Exploring discarded timber

Program uses leftovers from logging and wildfi re debris for essential oils, railway ties and building tiny homes

By Konnar Oliver Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

The provincial government announced last week that the Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy Program will be expanding, with the aim of funding projects that have yet to leave the pilot, commercialization, or scale-up phases. Originally launched in 2019, the program aims to increase the participation of First Nations in forestry while also using waste from logging, wildfi re debris, and damaged wood to make low-carbon forest-based products. According to the province, the forest bioeconomy “uses sustainably managed forest material (forest biomass) to make bioproducts like consumer goods and industrial products.” Forest biomass is essentially any forest material. “We are taking action to build a sustainable, innovative forestry sector and create new opportunities for workers, communities and First Nations,” says former Minister of Forests Katrine Conroy in a press release. “By turning wood waste and dead trees into new, high-value and long-lived wood products, we can replace products made from non-renewable sources and boost the role of B.C.’s forests in helping to fi ght climate change.” Since launching the program three years ago, 24 Indigenous communities have received funding for over 40 projects. These projects include Great Bear Rainforest Essential Oils, a social enterprise Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative. Great Bear Rainforest Essential Oils began extracting essential oils from conifer needles in the region, and have been able to expand their operation with

Photo by Melissa Renwick The Indigenous Forest Bioeconomy Program is expanding, seeking opportunity in what gets left behind in the forestry industry. Pictured is forest near Kyuquot on northwestern Vancouver Island. six new jobs being made available. The program has also partnered with the Heiltsuk Tribal Council, FPInnovations, UBC and Mitacs to build a series of tiny homes in Bella Bella to address growing population and lack of housing issues. Deadwood Innovations from Fort St. James and in partnership with the Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation were the fi rst to receive funding through the new accelerator stream. They work to transform wood damaged by mountain pine beetle and wildfi re into products such as rail ties, rig mats and decking. “Our partnership with Deadwood Innovations is one example of our Nation’s increasing participation in forestry on our traditional territories,” says Chief Aileen Prince of the Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation in a statement. “This is creating more economic opportunities in our community and fi nding new uses for waste, while protecting our forests and wildlife for generations to come.” An application form for the program can be found online, under the Ministry of Forests web page. Increasing the use of the timber that may have been discarded in the past could also help account for a slowly dropping amount of available timber in the province. Since December of 2019, the allowable annual cut of timber in the province has declined by 5.3 per cent, with the number of cubic metres available dropping by more than 2.5 million. “Strengthening B.C.’s forestry sector means tackling the challenges of today, while making sure we seize the opportunities of tomorrow,” explains Conroy. “This will take all of us working together – the provincial government, First Nations and the forestry industry – to drive forward innovation and greater sustainability, support increased Indigenous participation and create more jobs for every tree harvested.” The 2022 provincial budget has allocated a further $20.4 million to be provided to the program over the next three years.

Province announces youth help for substance abuse

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Victoria, BC- As B.C. continues to struggle with an overdose crisis and its underlying contributing factors tied to mental health, the provincial government has announced a new focus on youth to “prevent small problems from turning into big ones.” Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson used those words on Dec.1, with the announcement of investing in young people through 33 new substance use programs and 130 additional healthcare workers to focus on substance use and mental health support. The additional healthcare workers include clinicians, social workers, harm-reduction personnel, nurses, outreach workers and Indigenous liaisons. “We know that the earlier support is provided, the better the outcome,” noted Minister of Children and Family Development Mitzi Dean in a statement. “We know how important it is for youth to be able to get help when they need it, and this expansion of services and supports means that young people and their families will have increased access to vital substance-use care.” Malcolmson spoke of challenges brought by the past few years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the widely publicized confi rmation of unmarked burials at residential school across western Canada. “Every new challenge uproots young people’s lives, and it accelerates the increasing tide of demand for mental health and substance use services in British Columbia,” she said at a press conference announcing the new supports for youth. British Columbia’s opioid crisis worsened with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the elevated death toll continues. The Coroners Service’s latest data shows 179 deaths by illicit drug use in October – nearly six fatalities per day in B.C. First Nations have died by illicit drug use at a rate of 4.8 times larger than other B.C. residents, according to data from the First Nations Health Authority from the fi rst half of 2021. Currently Alberni-Clayoquot, which covers the Alberni Valley and Vancouver Island’s central west coast communities, ranks fourth in the province in the rate of death due to illicit drug use. During the Dec.1 press conference it was noted that some young people struggling with drug addiction are reluctant to visit a hospital or clinic for help. The Youth Short Term Assessment and Response Team (YSTAR) was highlighted as a new service funded by the province to seek out and help youth before substance issues escalate. YSTAR teams are based in Campbell River, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, the Cowichan Valley and Mount Waddington. Tenille Lindsay is the clinical coordinator for YSTAR’s team in Port Alberni. “YSTAR is able to respond quickly, and go to where the youth are at. They don’t need to come to us, we go to them,” she said. “Our team has literally been in someone’s home, in their bedroom, or we’ve gone up to a treehouse to meet a youth.”

Page 8— Ha-Shilth-Sa—December 15, 2022 ‘Balance of harms approach’ to COVID-19 worked, says report

An external review of the government’s response to the pandemic notes First Nations were left out of major decisions in controlling the virus, not fulfi

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Vancouver Island, BC - A review of the province’s handling of the pandemic has painted a positive picture, but the recent report also notes that relations with First Nations could have been better as the government dealt with COVID-19. In early December the Final Report of the COVID-19 Lessons Learned Review was released, an assessment of the provincial government’s management of the two-year public health emergency that encompassed multiple waves of infections, lockdowns, vaccine mandates and a complex aftermath of societal damage. Compiled by three external consultants with decades of past experience in the provincial public service sector, the report drew upon surveys and over 15,000 responses to help inform recommendations to the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. The review notes that public satisfaction in the government’s handling of COVID-19 remained relatively high, starting at 70 per cent of respondents in March 2020 when the pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization, rising to over 80 per cent the following July, and eventually levelling out at just over 60 per cent in the summer of 2022. The province’s “balance of harms approach” in off ering services and imposing restrictions did eventually meet more resistance by the time COVID vaccines were mandated in certain sectors in September 2021, states the report, which “amplifi ed a backlash to restrictions on personal freedom”. This backlash culminated in the Freedom Convoy protests and occupation in early 2022. “Overall B.C. mounted a strong and generally successful response to the pandemic that bodes well for its ability to respond to the next province-wide events,” states the report.

Submitted photo Nurses with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council enter Ahousaht on Jan. 6, 2021 loaded with hundreds of Moderna doses.

Province of B.C. photo Updates from Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health offi cer, helped to guide First Nations in their response to COVID-19, says Tla-o-qui-aht’s tribal administrator. As of the end of November this year, B.C. has seen nearly 390,000 confi rmed COVID-19 infections, with 4,642 deaths – a rate that puts the province below the national per capita average for contracting the virus, and well below Canada’s incidence of fatality. In B.C. there have been over 21,000 cases of First Nations people contracting COVID-19, with 258 deaths as of April 1, 2022, plus another 41 recently infected people who died from any cause after that date, according to the First Nations Health Authority. These infection and fatality statistics comprise just over fi ve per cent of what occurred throughout the province over the pandemic, falling in line with the proportion of British Columbians that identify as Indigenous. Strict measures throughout west coast Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Administrator Jim Chisholm said that the First Nation looked to the regular updates and information from Provincial Health Offi cer Bonnie Henry as the “bellwether” for how the community would respond. “The province certainly did a good job of keeping us aware of how severe COVID was,” said Chisholm. “Our people very quickly adapted to a diffi cult situation, made the most of it, and as a result we came out relatively unscathed.” A big part of the Tla-o-qui-aht’s response

was restricting access to the west coast communities of Ty-Histanis, Esowista and Opitsaht. Like other Nuu-chah-nulth settlements in remote areas, only residents and essential service providers were allowed in. “We did put up restrictions on Opitsaht, for example. We had people meeting the boats, making sure that it was necessary travel, that it was community members only,” said Chisholm. “We put out the word to our community: no unnecessary travel, no unnecessary meeting with outsiders - and that included family members. We had people in our community who didn’t see their grandkids or family members for a year and a half.” Measures were strict throughout the west coast of Vancouver Island, where blockades were manned outside of remote communities to restrict entry and exit to control coronavirus infection. Grocery runs outside of the communities were limited as well, but in some cases this resulted in alcohol smuggling during the fi rst few months of the pandemic. Reports came from Kyuquot of boxes of liquor bottles coming via the regular mail fl ights, and in Ahousaht a tribal police force was established by the Ha’wiih to enforce the First Nation’s COVID response. This included confi scating incoming vodka at Ahousaht’s main dock and enforcing a 10 p.m. curfew to discourage interactions outside of the immediate household. “It went so much against our culture in having to stay in our own homes and not visit elders and family,” recalls Judith Sayers, president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, of the hardship brought by the pandemic. “In not being able to go to funerals, that’s so integral to the things we do to support the family, be there, provide meals.” Yet compliance with restrictions was mostly strong in coastal communities, as First Nations went a step beyond what the province recommended by restricting access to residents only. “People complied with that because they were worried about bringing it in,” said Sayers. “I think that’s why most didn’t mind the lockdown in their communities, that they couldn’t go out.” “There was a hardship on the community for sure, mentally and fi nancially,” said Chisholm of the Tla-o-qui-aht settlements, which are located near Tofi no. “It is expensive shopping here. I would say there is a fi nancial impact to our community because we were trying to stop people from driving over to Alberni to buy groceries at Walmart.”

Information sharing dispute As First Nations enacted their own measures to control infection, some became increasingly frustrated with the provincial government’s inability to understand the concerns of their respective communities. For over half a year the Nuu-chahnulth Tribal Council, Tsilhqot’in National Government and Heiltsuk Nation asked for more specifi c information about cases. This appeal sought data on infections near their villages, whether the cases had travelled to the remote communities and the identity of those infected if they were members of the First Nations. Bonnie Henry argued that identifying infected individuals and communities risked them being “stigmatized because of perceptions that they are disease carriers”, and in December 2020 the Infor-

Wally Thomas, Chief Hohomiius, an Ahousaht Tribal Police offi cer, dumps out a confi scated bottle of vodka at the main dock in Ahousaht. In a measure to discourage gatherings and prevent the spread of COVID-19, Kyuquot and arrival of booze during the early months of the cor

‘Balance of harms approach’ to COVID-19 worked, says report

ere left out of major decisions in controlling the virus, not fulfi lling elements of DRIPA

Photo submitted by Ehattesaht First Nation Ehattesaht Councillor Ernie Smith receives the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 on Jan. 4, 2021. His community of Ehatis saw 28 coronavirus infections out of the 100 onreserve residents in December 2020.

Submitted photo Tribal Council enter Ahousaht on Jan. 6, 2021 loaded with hundreds of Moderna doses. mation and Privacy Commissioner of B.C. rejected the nations’ request. By the following February the province fi nally agreed to share more case data with the First Nations’ governments – with restrictions on what would be released to the greater public. “It took us seven months to negotiate an

information-sharing agreement. That’s far too long,” said Sayers. “They weren’t ready to work with remote communities, unfortunately.” By the end of 2020, the Ehattesaht/Chinehkint community by Zeballos was hit with an outbreak that infected over one quarter of the village. Many suspected this wave started with a visitor to the Zeballos school, but a lack of timely information hindered

Submitted photo Wally Thomas, Chief Hohomiius, an Ahousaht Tribal Police offi cer, dumps out a scated bottle of vodka at the main dock in Ahousaht. In a measure to discourage ead of COVID-19, Kyuquot and Ahousaht blockd the arrival of booze during the early months of the coronavirus lockdown in 2020. c information about cases. This appeal sought data on infections near their villages, whether the cases had travelled to the remote communities and the identity of those infected if they were members of the gued that identifying infected individuals and communities risked them being “stigmatized because of perceptions that they are disease carriers”, and in December 2020 the Inforcontact tracing. Fortunately there were no deaths, and by January 2021 Ehatis residents were among the fi rst in B.C. to receive vaccination. During the NTC Annual General Meeting last fall Ehattesaht Councillor Ernie Smith refl ected on the mental health issues brought about by the lockdowns, a strain that made him appreciate the online sharing of Nuuchah-nulth songs when gathering was prohibited. “I was triple vaccinated and ended up getting COVID, but it was really mild,” said Smith. “So the vaccines did really help.” ‘Knowledge is power’ As the worst of COVID-19 appears to be in the rear-view mirror, the recent report cited the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Passed in 2019, this legislation tasks the provincial government to undergo the long process of aligning laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. “While the government is committed to the principles of DRIPA and made early steps in the Act’s implementation during the pandemic, it was not fully prepared for the rapid onset of the pandemic and was initially uncertain about how to collaborate jointly on emergency measures,” states the COVID-19 report. Sayers saw this when the province eased some restrictions for summer tourism, thereby opening up visitation to Nuu-chah-nulth territory on western Vancouver Island. “When the province decided to open up for tourism, they didn’t talk to any First Nations people. They just did what they thought was important for the economy,” she said. “We wanted to do things like test people when they’re coming into the territories. On the highway coming into Tofi no, take your temperature. We could never get agreement from the Ministry of Transportation.” Now the NTC has begun the COVID-19 Vaccine Project, an initiative from the tribal council to collect personal stories about the pandemic experience to determine how to improve service delivery, particularly during disease outbreaks. Dr. Roger Boyer was hired to lead the project, and he presented its aims to leaders during the tribal council’s AGM in September. Tseshaht Chief Councillor Ken Watts stressed the value of the research after the presentation. “Knowledge is power, and I really think at a Nuu-chah-nulth level, the data that we can bring together and see can benefi t all of us,” he said.

Photo submitted by Victoria Native Friendship Centre The Community Learning Program is being off ered by the Victoria Native Friendship Centre and runs for about four weeks, starting with a week of online learning. It runs in cohorts of 15 to 20 people, with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants. Vic friendship centre launches reconciliation program

New program creates a safe space for participants, before ge ing into the ‘heavy’ aspects of Indigenous history

By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Victoria, BC - The Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC) has launched an Indigenous-led learning opportunity that supports reconciliation through community-based learning. The Community Learning Program began in April and runs for about four weeks, starting with a week of online learning. The program includes an eighthour session of in-person discussion each week for the remaining three weeks. It runs in cohorts of 15 to 20 people, with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants. This program was developed as a direct result of the work done by the Victoria Urban Reconciliation Dialogue (VURD), where the community came together to understand the reconciliation needs of its residents. It supports the VURD Blueprint focus area of Education, for the development and promotion of learning resources, anti-racism tools and crosscultural learning opportunities. Participants fi rst learn about key reconciliation documents such as UNDRIP, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and the fi nal report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Tanya Clarmont, VNFC’s community learning director and program facilitator, said before getting into some of the more ‘heavy’ historical aspects of Indigenous history, she works with participants to create a safe space. “One of the fi rst foundational pieces we talk about is kindness and the importance of being kind to others and the value of that, and then we explore our emotions and how those infl uence the way we behave, how they infl uence our relationships with others because a lot of Indigenous spaces can be quite emotional spaces,” Clarmont said. “When we transition to learning about history and the impacts of colonization, we’ve already created safety in the group.” Clarmont said it’s important to balance the heavy subjects with joy and celebration. “We do an activity called net/paddle which is an activity to help people understand colonization through the personal stories of others and then after we do that very hard, heavy work we celebrate Indigenous culture, communities and innovation,” Clarmont said. “I feel like [the program] is relevant to everybody in the whole community.” Clarmont said the program was originally created for the friendship centre staff and volunteers, but has expanded to being off ered to the general public. She believes the program is bridging a gap by off ering not only online learning, but in-person learning that’s specifi c to the Victoria area. According to a 2020 report by the Victoria Urban Reconciliation Dialogue, more than 17,000 Indigenous people from various cultural backgrounds across Canada live within Greater Victoria. Designing the framework for the program was a collaborative eff ort between the VNFC, representatives from local First Nations, elders from the Métis Nation and non-local nations. “We do have someone Nuu-chah-nulth that advised and contributed on the design team,” Clarmont said. “In the local learning we talk about Vancouver Island…we talk about the three groups that live on the Island, so Nuu-chah-nulth included.” Clarmont said those looking to sign up for the course can visit the VNFC website and that dates for 2023 will open up in January. “The response from community has been overwhelmingly positive and the request for access is growing,” Clarmont said. “I’m sure by the time we come back in January we will have a waitlist. Expansion is a big priority for us and that’s the next piece of work we will do.”

Phrase†of†the†week:†%ayaa%iš†%ak†%uuš†ya†ma>iic^a+quu†hiisuk†quxš†u+^†

It means ‘A lot of us suff er from the pain of the weather when it get’s cold, lots of stuff gets frozen.’ Pronounced ‘Ohhsh ya ish alth aya ma c lee cha alth koo hee shook kooh sloth’ Supplied by ciisma.