day and age, the fact that someone can huddle over their keyboard in a dark basement and file mineral claims over tens of thousands of acres of Indigenous lands – without any consultation whatsoever, and without any notification – is a complete, egregious violation of the DeclarationAct, and it’s unacceptable,” stated Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.

The B.C. Supreme Court heard the cases of both the Ehattesaht and Gitxaala First Nations at the same time. The First Nations await the court’s decision in the months ahead.

Tim Paul image

Carver Tim Paul contributed his perspective to the new documentary, sharing that the earthquake is our 11th relative which intends to teach humans humility.

Eric Plummer photo

The area around Zeballos attracted a wave of gold prospectors in the 1930s, but for countless generations the Ehattesaht has looked to quartz crystals in its territory with a “central cultural and spiritual significance,” according to the First Nation’s court documents.

Kelp forests foundational to coastal ecosystems

Warming oceans and sea urchin overpopulation have put 40 to 60 per cent of the world’s kelp forests in decline

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Thriving in cool water temperatures, kelp forests cover over a quarter of the world’s coastlines, with Canada having the longest, says Marissa Ng, Seaforestation Project Coordinator for Ocean Wise. Of Canada’s 243,042-kilometre long coastline, British Columbia makes up 25,725.

“In the Pacific Northwest, kelp forests are a foundation species. Similar to salmon, they’re important for the health of the coastal ecosystem,” said Ng. “They’re also foundation species because they’re so abundant up and down the coast and much like forests on land, marine forests - kelp forest - they provide food and shelter for thousands of marine species.”

According to Ocean Wise, 40 to 60 per cent of the world’s kelp forests are in decline.

This decline is due to “ocean warming and urchin overpopulation,” reads a press release from the organization.

Stevie Dennis is co-founder of Naas Foods, which sells organic kelp harvested in Clayoquot Sound. He noted that sea otters, which are a keystone species, were hunted nearly to the brink of extinction by the early 20th century. During this time sea urchins overpopulated and destroyed kelp forests along the coast. When sea otters were reintroduced decades later, near Kyuquot, kelp forests came back, he continued.

With the regrowth of kelp forests, they acted as a nursery and habitat for small fish such as herring, salmon, and rockfish,

Sea otters float in kelp near Kyuquot. Otters are closely tied to the presence of kelp forests, as they prey on sea urchins. forests, says NOAA.

said Dennis.

“All these things have all been connected forever,” said Dennis.

According to the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAssociation (NOAA), kelp forests remain threatened by marine grazers, such as sea urchins, when predators are lacking in the area. The mere presence of predators discourages the foraging of a marine grazer.

Due to the cool water temperatures that kelp require for growth, the warming of ocean waters is a significant threat to kelp

According to association, the dense biodiversity within kelp forests form “the basis for a rich ecosystem.”

Dennis, a member ofAhousaht First Nation, has spent his entire life working on the water. From surf instructor to the Canadian Coast Guard to fisherman, he’s always felt his livelihood was connected to the ocean.

“The connection towards myself and the traditional ways that people, let’s say, made a living around here, I just fell into suit. It’s what I do,” said Dennis.

“As I work within this industry, I learn more and more about how important [kelp] is,” said Dennis, when asked about the importance of kelp to Nuu-chah-nulth culture.

When war was approaching, nations would go to islands that were surrounded by kelp so that enemy canoes were unable to get to shore, said Dennis.

“[Kelp is] a versatile tool that can be used for a lot of different things,” he added.

He said that different types of kelp have been used for food and material, such as steaming fish, making rope and rattles.

Naas Foods currently harvests wild kelp, though Dennis is in the final stages of getting approval for a kelp farm located inAhousaht territory. With wild kelp, Dennis strictly follows harvesting regulations that contribute to sea kelp sustainability, he said, being careful to not cut too much of the plant and interfere with its growth, which can be 10 centimetres a day.

“It ticks all the boxes in putting your green foot forward,” said Dennis.

Like above-ground forests, kelp presents a possibility to help change the trend of global warming.

“Kelp forests also have the potential to sequester significant amounts of carbon to potentially help mitigate the impacts of climate change,” said Ng. “However, I think there’s still a lot of research to be done to actually quantify that.”

Through the Seaforestation initiative, Ocean Wise recently announced the opening of a kelp nursery at the Pacific Science Enterprise Centre in West Vancouver. The project aims to grow and restore kelp while also acting as a research hub by testing the plant’s seed production. By deploying seed restoration efforts can be assessed, while also providing community members opportunities for experience to work in kelp restoration, reads the Ocean Wise statement.

The kelp nursery will be set up outside in a tent with filtered seawater. Ocean Wise will be conducting a variety of tests with different variables that will help kelp grow, while also using what is grown in restoration projects, said Ng.

“At Ocean Wise, we’re working to restore kelp habitat for multiple reasons,” said Ng. “Kelp forests protect biodiversity. We also want to support coastal and Indigenous food security and livelihoods, and kelp forests also have the potential to sequester significant amounts of carbon to potentially help mitigate the impacts of climate change.”

Kevin Head photo