Red Dress Day at Sutton Pass

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Sutton Pass, BC – A carved wooden sign at Sutton Pass summit marks the entrance to Tla-o-qui-aht territory. That is where a small group of people gathered to remember Nuu-chah-nulth loved ones that are missing or were murdered in an event organized by Nora Martin of Tla-oqui-aht. May 5 is recognized across Canada as a national day of awareness for missing and/or murdered Indigenous women and girls. Also known as Red Dress Day, individuals across the country hang red dresses in highly visible places to draw attention to the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, trans and two-spirit individuals in Canada. On May 5 Aboriginal groups and their supporters across Canada are promoting awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) has documented 582 cases since the 1960s, but says there are likely many more. The people of Tla-o-qui-aht remember eight of their members that are missing or were murdered in recent years. “That is a lot for our nation,” said organizer, Nora Martin. Martin is a health liaison worker for her nation, but she also volunteers her time to support grieving community members, organizing public events like the red dress gathering that took place on Sutton Pass on the morning of May 5. When she began planning the event more than three weeks earlier she wasn’t aware that the road would be closed for the day due to a highway construction project. That meant that there was no passing traffi c to see the colourful signs and dresses that were on display. But it made for a quiet and solemn event as family remembered their loved ones taken too soon. A brisk mountain breeze kept the red dresses, hung in trees, fl uttering above a bed of wild bleeding-hearts. A cleansing ceremony and prayer was performed by Josie Johnston and her son before John Lucas off ered a prayer. It

Photo by Denises Titian The May 5 gathering by Highway 4 at Sutton Pass was one of many held across Canada in recognition of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. was Lucas’ step son, Julian Jones, that was shot by police at his family home in Opitsaht earlier this year. Following the highway-side ceremony, the event was moved to Port Alberni’s 3rd Avenue, where the people marched with their banners, signs and red dresses. Martin said they would be joined by people of Tseshaht and Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ and would wind up their event at the Walmart parking lot on Johnston Road. Martin said it is her hope that her people will form a society. One of her goals is to make a quilt featuring the faces of lost Nuu-chah-nulth loved ones. “I hope it can be used as an educational tool in the future,” said Martin. Martin is always there to lend a hand when it comes to the MMIWG movement. It has been nearly a year since her grandniece, Chantel Moore, was shot by police in a wellness check in New Brunswick and the family still has no answers. “Our people are angry…frustrated,” said Martin. She said TFN elder Rose Tom lost her son several years ago in Tofi no’s RCMP cells. Back then, recommendations were made to prevent things like that from happening again but, according to Martin, none of the recommendations were implemented. Despite her own personal loss, Martin helps others. “I write letters on their behalf,” she shared. Of the dozens of letters written to politicians, she says she’s only ever received two responses. “It’s like we don’t matter…who cares? So, what?” She referred to a recent boat incident where two Ahousaht elders drifted for about three hours before they were rescued by Tla-o-qui-aht men after the Coast Guard failed to respond. “It’s like Eddie and them on the ocean, nobody cares no matter what we do,” said Martin. Of the police shooting death of Julian Jones in Opitsaht earlier this year, Martin said people are now afraid to call the police. She said people now feel fear when the RCMP are in their communities. NTC Vice-President Mariah Charleson spoke at the gathering. She said that Canada is, in fact, a place where genocide persists against Indigenous people. She told the people that, together, we will be a big part of change in the country. TFN Councilor Corine Ortiz-Castro (Martin) spoke on behalf of council, vowing to stand together with the grieving families and to be a voice for their lost loved ones. The gathering ended with a self-composed healing song performed by Eugene Antoine of Tla-o-qui-aht.

Pronounced Walth silth ish alth His it / mi alth Milth sha alt koo, it means ‘The salmon come home when the rains come.’. Supplied by ciisma.

By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Port Alberni, BC – Though the COVID-19 pandemic has had a signifi cant impact on its operations, Chims Guest House has received some prestigious recognition. The Port Alberni business, which was opened in July of 2018 by Tseshaht First Nation member Naomi Nicholson, was a fi nalist this year in the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) annual commercial business awards. This marked the 14th year of the VIREB awards, which were held virtually this year. Winners were announced on May 7. A total of 45 projects were nominated for the awards this year. They were vying for top honours in 11 categories. Chims Guest House was one of fi ve fi nalists in the Hospitality category. The winner in this category was Tofi no’s Hotel Zed. “It’s a really big deal,” Nicholson said of the awards. She added simply being a nominee is great recognition. Chims Guest House was the only Port Alberni business nominated in any of the categories. “These projects are huge,” Nicholson said of some of the other award nominees. Nicholson’s husband Ed became a partner in the business this past November. She believes the fact Chims was a fi nalist in its category is also signifi cant as she believes the Nicholsons are the only Indigenous couple operating a business together that was nominated for an award. The VIREB awards celebrate the best commercial, community and industrial buildings north of the Malahat. In order to be eligible for the 2020 awards, nominees were required to have upgrades at their facilities done between January 1

Photo by Darren Chaisson/Chaisson Creative Naomi and Ed Nicholson are the owners/operators of Chims Guest House in Port Alberni. and December 31 of last year. few years and faced many tribulations Though she obviously would have pre- along the way,” Nicholson said. “Small ferred to have Chims Guest House win its businesses face diff erent challenges comcategory, Nicholson said she was pleased pared to corporations, so this recognition once she found out who did win. for our million-dollar investment to the “I’ve met the lady from Hotel Zed and Alberni Valley means a lot.” she’s wonderful,” Nicholson said. “She’s Before renovations took place, Chims all about building up other women.” Guest House consisted of a 550-square Nicholson was nominated for the award foot facility, which off ered Indigenousby family friend Brittany Larsen, who themed experiences to visitors, some owns and operates Ability Wealth Man- coming from out of province. agement in Port Alberni. Because of the pandemic, however, Nicholson said Chims’ recent renova- Chims shut down in March of 2020 and tions have surpassed the $400,000 fi gure. was closed for six months. The renovation project was dubbed Isola- It reopened last September but only to tion Vacations. individual locals who stayed on short“We have worked really hard the past term (at least 30 days) rental agreements. Chims’ renovations included adding a second 400-square foot guest house. That opened in February this year, again available only to locals on a short-term rental deal. Chims also added three RV sites to its facility. Current renovations at Chims, located on Highway 4, are in their fi nal phase now. Nicholson said paving and drainage work is now being done and gates are also being installed. “Hopefully by July everything will be totally done,” Nicholson said. To be eligible for the VIREB awards a business had to be an investment, commercial or industrial building or a renovation project on Vancouver Island, from the top of the Malahat to the island’s northern tip. The criteria the businesses were judged on included how it complements the surrounding areas and properties, its environmental footprint, whether it has unique features, whether it is aesthetically pleasing and if there is a need for it in the community. Besides using their own money, the Nicholsons managed to pay their renovation expenses through various grants and loans, including some federal funding. The couple also received funding via the Nuu-chah-nulth Economic Development Corp, Indigenous Tourism BC and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. They are proud of the fact that 11 local businesses provided some services and materials to their renovations. No doubt these Port Alberni businesses were grateful for the local work since the pandemic greatly aff ected their operations during the past year. Nicholson believes all of those who helped out with the renovations also deserve recognition and should share attention generated from Chims’ VIREB nomination.

By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Port Alberni, BC – As the COVID-19 pandemic was dragging on in 2020 and the situation was looking bleak for her Indigenous tourism business, Naomi Nicholson knew one place she could count on for support. Nicholson, who owns and operates Chims Guest House in Port Alberni with her husband Ed, was fortunate to receive a $25,000 grant last year from the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) to help keep her business afl oat. Because of pandemic restrictions, Chims closed in March of 2020 and did not reopen until this past September. The ITAC grant, however, was a welcome relief for Nicholson since the Chims closing meant she had no revenue coming in from her business. Nicholson is disappointed to hear that ITAC might not be around much longer. Shortly after details of last month’s federal budget were announced, ITAC offi cials announced they were close to insolvency, which would no doubt severely damage the Indigenous tourism industry across the country. Nicholson said it would be extremely disappointing if ITAC was no longer able to operate. “To me it would mean that the government has won,” she said. “Unfortunately, it would silence a voice.” ITAC offi cials had received $16 million in federal funding in 2020. With that money the association was then able to provide $25,000 worth of grants each to 683 Indigenous tourism businesses across Canada. ITAC had requested a further $18.3 million in federal assistance. But when the federal budget was released in April, Indigenous Services Canada recommended that just $2.4 million be allocated to ITAC. “It’s really devastating,” said ITAC’s CEO and president Keith Henry about the fact his association could indeed be shut down soon. “We have to be responsible legally. As of June 1, we can’t make any payments to anyone.” This could be devastating news to Indigenous tourism businesses across Canada. Many operators have been reeling since the start of the pandemic, since they have been unable to open their doors and have been forced to run at less than capacity. “I don’t know how we got here,” Henry said. “I hope it will turn around. I can’t believe it. We’re all in shock. We have to follow legal steps. We have been driven into insolvency.” ITAC offi cials, however, continue their lobbying eff orts to secure more federal funding. Nicholson said the demise of ITAC would be immense not just for her but for other Nuu-chah-nulth tourism operators and as well as for businesses across the country. “Canada would not be able to showcase all it can Indigenous-wise,” she said. Prior to the pandemic, there were about 1,900 Indigenous tourism businesses across the country. Henry said almost 60 per cent of those are now closed. And he had no way of telling how many of those businesses were closed permanently or whether they were simply waiting for the end of the pandemic to possibly reopen. Nicholson believes many more Indigenous tourism businesses will cease their operations if ITAC is no longer around. “I think a lot of us would close up shop

Keith Henry because the traffi c ITAC generates is huge,” she said. Nicholson believes some small businesses would try their best to remain afl oat. And they would continue to advertise their services as best they could. But Nicholson feels any type of advertising that is generated would not be able to come close to equaling the impact an ITAC promotion on any business would have. “People will try but they will have a tough time,” Nicholson said. “They might have a tough time trusting me, but if ITAC mentions my business more people would listen to that.” No doubt some Nuu-chah-nulth businesses were hoping for some more fi nancial assistance from ITAC in 2021. Nicholson said businesses will not just suff er fi nancially if they do not get any support from ITAC. “They’re going to lose the whole package of other services ITAC provides like marketing and media,” she said. “ITAC is not just about grants. They help you with your (administrative) paperwork and other things like marketing and media.” One federal politician that Henry does have a lot of praise for is Gord Johns, the MP for Courtenay-Alberni. “He has been a leader and trying to champion Indigenous tourism businesses, not only in Nuu-chah-nulth territory but all of Canada,” Henry said.

By Mike Youds Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

A Dakelh blessing celebrated spring release of 15,300 chinook fry into the Blackwater River as part of emergency enhancement measures to off set Big Bar Slide impacts. “We think it’s important of the community to do the ceremony in celebration of our culture, traditions and teachings to keep them alive, but also to give prayers to the ancestors to help guide these fi sh back to the ocean and back to us,” said Chief Leah Stump of Nazko First Nation after taking part in the April 27 ceremony. Delicate, silvery slivers a few centimetres in length, the fry imprint their freshwater habitat as they drift downstream to the Fraser River, forming their essential nature, an uncanny ability to return years later to the same river to spawn. Instinct aside, these fi sh will need all the help they can get to begin rebuilding a food source critical to the Dakehl and other Interior First Nations. Spring 2021 is shaping up to be another nail-biter for salmon passage at Big Bar. “From my perspective, we’re still really dealing with the Big Bar Slide and response,” said Gord Sterritt, executive director of the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance. “We know the fi sh are more impacted in the Upper Fraser due to high water early in the season. These enhancement eff orts are trying to address it in the short term.” The Blackwater release is part of a larger program involving 101,000 fry and a dozen Upper Fraser watersheds. They are important for long-term rebuilding of Fraser chinook, already threatened prior to the 2019 slide, yet they are also a stop-gap to gain some measure of mitigation as work continues on a $176-million permanent fi shway at Big Bar, Sterritt explained. Construction began last winter. “We’re still proceeding with construction of permanent passage, but we’ll not have that ready for this year’s migration, which starts, basically, now,” said Michael Crowe, manager of biological programs with the slide response team. As an interim measure, contractor Kiewit & Sons constructed another “nature-like” fi shway at the barrier. “We have hope and confi dence it will operate at a higher rate of fl ow,” Crowe said. The slide response team, including First Nations, DFO and had to continually revise their plans based on emerging challenges since the slide. The Fraser’s mighty spring freshet is the wild card. Last year, there were 100- and 200-year fl oods in the Chilco and Blackwater watersheds, Sterritt noted. Then there was the Fraser freshet, intense and sustained, another hurdle for chinook and slide response measures. This year, there remains a lot of snow in some Fraser drainages. The average snowpack provincewide as of May 1 was only slightly above normal. Higher than average snowpack persists in northern B.C., including the Upper Fraser, according to B.C. River Forecast Centre. For migrating chinook and early Stuart Sockeye reaching the slide in coming weeks, much depends on the weather. Chinook stocks most at risk are those that arrive at Big Bar from mid-May to July. Spring fi ve-year-olds arrive at peak freshet, making them most vulnerable. “With the early-timed stocks, we’re trying to protect their genetic diversity and protect them, as a population potentially

Photos submitted by DFO Chief Leah Stump (above) of Nazko First Nation releases chinook fry into the Blackwater River, a tributary of the Fraser River, south of Prince George. A permanent fi shway (below) is under construction at Big Bar. becoming extinct or extirpated because of the challenges they face,” Sterritt said. Chinook fry released this spring were reared from brood stock collected last year below the slide. Gitksan, Sta’t’imc, Secwpemc and Sylx crews led fi sh wheel operations and transported fi sh collected at the slide site by truck to the a holding facility at French Bar Creek. This was critical to capture of salmon for radio tagging, emergency enhancement and upstream release. By mid-August, Indigenous crews moved more than 1,500 salmon over the slide, capturing approximately 90 per cent of early-timed chinook and Early Stuart sockeye needed for the enhancement plan. Eggs and milt were then collected from these adults, as well as from those from the natal streams. The eggs and milt were then transferred to Quesnel River Research Centre for fertilization and incubation to eyed stage. In early fall 2020, the fi sh can get by the barrier, but it all Big Bar as “devastating.” A teacher by some of the eyed eggs were relocated to depends on the environmental conditions profession, she is concerned about passSpius Creek and Chehalis River hatcher- … If we can get back to a normal year or ing down knowledge to children. Her ies. things similar to normal, we should see husband is a councillor of ?Esdilagh First Sterritt and Crowe said every eff ort greater passage.” Nation, smallest of six Tsilhoqo’tin nawas made to genetically match brood If not, they will continue to trap and tions. stock with streams of origin hundreds of transport. “Their people really rely on salmon. A kilometres upriver. If there was low con- Until the permanent fi shway passes its lot of their summer is spent harvesting fi dence in a match, the fi sh were released. fi rst test next spring, every emergency and preparing salmon for winter and proIf they couldn’t form a matching pair, the measure plays a part. Until then the viding our family with fi sh,” she said. salmon were released. barrier remains, not only to fi sh but to tra- The fry release at least gives them hope “Obviously, there was some uncertainty, ditional ways of life. “that our salmon can survive.” and it may not be a distinct population Chief Stump described the impact of but part of the same genetic unit,” Sterritt said. “I’d say, we can’t calculate very accurately, but it’s not a massive diff erence,” Crowe said. “Enhancement is still an opportunity to recover the wildness.” Last spring, the slide response team was testing another stop-gap measure, a pneumatic fi sh pump trade named Whooshh. The system has been sidelined this season. “It did work, but there were challenges,” Crowe said. “It worked as a high-water backup, but site constraints made it very diffi cult to use eff ectively.” In its place, a holding area used to corral fi sh for Whooshh passage was modifi ed for beach seining and truck transport of fi sh around the slide. Much depends on spring conditions, Sterritt said. “How confi dent am I? I’m confi dent

By Mike Youds Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Nootka Sound, BC - A marine salvage contractor has patched a sunken freighter leaking fuel in Nootka Sound and identifi ed next steps in a complicated deepwater spill response. Despite this — and the gift of good weather — operations to stop fuel leaking from the 1968 wreck are far from over, said Gillian Oliver, Coast Guard incident commander. Resolve Marine Group placed patches on the hull of the MV Schiedyk in late April using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), six months after fuel sheening was observed on waters off Bligh Island. The Florida-based fi rm, specialized in complex emergency salvage and response, was contracted by DFO/Coast Guard in March to survey the wreck and complete a technical assessment. Those tasks were completed in a couple of weeks. A unifi ed command — Canadian Coast Guard, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN) — awaits the assessment report. “I’ve got to admit I was surprised as well that it went that smoothly,” said Gillian Oliver, a Coast Guard incident commander. The patches, applied by an ROV descending from the deck of off shore supply vessel Atlantic Condor, have slowed but not stopped the spill. Bunker C oil and diesel continue to well to the surface of Zuciarte Channel, close to the shore of the island, a marine provincial park in Mowachaht/Muchalaht territory. An 11-metre-long gash in the starboard hull was the most serious breach found. A “submar mat,” a thick rubber mat about 15 metres long and fi ve metres wide, had to be sunk hundreds of metres to begin the patching. “Just the logistics of that were pretty complicated,” Oliver said. Once the mat was on the hull, a rareearth magnet (rare-earth magnets are the strongest permanent magnets) was applied. Sandbags were laid around the perimeter to reinforce the seal. After that, block-shaped, cement-fi lled

Photo from Unifi ed Command Information Site Oil containment booms have been set up to protect the shoreline of Bligh Island in Nootka Sound. mattresses weighing 1,500 kilograms the types of fuel product will help inform upwelling of oil continue to challenge were lowered into place to conform to the next steps in removal. in-fi eld operations,” notes a May 11 situthe shape of the hull while securing the Despite what some observers may ation report at spillresponsebc.ca. patch. Each stage of the operation had to think, it was not possible to speed up the After sliding off the reef, Schiedyk sits follow a strict timeline according to ma- response, Oliver said. at a depth of roughly 120 metres, too rine conditions. Keeping it on track was “I don’t think it could have been done deep for divers, and the deepest of three tricky, Oliver said. any sooner,” she said. Following the set wreck cleanups undertaken by the Coast She said the wreck is quite “banged up” process helps ensure a smooth operation Guard in recent years. That should not over an extensive area of the hull. Over and successful outcome, she suggested. make recovery of fuel any more diffi cult, time, the freighter appears to have rolled “You want to make sure you don’t end up Oliver said. on its port side and slid deeper into the with something worse. Going at it step by “It’s really about heating up the fuel channel. Seepage has been halved by the step is really the best approach.” product so that it has the viscosity to patching, but spill response crews contin- Watching from above, aboard Atlan- pump it out,” she said. ue to work at containing fuel to prevent tic Condor, the slow-motion pace of Once the technical assessment is refurther contamination of area beaches. So underwater operations is an exercise in ceived, they plan to return to the wreck in far, the patches appear to be holding. patience. a few weeks to start the next phase. “We patched it up, but we know the oil “Sitting up on the vessel with the ROV “We’re going to get back down there will fi nd another way out,” Oliver said. trying to manoeuvre 1,000-pound mat- as soon as possible … I would say it’s go“We have been able to slow down the oil, tresses, you just want to reach in and do it ing as well as can be expected given the but it’s not a permanent fi x. We need to yourself,” Oliver commented. “Working complexity of it,” Oliver said. fi gure out how to get that oil in the next at this steadily for fi ve months, people are As of May 5, more than 37,000 kilophase and recover diesel and heavy fuel tired for sure.” grams of surface oil had been recovered. oil in the tanks.” They were lucky to have favourable Observed wildlife impacts have been Part of Resolve Marine Group’s role weather during slack-tide periods when relatively few — just one sea otter and 14 was to determine the location of multiple the ROV was in use, while at other times mew gulls are listed as “impacted” — defuel tanks aboard the Schiedyk, drill into conditions dictate the schedule. spite the abundance of marine mammals, the tanks and recover samples. Knowing “Weather, remoteness and a consistent seabirds and fi sh in the sound.

Under the concept that nature and people are one, while everyone is connected through the natural world, a poster made by Grade 5 and 6 students was chosen to promote the First Nations Spring Festival. Pictured from left to right are Azlynn Keinas, Samantha Blakey and Kyra Papove, with Richard Samuel, a cultural development supervisor with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, and A.W. Neill Principal Darrin Olson.

Sending greetings to all our Nuu-chahnulth-aht wherever you may live. There have been tragic losses in our communities with the police shootings and a couple murders. My deepest sympathies to all those who have been impacted by these events and to all those who have lost their dear ones in other ways. Sad to see how many losses we have suff ered in the past month. On May 8th, shots rang out on the Hitacu reserve. Shocking sounds for our quiet communities. One of our Nuuchah-nulth ladies was shot by police and is in the hospital recovering from the force of those bullets. On the same day. A murder victim was identifi ed as a Nuu-chah-nulth man. Mariah Charleson and I are doing everything we can to ensure police investigations are carried out properly and we are working with our policing committee to prevent further shootings of our Nuuchah-nulth people. We are going through de-escalation training to see if it is suffi cient. When our members are being shot multiple times, we know this is an issue. We also are working to put together our own cultural training for police so they value and understand us as a people. We continue to ask for trauma-informed teams to go into situations fi rst where that could be an issue. Offi cers apparently get some training but we do not think it is enough considering what has happened. We are raising this issue politically as this is important for the public to know about and to help change things so our people can have justice. We know we will have achieved positive changes when there are no more shootings of our people. Our policing committee met with the RCMP to review these issues and we heard about their processes for de-escalating situations. We will need to hear more on this issue as we need to understand how things work and what recommendations we can make for positive change. I have been doing a lot of work this week raising issues with the media, and meeting with other First Nations organizations and people to help us as look to formulate an MOU with RCMP. I also checked in again with the deputy commissioner for the RCMP to ensure they are still committed to working with us to resolve these big issues. There will be an MOU with Nuu-chah-nulth and each nation can enter into one that will set out how RCMP enter the reserve and who to call before coming on the reserve. There is a lot of work to do in justice. Nuu-chah-nulth have been asking for the use of body cams on offi cers. It would be an independent source to witness what happens in the situations we have been involved with. The deputy commissioner informed us that the body cams are on their way to B.C. and will be distributed to various detachments. Not every detachment will get them, but we have been assured that at least one detachment in our territories will have one, though we are hoping for more. We are working with our health team and SFU to put together some research on COVID and its vaccines. How has COVID and the vaccine aff ected our people? Has it been helpful? We will be coming back to inform you more on how you can help with this research. We need to know as much as we can about the virus and the vaccines so that we know how to be prepared if there are more viruses that will impact us as well. Health has become a very important subject and we need to increase our jurisdiction over health to make decisions about our health as well as get the data we need to make good decisions for all our people. We are pursuing these issues. Red Dress Day was on May the 5th, a day to remember and honour those murdered and missing women and girls, hold the government to account and implement the recommendations of that report. I began that day in an early morning TV news show to talk about why this day is important to us and continued through the day to promote the need for action. Mariah and I had a chat with Minister Marc Miller, ISC, and we talked about the budget this year, what was in it for Nuu-chah-nulth, but most importantly, where we needed to have more money for various services for your communities. The minister wanted to point out there was money for working towards our own peacekeeping forces – this would be good so we wouldn’t have to use the RCMP and we could do our security within our own ways and values. On the fi sheries front, we are still working with the Haida, Quatsino and Pacheedaht in order to put a management board in place for the Marine Protected area that Canada is trying to put in place under the Oceans Protection Act off of the west coast. We will be looking for names for some of the sea mounts out in Nuu-chah-nulth waters and again, our communities will be coming to you for help in naming these sea mounts. All of our nations are working towards a working relationship, including management in this large off shore area. Graduation is coming up for our students both in secondary and postsecondary. While we cannot do the kinds of celebrations we would like to do, we encourage families to hold up their grads and do small family gatherings to congratulate them. Graduation is hard won as COVID has set up many challenges for our students and I congratulate all of them sincerely. They have accomplished a big thing. On June 4th, it will be a year since Chantel Martin was shot and killed by a police offi cer in Edmundston, New Brunswick. The family has not seen the report of the independent investigative team or even the coroner’s report. Martha Martin wants to do a Facebook event to mark the year and demand justice for Chantel. We hope to do a small event in Port Alberni, Tofi no, Victoria and New Brunswick. Keep your eyes open for announcements on these events. Wishing you all to be healthy, safe and staying strong in our ways.

Submitted photo Marion Crowe is the chief executive offi cer for the First Nations Health Managers Association, which hosts weekly virtual town halls to bring Indigenous communities across Canada together. Public meetings tackle COVID vaccine hesitancy

By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

When Canada went into lockdown last March to combat COVID-19, the First Nations Health Managers Association (FNMHA) knew they needed to get information out, and fast. “There’s been such a barrage of information coming out, especially as the science evolves and changes,” said Marion Crowe, FNMHA chief executive offi cer. “We wanted to be able to [create] a central place to gather together where [viewers] could go and see people from diff erent nations – people that look like us, sound like us, laugh like us.” Rising to the challenge, they launched a weekly one-hour virtual town hall and recently celebrated the release of their 40th episode. The series features guest speakers such as Dr. Evan Adams, deputy chief medical offi cer for Indigenous Services Canada, Carol Hopkins, the executive director of the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, and Dr. Brenda Restoule, the chief executive offi cer of the First Peoples Wellness Circle. Crowe said she is grateful for the regional discussions that are happening around COVID-19, but creating a national dialogue among Indigenous people across Canada allows communities to pool their information and learn from each other. Covering topics such vaccinations, by looking at the side eff ects and breaking down each of the authorized vaccines, Crowe said she wants to provide Indigenous communities with reliable information so they can make informed decisions about how they want to proceed. “[The vaccine] is something only First Nations people can understand in terms of that reluctance,” she said. “There’s the historical mistrust between government and First Nations.” Some First Nations people are questioning being prioritized and are hesitant to receive the vaccine because of the federal government’s history of experimenting on Indigenous people, said Crowe. “My father was one of those people,” she said. “I get why there’s a concern.” A recent paper published by the Canadian Medical Association journal highlights medical experimentation and the roots of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Indigenous people. Historian Maureen Lux documented multiple instances of medical experimentation on Indigenous people, including a 12-year trial of an experimental vaccine for tuberculosis on Cree and Nakoda Oyadebi infants in Saskatchewan during the 1930s and 1940s, reads the paper. “A whole range of experimental surgical and drug treatments were also administered to Indigenous patients, without their consent, within Canada’s racially segregated system of Indian Hospitals during the early postwar years,” the paper continued. By coming together collectively to talk about the science and approaching it through an Indigenous lens, Crowe said that Western medicine can be weaved into traditional approaches. “Bring in the sweet grass, the sage, all of our [traditional medicine] and mix it with that Western needle,” she said. “It’s just that enhanced layer of protecting me, you and the others that are around.” Viewers and listeners are encouraged to send in their questions to fnhma@ ihtoday.ca. “If somebody is feeling uncomfortable calling Telehealth Ontario, for example, or going to their health centre because their auntie works there, and has a medical question, [they] can get them in facelessly and benefi t others asking those questions too,” said Crowe. Instead of telling listeners to stay sixfeet apart, Crowe opts for descriptions like staying a “moose-length apart.” “We are cautious about how we share the messages,” she said. “We’re talking about them in a culturally appropriate way … making it real and relevant to how [Indigenous people] look at things.” As of Friday, April 30, Crowe said that 370,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to Indigenous people in Canada living on-reserve. Of those, 170,000 were second doses. The weekly town halls that average around 10,000 viewers are planned to continue until the end of June, at which point Crowe said she hopes they will no longer be needed. Although she loves hearing from guest speakers and interacting with community members, Crowe said she looks forward to the day when we are ready to move beyond COVID-19 as a society. Until then, Crowe said the weekly town hall continues to be the “one thing that is positive in all of the darkness surrounding COVID-19.”

Photo by Eric Plummer The BC Wildfi re Service isn’t predicting a season like what Vancouver Island residents saw in the summer of 2018, when lightning and human activity ignited forest fi res across the region. Pictured is the response to the Arbutus Ridge fi re in Tsehshaht territory near Port Alberni in August 2018.

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

British Columbia – Even though there have been 156 recorded wildfi res in the province up until May 4, the BC Wildfi re Service say they expect the 2021 Vancouver Island wildfi re season to be average. Even though there have been 156 recorded wildfi res in the province up until May 4, the BC Wildfi re Service say they expect the 2021 Vancouver Island wildfi re season to be average. “On a 10-year average, the Coastal Fire Centre has about 198 fi res per year. Of those 198 fi res, 129 of them are human caused, and 69 are lighting caused,” said Donna MacPherson of the Coast Fire Centre. She went on to tell Ha-Shilth-Sa that she doesn’t have statistics solely for Vancouver Island, however, the Coastal Fire Service has a website that shows historical wildfi res up to 2020. MacPherson said that the 2020 wildfi re season for Vancouver Island was not as bad as it could have been for a couple of reasons. She noted that while summer 2020 was hot, it was tempered by periods of rain that rehydrated the forests. “Second, people weren’t moving around like they did in the past,” she added. In addition, the BC Wildfi re Service was more aggressive with fi res than in previous years, said MacPherson. They plan to take the same aggressive approach this year. The 2020 season in British Columbia, according to the BC Wildfi re Service, recorded 637 fi res burning just over 15,000 hectares of land between April 1 and Oct. 1, 2020. “Over the past 10 years, on average, 1,356 wildfi res have occurred and 347,104 hectares have burned over a full fi re season,” they say. Information from Environment Canada indicates that the southern portion of the province was drier and warmer than normal for the month of April 2021. Parts of Vancouver Island, including Victoria, Nanaimo and Campbell River, all had signifi cantly less precipitation during the month of April. Victoria, for example, normally gets 47.9 millimetres of precipitation in April but only got 19.9 last month. Campbell River normally gets 92.1 millimetres of precipitation but only recorded 23.2 in April 2021. MacPherson reported that, so far, the biggest fi re on Vancouver Island is under control. It started in a “dead block” in steep terrain near Gold River. “Since the beginning of February, the southern half of the province has seen signifi cantly drier conditions when compared to the historical average,” stated the BC Wildfi re Service. They are more concerned about the Kelowna, Vernon and Cranbrook regions, which have had less than half of their normal amount of precipitation. The BC Wildfi re Service is preparing for the season by implementing COVID safety precautions for their fi re crews. Personnel will not be allowed to camp together and will have their food delivered to them. “We make sure each crew is selfsuffi cient for 72 hours and don’t have to rely upon food or hotels for the fi rst few days,” MacPherson said. There are two wildfi res on Vancouver Island that are listed as under control. A fi re near Gold River at Matchlee Bay was discovered April 19, which burned 12 hectares and is suspected to have been caused by a person. A smaller fi re near Woss Lake was discovered May 13. It burned .01 ha and is listed as under control. “Wildfi re seasonal activity is increasing and expected to continue given the current forecasts,” says the BC Wildfi re Service. They note that most wildfi res have been in open fuel types on south facing slopes. “As we progress through May, we can expect to see these fi res starting to burn into the surrounding timber in the Kamloops, Okanagan and southeastern regions of the province. For more information about wildfi res in British Columbia visit the BC Wildfi re Dashboard at https://governmentofbc. maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/ f0ac328d88c74d07aa2ee385abe2a41b

To view full job posting visit hashilthsa.com/careers-training

HOW TO APPLY Submit a cover letter, resume and three (3) current references to: Tseshaht First Nation, Attention: Dave Rolston by mail or in person: 5091 Tsuma-as Drive, Port Alberni BC, V9Y 8X9; or by email: vshrimpton@tseshaht.com

By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Port Alberni, BC - Flurer Smokery is off ering the traditional fl avours of the West Coast to Port Alberni’s Fisherman’s Harbour with their hot smoked seafood products and processing plant. Flurer Smokery has been a Vancouver Island staple for seafood lovers for the past 12 years. The company opened in Campbell River in 2009 by Kelly and Brian Flurer and the couple worked hard to make the wholesale and custom valueadded processing plant internationally known. “We shut the plant down in Campbell River back in January 2020 and moved everything down [to Port Alberni] and we didn’t actually get in and started until the end of August,” Kelly said. Flurer smokery now operates out of the Dock + food hub on Harbour Road, becoming one of the facility’s anchor tenants. “We’re happy we moved here, we’re thrilled to be a part of the community now. It’s something that the community really seemed to have needed,” Kelly said. “The Dock + has been amazing. The Port Authority and the City of Port Alberni have defi nitely welcomed us with open arms and made us feel really comfortable moving here. I don’t think the Port Authority realized what the demand was for a federally registered building.” Flurer Smokery is Aboriginal owned and operated, federally registered and HCCAP certifi ed, which allows the company to ship products across Canada and internationally. Flurer off ers raw processing, boneless fi llets, burger portions, skewers, and hot smoked products. All of their products are natural with no chemicals, dyes or preservatives. Brian is from the Dene Nation, about 200 kilometres north of Yellowknife, and Kelly grew up in Campbell River in a logging camp. Brian and his family eventually moved to Campbell River in 1982 and the couple relies on traditional recipes from the West Coast for their hot smoked products. Together they have more than 50 years of combined experience in the fi sheries and aquaculture industry. “We use a brown sugar and salt brine. It was a recipe that was created on the coast here by a lot of the local people way back when I was a little kid, some were First Nations,” Kelly said. “It’s very, very traditional to what the West Coast is.” Kelly said it’s common for smoking companies to use a liquid brine which is adopted through the cold smoked product. “Cold smoke is European so it has nothing to do with the West Coast here,” Kelly said. “The fi sh with a liquid brine tends to come out with a very rubbery texture where ours is more like baked or barbecued, very much more the traditional way of the West Coast.” Port Alberni’s All Mex’d Up taco shop features a smoked salmon taco using Flurer smoked fi sh and Double R Meats is off ering the smokery’s products as well. Flurer Smokery has a license to purchase and Kelly said they are interested in buying products from commercial fi shers. “People are coming here, they can come right here,” Kelly said. “We also do a lot of sport fi sh so people who catch their

Photos by Karly Blats Brian and Kelly Flurer moved their seafood processing plant to Port Alberni from Campbell River last summer. They now operate out of the Dock + food hub on Harbour Road. own can bring it in, we cut it up, vacuum Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICET). “The potential of the Alberni Inlet pack it or take it through to a smoked The space also includes a commercial and Barkley Sound is so untapped. The product.” kitchen that businesses or individuals can blue economy is the wave of the future All of Flurer’s products are boneless and rent out. and Port Alberni is ideally located for skinless and they can typically have an “We’ve got pretty much every inch of that,” McCormick said, noting that the order ready for customers in seven to 10 space leased out to anchor tenants, we community has a long history in the seadays. They’re licensed for fresh, frozen, call them micro processing plants,” Mc- food sector. “It’s part of our culture and semi preserved and ready-to-eat fi n fi sh Cormick said. “Each of the businesses are will be part of our future and that’s what and shell fi sh. at various stages of set up and operation the dock supports.” The processing plant has two smokers in their areas.” McCormick added that the Dock + than can hold up to 400 pounds, a freezer Other tenants at the Dock + include and commercial kitchen have received that can hold up to 300 totes and a blast Cascadia Seafood, Forest for Dinner, Canada and province-wide recognition. freezer that can hold around 24 totes. Canadian Seafood Processing (Effi ngham “The kitchen itself is an opportunity as “We’ve been working a lot with some Oysters), Nova Harvest and Tastes Local. a business incubator for people to expand of the local fi shermen on and around the McCormick said having micro-process- and grow their food processing and food island and we have done quite a bit of the ing space available in the Alberni Valley making,” McCormick said. “To have native food fi sh through the chum season is highly advantageous for future devel- that permitted commercial kitchen space last fall,” Kelly said. “We had some opment of the aquaculture sector and for reduces the barriers and allows more peoof the members bring their fi sh in from businesses to reduce barriers in expand- ple to enter business and expand their the Tseshaht First Nation and we’ve had ing their processes and operations. business opportunities.” a few people come over from Ucluelet, Tofi no and also out of Bamfi eld.” Flurer Smokery also now operates the ice house at Fisherman’s Harbour, where people can come for ice. “We’re just waiting for a couple pieces of hardware to come in,” Kelly said. “The Port Authority has invested a considerable amount of money to get the machines working and it’s federally certifi ed.” Dave McCormick, director of public relations and business development with the Port Alberni Port Authority (PAPA), said Flurer Smokery brings industry leading seafood products, seafood product development and processing expertise to the Dock + and entire Alberni Valley. “Even before we learned about the funding potential and program around provincial food hubs…we were fans of their product and so with the old fi sh plant that was dormant we had been recruiting Brian and Kelly for a while,” McCormick said. “When the funding came up and the opportunity to develop the food hub with a few anchor tenants in the seafood space, of course they were the fi rst people that we called.” The Dock + food hub was built through a partnership with PAPA and the City of Port Alberni with funding support from the province of British Columbia and

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Port Alberni, BC - On a crisp morning in early May, a group of teenagers from Port Alberni’s Eight Avenue Learning Centre were working the fi eld in front of their school, realizing the garden they had conceived over the previous winter months. Within a metal fence that had been erected a month prior, the Grade 8 and 9 class were measuring out where the garden beds would be made, while others carted loads of leaves to the site from a large pile that had collected behind the school. Gracie Martinez and Gabriella Stanley were planning where raised beds would be installed. This is part of a design that used input from each student, recalled Stanley. “Everyone drew one or two garden layouts,” said the Grade 9 student. “We got the measurements and everything, and then we went through and laid everything out. At the end we numbered all of them and said what we liked about each one and made this garden plan.” “We all decided how everything was going to be laid out,” added Martinez. “We all scribbled down our own thing.” The project is the result of research the students undertook over the winter, including methods to build garden beds and the importance of quality soil. “I like learning about the soil health, how the diff erent health of the soil will aff ect your plants,” Stanley remarked, looking over where raised beds will be

Photo by Eric Plummer Daisy John moves a load of leaves with her sister Denise to start garden beds on May 4, part of an outdoor project at the Eighth Avenue Learning Centre. built. “We’ll do cardboard, and then soil, then leaves.” A vast quantity of leaves was collected from the surrounding neighbourbood over the previous fall. Smiles weren’t visible as the students gathered up and carted the piles of compostable material, due to the masks they were required to wear as a pandemic-era safety measure. But the exuberance of fi nally being engaged with the outside was evident. “It’s way more fun than doing math inside,” commented Stanley. “It’s actually doing something, it’s not just pointless questions for a mark out of 10,” added Martinez. “Instead out of 10, it’s how good is the garden.” Kirsten Abercrombie has seen a growing eagerness among her students to plant things outside of the classroom. “We spend so much time sitting and looking at screens these days, working outside feels great when you do it,” she said. At a time when the day is dominated by cell phones, computer work and online meetings, school counsellor Karen Campbell sees the project as being a transformative activity for the students. “It’s a COVID-safe way of being able to do a project like this. So many other school activities have had to stop,” she said. “There’s not a lot of leadership opportunity right now because of the pandemic. They are the originators of this space. As next year’s students come in, they’ll be able to show them all about the garden.” In the centre of the garden space lies a link to the surrounding area’s heritage. A large rectangle is designated for traditional First Nations pit cooking, a feature the school hopes to use in mid June for an outdoor gathering to celebrate the new garden. Following Nuu-chah-nulth protocol, the garden space received a blessing at daybreak on April 21, following guidance from a group of elders who are helping to retain ties to the ancestral past as the project progresses. “It’s our Nuu-chah-nulth protocol to get that done in a good way, to get it all ready and prepared so things move forward in a good direction,” said Dianne Gallic, a Nuu-chah-nulth education worker at the school. Besides the crops with a European infl uence, like potatoes and squash, the garden will contain some Indigenous plants that people in the area would harvest before colonization, such as huckleberries. But following direction from the elders, medicinal plants will not be grown. “We’re not using any sacred medicines,” noted Gallic. “As protocol we have to respect that families have certain places where they fi nd their medicines, we’re not about to start dabbling in any of that.” After more than a year of restrictions on their formative lives, students are looking ahead to a project that will never stop expanding. There are even plans to manage the garden over July and August while classes aren’t in session. “I live just down the street, so I can come and help out a lot,” said Martinez. “I don’t have room for a garden at my house, so this is the closest I have.” “Every year there’s going to be a lot more work to get done,” added Stanley.