Walter’s Cove Resort reopens

Photo submitted by KCFN Group of Businesses Walter’s Cove Resort is scheduled to reopen June 23, with a new fl oating facility in Kyuquot Sound that is expected to be towed from Vancouver at the end of May. Walter’s Cove Resort reopens this June in Kyuquot

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Kyuquot, BC - After being closed for two years over the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nation’s resort is reopening this summer with a larger facility and future plans to become more than a fi shing lodge. Walter’s Cove Resort is expected to welcome its fi rst guests of the year on June 23, in a new fl oating facility anchored one kilometre south the First Nation’s village of Houpsitas in Kyuquot Sound. Recently leased by Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/ Che:k’tles7et’h’ from Vancouver Island Forest and Marine, the Englefi eld Lodge is currently sitting under the Alex Fraser bridge in Vancouver, but by the end of the month is expected to begin its journey across the Salish Sea and up the west coast of Vancouver Island to its new home in Kyuquot Sound. The resort’s new barge facility off ers 15,000 square feet of accommodation, with 23 rooms, 50 beds, a dining room, lounge, kitchen and gym. The Englefi eld was most recently used as an accommodation barge for forestry workers operating in remote locations of the West Coast, but since it was built in 2000, it has mostly served as a fi shing lodge. It was previously owned by Haida Enterprise Corporation, which operated the facility in Haida Gwaii until 2017. The Englefi eld has more than double the capacity of the old Water’s Cove facility, a nine-room building on stilts that still sits on Walter’s Island. Structural problems forced the initial closure of the resort in early 2020, then the COVID-19 pandemic stretched the shutdown to two years. But with travel opening up in the province as most pandemic restrictions have been lifted, the larger facility brings big hopes for the First Nation to reclaim its stake in the tourism industry, said the resort’s general manager Terry Schultz. “We’re excited to get back into the game,” he said. “It’s been a tough couple of years with COVID.” For this season, less than half of the Englefi eld will be used, due to number of boats the resort has available for guests. But until the facility is expected to close on Sept. 4, 85 per cent of the rooms designated for used are already booked, putting the resort on target for over $1 million in proceeds. “We’ve already hit our revenue target that we had for our budget for this year,” said Schultz. Despite the two-year shutdown, all but fi ve of the 18 staff are returning from when Walter’s Cove was last open, 11 of whom are Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ members. Although Walter’s Cove Resort serves primarily as a fi shing lodge, with the new facility the First Nation hopes to bring more of an authentic cultural and environmental experience that could only be off ered in Kyuquot Sound. “Fishing will be one of many experiences in the Kyuquot Sound,” said Gary Wilson, chief executive and economic development offi cer with the KCFN Group of Businesses. “Whether it’s kayaking or hiking or just travelling the coast to see the history, mother nature and all the other parts of the area - rather than just going on the water and throwing a hook in ocean and hoping to catch a fi sh - there’s more to [Kyuquot] Sound and Che:k’tles7et’h’ territory than fi shing. We want to give the visitors a much broader experience.” “We want concentrate on eco and cultural tourism, and just having fi shing as one of the activities you can do while you’re there,” added Schultz. “With that we can expand our season. Right now our season is limited by when the fi shing is at it’s best, because we’re operating strictly as a fi shing lodge.” Schultz estimates the resort’s guests are split evenly between Canadians and Americans. Approximately 70 per cent of the Canadian guests come from B.C., with the remainder usually from Alberta and Ontario, he said. Many visitors are fl own in via Sea Air from Vancouver, and boats also pick up guests from Fair Harbour. “We get corporate business of companies that want to reward employees or important clients,”’ said Schultz. “We also get families, we get groups of fi shing buddies, we get some couples.” “It’s an opportunity to be on the water, close to the elements,” said Wilson. “The challenge of catching the salmon or other fi sh in the territory and have that experience, it’s certainly a contrast going from a busy life to that lifestyle for a little while.”

Pronounced ‘Aaa ya palth ish alth koo koo whir sa haa um it ish alth haa ook’, it means, ‘There is lots of seals around in the waters, they were so food to eat! ’. Supplied by ciisma.

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Kyuquot, BC - With the aim of developing a more “sustainable, conservationbased economy”, the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/ Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations have bought a tourism business with 50 years of operating in its territory. On May 10 the First Nation’s KCFN Marina and Campground Limited Partnership announced the acquisition of West Coast Expeditions, a company that has been off ering guided wilderness retreats in Kyuquot Sound since 1972. With its base camp on Spring Island southwest of the village of Houpsitas, West Coast Expeditions off ers kayaking tours ranging in duration from four to an eight-day journey to the Brooks Peninsula, which is northwest of Kyuquot. Guests stay in tents with raised beds in a camp equipped with showers, a dining area and a chef-run kitchen. “There’s a network of trails that we maintain on the island, as well as the incredible coastal hiking and shoreline exploring, including intertidal life,” said Dave Pinel, a past co-owner of the company with Caroline Fisher and Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ member Beverly Michel, who currently manage the operation as the First Nation undergoes the ownership transition.

Photos submitted by West Coast Expeditions West Coast Expeditions off ers guided tours through Kyuquot Sound, some venturing as far north as Brooks Peninsula.

“A big raft of up to 200 sea otters has been slowly increasing in the area,” said Fisher. “That’s a big draw for folks as well.” Many guests are from various parts of British Columbia, but visitors also venture from the northwestern United States as well as Germany, Britain and the Netherlands, with some groups coming from as far away as Australia and Japan. “Part of the attraction is to be unplugged from the internet and cell phones,” added Pinel. “It helps people reset in what seems to be a more entangled and confusing world.” The former owner noted that guests are always introduced to the cultural importance of the territory they will be exploring, and connections with locals continue throughout their stay, including the weekly salmon dinners hosted by the Jules family. “It’s unscripted, it’s conversations, it’s learning about life in the remote location,” said Pinel. “Last summer we started doing some language and cultural conversations with Tessie Smith, who is one of the Nuu-chah-nulth language instructors.” The First Nation’s ownership of the company serves as a progressive localizing of the operation, as West Coast Expeditions looks to be run by more Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ members in the future. It was started in 1972 by the late Jerry Lang, an Okanagan College biology teacher who off ered excursions with a marine biology theme to areas that were not impacted by the last ice age. Although the tourism company only operates for three and a half months of the year, the First Nation hopes that the acquisition will lead to a more diverse economy beyond resource extraction industries. “KCFN leadership was in full support of the acquisition, recognizing the long-term success of WCE and the opportunities it could provide to the nation and citizens in terms of economic development and employment,” said the nation’s Legislative Chief Tony Hansen in a statement. “Forestry defi nitely provides the most revenue for the businesses at this point,” said Gary Wilson, CEO and economic development offi cer for the KCFN Group of Businesses. “The nation’s vision is to have a sustainable, conservation-based economy. So we’ve got to start the balance there and make sure that those extractive businesses are done in a fashion that’s going to be respectful of the values of the nation.” Tours are almost completely booked for the summer, and more than 80 per cent of West Coast Expeditions’ guests this year are returning customers, noted Wilson. “We recognise that tourism in itself is not going to be able to sustain all of operations or the economy, but it certainly will be a means to other opportunities and partnerships with respect to the group of businesses and the citizens,” said Wilson, who is looking to the potential of West Coast Expeditions to grow its following. “For protocol purposes and out of respect for the nations, we want to make sure that what we’re off ering is authentic to Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’. That’s something that will unfold over the next couple of years.” A few years ago WCE guests experienced a particularly authentic stay when it was discovered they were sharing Spring Island with a pack of 11 wolves. “They were amazing neighbours,” recalled Pinel. “The wolves don’t look to humans as a food item or food source unless we train them to do so. Let them forage successfully, if they’re clearly circulating [let them] harvest from the intertidal area or the forest.” “We were very careful. We never left anything out that would appeal to them in any way,” said Fisher. “Toiletries were put away in Rubbermaid containers so there was nothing they could smell.” Pinel added that the group discouraged the wolves from coming too close to the camp. “Our seven-year-old son used to chase away the alpha female and the young pups and they would respond to that,” he said. “I think the wolves are more stressed out by us being there than us by them.”

Another month has passed very quickly with so much going on all over Nuuchah-nulth territories. May 5th marked the day to mark Murdered, Missing Indigenous Women and girls (MMIWG). Every year a day is set aside to do something signifi cant to remember the MMIWG and to raise awareness that the issue has not been resolved and the governments are not doing much, if anything, to implement the recommendation of the MMIWG inquiry. All across Canada, there were marches and gatherings and ceremonies to commemorate this day. In Nuu-chah-nulth territories there was a walk in Port Alberni and then a gathering at Char’s Landing. Many families shared their stories of loved ones gone missing, what happened and whether anything was being done to fi nd them or what injustices still continue. MMIWG negatively impacts families, communities and all of Nuu-chah-nulth. In some cases, their loved one has been missing for years and still the families look for them and bring awareness to their years of not knowing. Such loss is hard to describe and it is heartbreaking to hear the stories. Mariah Charleson spoke and said that as Indigenous women, we are 12 times more likely to go missing or murdered. That is a harsh statistic. Prevention is the best possible thing for us and teaching our girls and women how to be safe and practicing safety to reduce the risk is one possible way to stop this. When I spoke, I talked about how regardless, we must all speak out and keeping telling the governments and police we want and need better. As Nuu-chah-nulth we must also do whatever we can to talk about the injustices that continue. Another important event this month was that two people were charged in relation to the death of Dontay Lucas, who was 6 at the time. It took the justice system four years to charge two people with fi rst-degree murder. Four years is far too long for this to have happened. The vice president and I have done a lot of politicking and lobbying to move this process. The police investigation took around two years and then it had to go to the local Crown counsel to recommend charges that had to be approved at the regional Crown. Why it took so long going through these processes is unknown and unjust. The police have to have all their evidence in place before charging people because if it takes too long to get to court, then charges can be dropped. They did not want that to happen in this case involving a young child and did everything they could to ensure all the evidence they needed was gathered. Through the years, we have pushed and inquired as to the status of this fi le. In fact in January, we had a meeting with the Attorney General of B.C. and brought his attention to the slowness of this case. Many are relieved that charges have gone through, but now there may be a long wait for a trial if those charged do not plead guilty. This could still take some time to be resolved. The legislative committee on police reform tabled their report in early May. It took two years to go around the province and make recommendations on how policing should be done. Their biggest recommendation was to do away with the RCMP and bring in a new provincial force that would be non-racist, better trained and have a mental health component to deal with incidences involving mental health. They plan to talk to every First Nation and ask them how they want policing done in their community. They are open to Indigenous police forces within our communities. This kind of thing, bringing in a new police force, could take up to 10 years and lots of money. B.C. has an agreement with the RCMP for another 10 years. My comment on this new police force is the police are the police are the police. We need positive changes now and not to wait for 10 years. We are working with the RCMP and will continue to work with the RCMP to make changes we need. As Nuu-chah-nulth, we can discuss how we want policing done now and into the future. The province wants to make changes but I question whether they will make the radical changes including racism, policing mental health issues, etc. The province also tabled Bill 24, the anti racism data legislation. They want to be able to allow public bodies to collect date to help eliminate systemic racism and advance racial equality. People do not have to give their consent to providing this kind of information. They plan to put in place culturally safe collection and use of disclosure information. There will be systems put in place to monitor how public bodies gather information and give guidance to the minister. I participated in one session where we were able to react to the ideas and then to review the legislation and make comments. Still do not think B.C. is doing enough to work with First Nations prior to tabling legislation and there needs to be more opportunities to help develop laws that would be benefi cial for First Nations. I was able to speak on two panels through Zoom at a Rural and Remote Communities Clean Energy Conference that was happening in Whitehorse, Yukon. Several of our communities are still on diesel and eff orts need to be made to provide them with the resources they need to build clean energy projects and to build capacity in order to develop these projects. People attended from all over Canada and there were many great conversations on what people are doing, what they still need to do and how to involve youth. Looking forward to more projects being built in Nuu-chah-nulth communities. We are doing a one-day dialogue on how Nuu-chah-nulth can get involved in UNDRIP on May 25th. Tune in on Zoom, check on the links on our website and the Ha-shilth-sa Facebook page.

-Cloy-e-iis, Judith Sayers

Tseshaht First Nation Employment Opportunity CHILD & FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER (TEMPORARY FULL-TIME) The Tseshaht First Nation Administration Offi ce is now accepting applications for a temporary full-time Child & Family Support Worker position. ……………………………………………………………………………………… POSITION SUMMARY Reporting to the Social Development & Health Services Manager, this position supports members on and off reserve requiring Child & Family support services. This position supports prevention services for Child & Family Services matters. As a community-based resource, this position supports children & families, with navigating the child and family serving systems, with all matters pertaining to Tseshaht Children in Care, Family Service plans, and referrals to child & family support services. This position interacts regularly with the USMA Child & Family Services, Ministry of Children & Family Development, Court Services, and other agencies relevant to CFS matters.

HOW TO APPLY Submit a cover letter, resume and three (3) current references to: Tseshaht First Nation, Attention: Victoria White, Executive Director by mail: 5091 Tsuma-as Drive, Port Alberni BC, V9Y 8X9; or by email: vshrimpton@tseshaht.com CLOSING DATE: June 8, 2022

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

Tseshaht First Nation Employment Opportunity YOUTH & RECREATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR The Tseshaht First Nation Administration Offi ce is now accepting applications for the position of Recreation & Youth Programs Coordinator. This is a full-time position at 75 hours bi-weekly (37.5 hours per week) with some weekend and holiday hours required. ……………………………………………………………………………………… RESPONSIBILITIES The Recreation & Youth Programs Coordinator reports to the Education Coordinator and is responsible to develop, schedule, and coordinate the delivery of a comprehensive range of Youth Programs and Community Recreation services with a primary focus on enhancing the health, wellbeing and development of Tseshaht Youth, including seasonal sports and recreational activities, delivery of before and after school and youth programs, monitoring and operation of the day to day operations of the Youth Centre facility; planning, scheduling, and supervising the use of the Gym and Fitness Centre; and planning, scheduling, and participating in the delivery of community recreational events.

HOW TO APPLY Submit a cover letter, resume and three (3) current references to: Tseshaht First Nation, Attention: Victoria White, Executive Director by mail: 5091 Tsuma-as Drive, Port Alberni BC, V9Y 8X9; or by email: vshrimpton@tseshaht.com CLOSING DATE: June 8, 2022

By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Port Alberni, BC - The Coastal Restoration Society (CRS) is looking to train and hire at least 12 individuals for coastal remediation activities in Barkley Sound and Clayoquot Sound. The CRS Coastal Restoration society is an organization that supports resource management and environmental stewardship goals of First Nations, as well as provincial and federal governments. Their services include marine-industrial project development and implementation, scientifi c monitoring and assessment, aquatic invasive species management and control, and climate change mitigation in the marine environment. The upcoming training to be a part of the CRS is free and successful applicants will be paid as an employee of the society during the entirety of the training, which will occur in Port Alberni at North Island College. Upon completion of the training, full-time employment with CRS will commence immediately. Training starts June 6, running until June 25 and applications are due May 23. “We’ve partnered with North Island College here in Port Alberni to off er all the training that you need to become a technician to work on our restoration projects that we’re focusing on on the west coast of Vancouver Island this year,” said Joshua Charleson, senior project manager with CRS. “The successful applicants will be hired as employees, so they will actually be getting paid to do the training, and then once the training is fi nished they will be enrolled in full-time

Photo by Karly Blats The Coastal Restoration Society scans the Alberni Inlet for abandoned ghost gear and garbage in February. The society is currently accepting applications for 12 individuals to receive paid training which would lead to employment. employment on our projects on the west coast.” Training will include marine fi rst aid, small vessel operator courses, Med A3, ROCM, WHIMIS, transportation of dangerous goods, Wildsafe, swift water rescue and rigging and swimming. Charleson said projects the CRS are working on include large scale shoreline cleanups, removal of derelict vessels, moving abandoned aquaculture sites and ghost gear surveys and retrieval. “The ghost gear is abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fi shing gear and then we also work with controlling invasive species, so we do the monitoring and trapping of invasion European green crabs,” Charleson said. “In Port Alberni we’re working on putting in an application for shoreline cleanups in Barkley Sound and then we’ve done ghost gear surveys in the canal in February, so we’re hoping that will continue after the training.” Charleson said preliminary surveys the CRS has conducted for ocean garbage have been shocking. He said everywhere they’ve looked, they’ve found the presence of abandoned ghost gear and copious amounts of garbage. “Everything from huge lengths of rope, cable, batteries, bicycles, shopping carts…there’s just an incredible amount of debris on the bottom of the ocean and our main focus is to target all of that and deal with it appropriately,” he said. Charleson said with all the garbage in the ocean, training and hiring 12 new individuals will help streamline coastal remediation projects. Anyone who is interested in joining the CRS, is encouraged to apply to Charleson by email at jcharleson@coastalrestore. com. “Our entire society has a First Nations fi rst policy. So I shared [the training opportunity] with as many of the First Nations on the coast as I could, all throughout Nuu-chah-nulth,” Charleson said. “Our focus is to bring these employment and capacity opportunities to First Nations.” Charleson added they are also looking to hire an experienced excavator operator who can also email him to apply. The CRS’s eff orts to clean up the coast align with Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns’ parliamentary motion for a national ocean plastics strategy that passed unanimously in the House of Commons three and a half years ago. Although Johns said progress on the strategy has been slow, it would include funding for ocean and shoreline cleanup eff orts and regulations around consumer and industrial use of single use plastics to try and keep them out of the ocean and off beaches.

By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Hot Springs Cove, BC – Members of the Hesquiaht First Nation are a little less fretful these days. That’s because offi cials from their community have taken some recent measures to better prepare for any possible disasters. Back in 1964 the Hesquiaht community of Hot Springs Cove was virtually destroyed after an Alaskan earthquake, which measured 9.2 on the Richter scale. That earthquake created a tsunami and when it reached British Columbia’s west coast. It wiped out almost all homes in the Hot Springs Cove community. Luckily, no Hesquiaht lives were lost that day. Fast forward to today, and Hesquiaht members are now much better equipped to handle any similar disasters. Thanks to a grant from Indigenous Services Canada, Hesquiaht recently installed a siren in its community that is able to alert members of any possible dangers. “They researched diff erent types of sirens,” said Casey Larochelle, an emergency planning co-ordinator with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. “They were really debating a siren or a mobile system. It made more sense to have a siren up a pole.” A funding request for the siren, which cost slightly more than $100,000, was sent to Indigenous Services Canada in 2020. The pandemic, however, signifi cantly delayed the shipment of the siren and the ensuing installment. But Hesquiaht members have now had the siren in their community for several months. And they are fully aware of what to do in case of an emergency. Community members participated in a recent drill, which was called the Tsunami Walk. “They leave their homes and they walk to the school,” said Bernard Charleson, Hesquiaht’s emergency operations centre director, explaining the local school is on higher ground than homes in the community. About 60 people (which is the majority of those who live in the community) took part in the Tsunami Walk. A question and answer session at the school about the First Nation’s emergency preparedness followed. “We had trucks for elders with mobility issues,” Charleson added. “And they had an option to stay at home, but it was monitored.” Students from the local school also participated in the Tsunami Walk, which was held on a Tuesday morning. Charleson is Hesquiaht’s main point of contact if there are any signs of possible danger to the community. “He eats, lives and breathes emergency management,” Larochelle said. In fact, Charleson is basically on call 24-7. He has a console set up in his home which can trigger the siren and he can be reached by provincial authorities who would warn him if there is a need, for whatever reason, to take precautions. “There are still restrictions on it,” Charleson said of Hesquiaht’s siren. “You can’t just activate it.” Charleson said there has long been a need for a better warning system in place for the community. He said previous leadership never acted upon improving the system, perhaps because of a lack of information that it had. The new siren, however, is a vast improvement from the way things were handled in the past when a boat would go around at night urging local residents to get to safety. A major tsumani scare occurred in early 2018. “We didn’t have other means of alerting the village,” Charleson said. “It’s really, really, really remote where we are.” But now, if need be, the siren once activated can be heard throughout the community and beyond. “People around us know something is happening,” Charleson said. Larochelle said Hesquiaht has also been

Submitted photo Hot Springs Cove residents sit together at the community’s school after participating in the Tsunami Walk on March 30. taking other measures to improve its emergency preparedness in the community. For example, there are about a dozen fi reboxes in Hot Springs Cove, which need to be upgraded. “We’re hoping to replace all the items,” Larochelle said. Other improved measures for Hesquiaht include the construction of a helipad next to the school to airlift community members requiring hospitalization. With the local helipad, those who require medical help can be fl own to a hospital in Victoria, Nanaimo or Courtenay. “With the weather here it can be quite treacherous going around by open sea,” Charleson said, adding the ability to fl y those who need assistance is much more desireable.