Inside this issue... ‘Staggering’ number of holiday clients

Some urban service providers saw peak in new clients, while others rallied together to give Christmas support

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Vancouver Island, BC - This past holiday season saw what seemed like endless snow fi lling communities throughout Vancouver Island. As the snow fell, the social services sectors worked hard through the month tending to weather and holiday needs of vulnerable people. Among some services that were needed was the Salvation Army’s emergency weather response program, which provides extra mats in shelters to meet the demands of unhoused folks. Jeff rey Baergen, executive director for Salvation Army Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre in Victoria, said that during the snowstorm the shelter on 525 Johnson street was full each night. The shelter includes 161 beds, and 30 additional mats for emergency weather response. “We were actually over capacity each night,” said Baergen. “When it gets colder outside people are, of course, looking for more services.” Baergen explained that one of the biggest issues facing the social services sector is staffi ng. Often managers have been stepping onto the front lines to accommodate the high demand. “We can’t put up a sign that says, ‘Hey, due to staffi ng we’re closed’,” said Baergen. “We have to make it happen.” “We had everybody we could possibly fi nd working our emergency weather program so that we could get people in, out of the snow,” he added. Pastor Michael Ramsey of the Salvation Army in the Alberni Valley said that they operated with 20 mats throughout the snow storm. They were never at full capacity, though some nights they almost reached that point. “We’re hoping, very shortly here, to be able to move the mat program and put in 25 beds,” said Ramsey. “Then to turn the space into, not [a] weather dependent [shelter], and just another additional shelter in town so that we are able to fully assist those who are in most need.” Ramsey said that he is thankful for the volunteers and community organizations that come together to provide for the vulnerable population. “Volunteerism is the only way that we’re able to provide the myriad [of] services that we do,” said Ramsey. “I’m just so thankful that, even though the need has been more signifi cant and higher than I’ve ever seen it in this community, that so many people in this community [have] a big heart and are willing to step up and try, and help us, help others.” Ramsey noted that this past December there was a “staggering” amount of fi rst-time users seeking services provided by the Salvation Army in Port Alberni. Ramsey particularly noted food hampers. Seniors on a fi xed income who would have donated in previous years were now turning to the salvation army for support, seeking help such as food hampers, he said. “I think the cost of living in many places has really gone up, like buying food,” said Ramsey. “Again, a senior income or any other kind of just solid fi xed income, they’re not going to be able to keep up with that kind of an increase in cost.” Christmas is already a busy time the Alberni Valley Salvation Army, noted Ramsey. There is also an additional challenge to support fi rst-time service users, he continued. The Port Alberni Friendship Center, which is busy serving the community year-round, struggled providing services through the snow fall. Cindy Stevens, executive director of the Port Alberni Friendship Center, said that outreach workers weren’t able to work in snowy conditions because of the dangers associated with driving in the snow. “It impacted our ability to get services to people that aren’t, you know, able to get to our center and probably did impact people trying to get to our center,” said Stevens. While many of the services provided by the Friendship Center tend to slow down during closures like the Christmas holidays, the unhoused population’s need for services remains consistent, said Stevens. Though the Friendship Center remained open throughout December, it closed on statutory holidays such as Christmas day and Boxing Day. However, this didn’t stop the centre from “unoffi cially” providing for vulnerable communities, as they have over the past years. Stevens and her family prepared and delivered Christmas dinners, on both Christmas day and Boxing Day, to those in the area who were most in need, she explained. Herb Dick of Ahousaht, who is an Island Health Indigenous outreach worker in Victoria, noted that throughout December people who were seeking services also experienced holiday blues and were missing home. “Another part [of] what [Indigenous outreach workers] do is we have cultural events,” said Dick. “We try to support, and other matters are just bringing [the] community together.” In December the Indigenous outreach workers, also known as ey stelnexw, hosted a turkey meal. Dick said there was a Santa, drumming, singing, and brushing. “It made a huge impact on the community, because it’s not just the street community,” said Dick. “It’s…the First Nations community and the street community coming together.” “I think that’s a major thing about people who are lost, they sometimes feel like they’re by themselves,” he added. “We try [to] bring the services from home to the street community, and that is through coming together, sitting together, eating together…with our local elders, and then with our Nuu-chah-nulth elders, too.”

Photo by Eric Plummer Located at 4th and Argyle Street in Port Alberni’s Uptown district, the Salvation Army served an unprecedented number of fi rst-time clients over the recent holiday season, including many seniors.

“Another part of what Indigenous outreach workers do is we have cultural events”

~ Herb Dick, Indigenous outreach worker

Ha-Shilth-Sa newspaper is published by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council for distribution to the members of the NTC-member First Nations, as well as other interested groups and individuals. Information and original work contained in this newspaper is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without written permission from:

Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council P.O. Box 1383, Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 7M2. Telephone: (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 Web page: www.hashilthsa.com facebook: Hashilthsa Ntc

2023 Subscription rates:

$35 per year in Canada and $40 per year in the U.S.A. and $45 per year in foreign countries. Payable to the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.

Manager/Editor/Reporter Eric Plummer (Ext. 243) (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 eric.plummer@nuuchahnulth.org

Reporter Denise Titian (Ext. 240) (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 denise.titian@nuuchahnulth.org Reporter Alexandra Mehl (Ext. 286) (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 alexandra.mehl@nuuchahnulth.org

Audio / Video Technician Mike Watts (Ext. 238) (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 mike.watts@nuuchahnulth.org

Editorial Assistant Holly Stocking (Ext. 302) (250) 724-5757 Fax: (250) 723-0463 holly.stocking@nuuchahnulth.org

DEADLINE:

Please note that the deadline for submissions for our next issue is

January 20, 2023 After that date, material submitted and judged appropriate cannot be guaranteed placement but, if material is still relevant, will be included in the following issue. In an ideal world, submissions would be typed rather than hand-written. Articles can be sent by e-mail to holly.stocking@nuuchahnulth.org (Windows PC). Submitted pictures must include a brief description of subject(s) and a return address. Pictures with no return address will remain on fi le. Allow two - four weeks for return. Photocopied or faxed photographs cannot be accepted.

COVERAGE:

Although we would like to be able to cover all stories and events, we will only do so subject to: - Suffi cient advance notice addressed specifi cally to Ha-Shilth-Sa. - Reporter availability at the time of the event. - Editorial space available in the paper. - Editorial deadlines being adhered to by contributors. Ha-Shilth-Sa will include letters received from its readers. Letters MUST be signed by the writer and have the writer’s full name, address and phone number on them. Names can be withheld by request. Anonymous submissions will not be accepted. We reserve the right to edit submitted material for clarity, brevity, grammar and good taste. We will defi nitely not publish letters dealing with tribal or personal disputes or issues that are critical of Nuu-chah-nulth individuals or groups. All opinions expressed in letters to the editor are purely those of the writer and will not necessarily coincide with the views or policies of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council or its member First Nations. Ha-Shilth-Sa includes paid advertising, but this does not imply Ha-Shilth-Sa or Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council recommends or endorses the content of the ads.

Health study gains $16 million grant

Longitudinal project looks ahead with plan to involve hundreds of kids & mothers

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Port Alberni, BC - A longitudinal project delving into the factors that determine a person’s lifelong health has received a large grant to study the early years of Nuu-chah-nulth participants. In December the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative was awarded $16 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. With the goal of determining how to model well-being, the project involves volunteers from 14 Nuu-chah-nulth nations, plus Cree and Dene nations from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buff alo in Alberta, as well as the Cree Nations of Maskwacîs in the Prairie province. This participation totals 23 First Nations in all, exploring the concept that “health and well-being are the result of long-term access to physical, spiritual, emotional, nutritional and social resources,” according to a project update released last fall. Topics of interest include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and mental health, which are identifi ed by the communities involved. “The research will not only examine the effi cacy of existing programs in reducing risk, but also determine the impact of biological and social mechanisms as they aff ect children and their families,” stated an announcement from the Nuu-chahnulth Tribal Council on the grant award. Besides the NTC, the long-term study involves researchers from the University of Alberta and Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. The project aims to look beyond the negative indicators that have dominated previous studies on the health of Indigenous Peoples. Among these are a 2018 report from the First Nations Health Authority and B.C.’s provincial health offi cer, showing a life expectancy of 75 among B.C.’s Aboriginal population - eight years lower than other residents - with triple the suicide rate among youth and double the rate of infant mortality. The project’s principal investigator is Lynnette Lucas, NTC’s director of health. “Elders and knowledge holders are guiding every step,” said Lucas, who is also an adjunct professor in SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences. “Most stories about Indigenous people tend to focus on stereotypes and defi cits. Our intent is to explore the root causes of health disparities giving emphasis to Indigenous ways of knowing.” The long-term study has so far completed two preliminary two-year phases, with past funding from the CIHR. The next stage will involve the participation of women of child-bearing age, so that the fi rst six years of a person’s life are studied, starting at conception. The NTC expects to gather the participation of hundreds of mothers and children by the end of the six-year phase. Over the next six months a working group with determine which indicators the data collection will focus on. “We’ve got members form each of our nursing, mental health and our child an youth services team, and then they’ll be working with some elders,” said Lucas, noting that the project currently has a large list of data points, but researchers will need to be sensitive of the needs of participants.” “One of the options would be to take urine samples from, say, a pregnant mother across a week to test for stress hormones,” she added, citing an example of what data could be collected. One objective of the project is to fi nd new approaches to restore traditional family systems. As a health researcher, Jeff Reading has been working on getting a project like this going for the last two decades. He is a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU. “It’s trying to break that cycle and reclaim ancient ways of knowing,” said Reading in an interview with Ha-shilthSa in September. “We’re interested in fi nding out interventions that prevent diabetes and promote health. It starts out in pregnancy,” he added. “Interventions are intended to improve health, and then we can measure to fi nd out how they improve health.” “The hope is that we’ll be able to do is have interventions in place that assist us in creating a healthy lifestyle for a child, so that they’re not going to be developing long-term chronic illnesses,” said Lucas. “Is there a way for us to have supports in place for families, encouraging them to eat healthy? Making sure she’s surrounded with support, and then providing healthy eating opportunities. Exercise, diet, looking at diff erent pieces like that.” “When you look at some current parenting strategies, they’re almost a refl ection of some things that our communities have always said are important,” added Lucas. “They understood a long time ago that a baby could hear what was being said outside, they could feel that their mother was healing, and that was very important for a child’s wellness and development. Current attachment theories are refl ective of a lot of things that our communities have said were important.”

Photo by Eric Plummer Residential school survivors were recognized at the Alberni Athletic Hall on Sept. 16, 2022 for their contributions to the early stages of a longitudinal study on the determinants of health. The project has recently been awarded a $16-million grant that extends for six years.

Ha-Shilth-Sa belongs to every Nuu-chah-nulth person including those who have passed on, and those who are not yet born. A community newspaper cannot exist without community involvement. If you have any great pictures you’ve taken, stories or poems you’ve written, or artwork you have done, please let us know so we can include it in your newspaper. E-mail holly.stocking@nuuchahnulth.org. This year is Ha-Shilth-Sa’s 48th year of serving the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. We look forward to your continued input and support. Kleco! Kleco!

Legal Information

The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error is due to the negligence of the servants or otherwise, and there shall be no liability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisements