Ha Shilth Sa Newspaper March 23, 2023

INTERESTING NEWS Canada’s Oldest First Nations Newspaper - Serving Nuu-chah-nulth-aht since 1974 Canadian Publications Mail Product Vol. 50 - No. 06—March 23, 2023 haas^i>sa Sales Agreement No. 40047776

Port Alberni Friendship Center selected to run shelter BC Housing didn’t renew shelter society’s contract, after organization ran the facility since its opening in 2019

By Denise Titian and Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter and Contributor Port Alberni, BC - BC Housing has selected the Port Alberni Friendship Centre (PAFC) as the new operator of the Our Home on Eighth supportive housing and shelter building.

“The Port Alberni Friendship Center is excited at the opportunity to be the new operator of Our Home on Eighth,” said PAFC Executive Director Cyndi Stevens.

She went on to say that the PAFC has extensive experience in delivering this type of support and service in the valley.

“We have been providing services, programming, culturally comprehensive events and programming, and celebrating special occasions with the community since 1965,” Stevens added. “We bring the strength of expertise along with those of our solid and long-standing partnerships and relationships that we have built within Port Alberni and beyond.”

Built in 2019, Our Home on Eighth provides 30 supportive housing units, each with a bathroom and kitchenette, and 20 shelter spaces available to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the community. At the time the Port Alberni Shelter Society (PASS) was awarded the contract to run the facility.

Not long after it opened concerns about how the shelter was being run were raised and protestors set up camp on the lawns outside the shelter in the fall of 2020. The encampment came down on BC Housing’s promise of a third-party review of services.

The provincial review report was released in February 2021. In January 2023 Ha-Shilth-Sa reported that BC Housing would cancel its service contract for Our Home on Eighth with the Port Alberni Shelter Society without stating a reason.

The provincial review report, however, noted that a list of individuals banned from the facility was circulating and, at one point in time, contained 100 names.

“Another, more recent version (of the list) has 50 names,” states the report.

“How these lists came to be publicly circulated is unknown, but it has resulted in the further stigmatization of those barred individuals.”

BC Housing said they have a duty to ensure shelters and supportive housing facilities are appropriately operated and that residents and staff are being supported.

“This duty is for shelter guests and supportive housing residents, as well as the community of Port Alberni,” BC Housing said. “Because this matter is being discussed through legal counsel, we cannot

Denise Titian photo

BC Housing has terminated the contract for The Port Alberni Shelter Society to operate Our Home on Eighth as of March 31, 2023. will be no interruption of services to curcomment further.” rent shelter guests or supportive housing Wes Hewitt, PASS executive director, residents. said he has not had any discussions with “We are committed to creating a safe, BC Housing about why their contract was culturally connected, and welcoming cancelled. environment to the residents and guests at “There’s been no public disclosure of Our Home on Eighth,” said Stevens. anything like that. [BC Housing] just BC Housing states that PAFC will have used the 90-day clause and that was it,” experienced staff onsite around the clock Hewitt said. to provide residents and guests with supHewitt said it’s disappointing to see ports, including daily meals, life-skills PASS’s contract end as the society has training, employment assistance and put a lot of time and energy into making counselling, physical and mental-health Our Home on Eighth what it is today. resources, as well as access to addiction “This building wouldn’t be here if it treatment and recovery services. hadn’t been for us,” Hewitt said. “We In addition to those services, PAFC will spent over a quarter of a million dollars incorporate Indigenous culture into their of our own money and negotiated all the programing. They will offer opportunities lease agreements and things with Island for residents, visitors, and guests to expeHealth for the property.”

Cyndi Stevens rience culture, language, singing, drumThe society will continue to operate people experiencing homelessness in Port ming, traditional medicines and teachings other facilities in the Alberni Valley, including the supportive home on Maitland Alberni. About 65 percent of that number from elders and knowledge keepers, identify as Indigenous. Aboriginal people according to BC Housing.

Street, the Overdose Prevention Site and make up 17 percent of the population of The PAFC will also operate the Walysobering centre, among others. aqil Tiny Shelter Village in Port Alberni, “This is not going to be the end of PASS Port Alberni, according to census data.

In January 2023 BC Housing invited scheduled to open in spring 2023 on 4th by any means. We have a lot of other select non-profit housing and shelter Avenue. things that we do, other sites and other “We are looking forward to beginning programs,” Hewitt said. “We’re alive and operators to submit proposals to operate Our Home on Eighth. The invitation fothe important work of supporting those well and we’re always looking for the support in the community. We’re thankful cused on Indigenous-led operators to best who need it the most by embedding for the support that we get and we’ve had support guests and residents, the majority Indigenous culture within the programs of whom identify as Aboriginal. and services that will be offered,” said a lot of people that have donated to us The Port Alberni Friendship Center was Stevens. “We thank our community and because of the announcement and showed selected and will begin managing Our our amazing partners for your support their support.”

Home on 8th, located at 3939 8th Ave., and look forward to working with you all The 2021 Point in Time Homeless on April 1. BC Housing promises there during this transition and into the future.”

Count revealed that there are about 125

Inside this issue...

Homeless allege harassment...........................................Page 3 FNHA receives health feedback.....................................Page 4 Court approves $2.8B residential school settlement......Page 7 8 year old traditionally invites NTC to event...............Page 11 Yuquot energy project...................................................Page 15

If undeliverable, please return to: Ha-Shilth-Sa P.O. Box 1383, Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 7M2

Page 2— Ha-Shilth-Sa—March 23, 2023

$100M watershed security fund ‘expression of hope’ The development of a strategy to protect watersheds seeks to align with UNDRIP for a more sustainable future

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor A new watershed fund is being heralded as a critical shift in how the provincial government values the natural resource, with particular attention to long-held Indigenous values.

With $100-million to back up its claim, the province announced the Watershed Security Fund earlier this month, with a pledge that B.C.’s future will be different than the past century and a half of reliance on unsustainable resource extraction.

“Todays announcement is an important expression of hope for the stewardship of our watersheds,” said Nathan Cullen, minister of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship, during a press conference on March 6. “For far too long, too many have taken our abundant freshwater resources for granted. The hard reality is for far too many watersheds in British Columbia, they are facing significant challenges that requires us to take a more ambitious, more strategic approach to ensure the sustainability for future generations.”

The $100-million fund is to be managed by the B.C.-First Nations Water Table, a collective of representatives from the provincial government and Indigenous communities formed in June 2022 to bring in a new strategy to better protect B.C.’s watersheds.

Chief Lydia Hwitsum of the Cowichan Tribes is co-chair of the water table. She called the fund a “significant undertaking and shift in terms of including Indigenous voice [and] respecting Indigenous law.”

“When we work together, we can get

better outcomes,” she said.

With the announcement of the fund, the watershed table released an intentions paper to guide the provincial investment.

The document stresses the need to align the provincial government’s policies with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, something that the province was tasked to do when legislation put this declaration into B.C. law in 2019.

Informed by public input received last year, the intentions paper also mentions the need to build a strong foundation of watershed science that people can access, strengthen regulations to protect the resource, find ways to balance water supply with demand and to “adopt wild salmon recovery as a key value.”

Water table delegate Hugh Braker cautioned that B.C.’s industries can have a competing interest in the water supply, something that will collectively need to be resolved.

“We know that those are competing interests, everybody wants a big share of fresh water, but we also know that we cannot fail,” he said. “We cannot let the province of British Columbia lose its natural resources.”

After droughts over the past few summers and an atmospheric river event that left devastation in parts of B.C. due to torrential rainfall in November 2021, more alarms have been raised recently on threats tied to the province’s water.

In March a report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service was released, warning that the earth’s rapidly changing climate is a serious threat to British Columbia’s coastal communities due to rising sea levels. Global warming also

Jerry Jack threatens the province’s food security, warned the national spy agency.

While the watershed table’s intentions paper focuses on the ongoing concerns of climate change, Braker, who is a member of the Tseshaht First Nation, noted that other human-caused activities cannot be overlooked.

“It’s not just climate change, it’s also industry, logging industry on Vancouver Island for example,” he said.

Over a century of industrial-scale forestry has left an unavoidable mark on Vancouver Island’s watersheds. Towards the southern portion of Nuu-chah-nulth territory, 62 per cent of the Sarita River watershed had been logged by 1997, according to studies conducted by the Huu-ay-aht First Nations around its river, including 97 per cent of the flood plain.

Further up the coast, similar effects can be seen in the Gold River, said Mowachaht/Muchalaht Hereditary Chief Jerry Jack, who watches many rivers in his territory dry up each summer.

“Our fish are stuck at the waterfront because they can’t go anywhere,” he said during the March 6 press conference, alluding to the impacts of forestry. “They widen the rivers, the rivers get wider and wider and there’s no more water, [fish] can’t go anywhere. It gets really scary.”

During the announcement provincial representatives noted that forestry companies cannot have a future in the industry unless their processes leave a sustainable environment.

“Water is a precious resource, it’s critical to our individual lives. It’s also a limited resource,” said George Heyman, minster of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. “It’s a resource that’s been impacted in often negative ways by practices that came about because we were out of touch with the land, the air and the water in a way that Indigenous peoples in British Columbia could never afford to be.”

“For us, water is a living being - not just to be managed, but to respected and protected,” said Jack, who is on the B.C. Assembly of First Nations board of directors. “Our whalers used to go to the water to prepare to go whaling. Although we don’t whale anymore, we still go there to cleanse ourselves, to make ourselves better for what we’re going to do. If we don’t have that, we won’t have life.”

Another period of public engagement is open for the direction of the Watershed Security Fund until April 17. Then the B.C.-First Nations Water Table is tasked with developing a watershed security strategy over the spring and summer.

Input can be submitted to the watershed security initiative at feedback.engage. gov.bc.ca.

March 23, 2023—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 3

Homeless allege harassment, bylaw commits to safety Claims of taking essential items surfaced at a rally, but City of Victoria says it is carefully upholding regulations

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Victoria, BC - In the wake of an unsuccessful legal challenge against the City of Victoria’s bylaw department – a case that a tribunal called “extraordinary” for municipal enforcement - members of the city’s unhoused community hosted a rally on March 10 to share the challenges they face.

Niki Ottosen is founder of the Backpack Project in Victoria, an organization that provides supplies like tents, sleeping bags, clothing, and food to Victoria’s homeless.

Otteson filed a claim against the City of Victoria when bylaw enforcement impounded items donated to the Backpack Project, meant for unhoused individuals.

The items had been delivered to a fellow advocate to establish a “respite tent” in a city-owned public park, reads the Civil Resolution Tribunal Reason for Decision.

Otteson claimed that the items were not returned in the same condition as they were taken, while some were not returned at all. Ottesen’s claim was for $500, the estimated value of the missing items.

The City of Victoria denied these claims, stating it was within its right under a municipal bylaw to impound the items. A ticket was issued to the fellow advocate, while the tent and items were impounded due to it being prohibited on sports fields in a city park. The items were impounded on Sept. 26, 2021, and returned on Oct. 21, 2021.

The tribunal dismissed Ottesen’s claim, indicating that she had no standing because she did not have ownership of the impounded property. The items had been donated by Otteson’s mother and given to the advocate.

The tribunal also dismissed the city, which counter-claimed $5,000 to cover a “portion” of the legal fees. For the city, “this dispute was extraordinary because it could impact the city’s ability to enforce certain bylaws if Mrs. Ottosen was successful, and so it was required to ‘vigorously defend’ the claim,” according to the tribunal’s decision.

“I can only imagine how hard it must be for people to file a complaint or a claim who live outside in tents, who are being harassed and displaced and traumatized on a daily basis,” said Otteson at the rally.

“People who are without transportation and are constantly having to retrieve their possessions that are being impounded.”

Otteson goes on to explain that essential survival items, such as blankets, sleeping bags, and clothing, are impounded containing other things like birth certificates, ID, life saving medications and bus passes.

“Along with the loss of essential items, they also lose items of irreplaceable worth, including family photos, journals, artworks, and the ashes of loved ones,” said Otteson.

For Victoria’s homeless, this dispute is only the tip of the iceberg pertaining to issues with the city’s bylaw enforcement.

Patricia Nataucappo, and her husband, Kyle Rodway, have lived on Pandora Street for the last three years.

Nautocappo explained that one day prior to the rally she and her husband had their belongings impounded.

“Your stuff still gets stolen every day,” said Natucappo. “There’s still one victim every single day.”

“They quarter us off and then they tape

Alexandra Mehl photo

Millie Modeste, an advocate for Victoria’s unhoused community, speaks at rally in the city’s downtown on March 10.

Perkins, is to move people away from us off,” said Nataucappo. “Then they take nessed the use of the water hose, though hazards such as falling limbs. she said it has not happened in roughly everything that they put inside the tape.”

With impounded property, items are three years.

“Then they go and lock it away some“sorted, cataloged, and stored” for thirty “I’ve watched them show up there at where telling you that it’s safe,” she days. six o’clock in the morning and start, you continued.

“City staff work very hard to ensure that know, spraying the water hose at them, Nataucappo goes on to explain that items of value are retained, documented and that stopped real quick,” said Natauwhen they get their belongings back, and photographed so they can be returned cappo. “We had to stay on the block in often items of value, such as electronics, to rightful owners,” wrote Perkins. order to get that stopped.” have not been returned.

Bylaw officers are authorized to imWhen asked, the City of Victoria Bylaw “We’ve always gotten our clothes back, pound items when they are unlawfully Department denied these claims. we’ve always gotten our stuff back, but placed, she wrote.

Director of Bylaw Shannon Perkins it’s always been moldy and it’s always “Our goal is to help people understand explained that Victoria’s officers enforce been without our monetary electronics,” the rules, coordinate with other service two main bylaws regulated in “city said Nataucappo. providers to assist in this understanding, owned public spaces” that pertain to unTrent Smith, is homeless in Victoria. housed individuals. These are Streets and provide education and warning before He became unhoused over the pandemic conducting any impounds. Our goal is Traffic, and Parks Regulations. when the Fairfield Hotel closed down voluntary compliance,” wrote Perkins.

Perkins wrote that the Street and Traffic without giving him proper notice. He lost Bylaw regulates the “safe passage of roughly $10,000 worth of belongings, he One third are Indigenous people, bikes and vehicles” on sidewalks, said.

According to the 2020 Greater Victoria bike lanes, and streets. The maintenance “Bylaw is out there every day or every Point-in-Time Homelessness Count and of this bylaw also includes ensuring city second or third day, but they come out Housing Needs Survey the top three barwith the intention of impounding, not the departments can do their jobs, such as riers to securing housing are high rental intention of just enforcement,” said Trent. sanitation and refuse removal, parking prices, low income and lack of options services and electrical services, wrote “It’s not about just making sure people available. are okay, and that everything is good. It’s Perkins.

Ninety-two per cent of respondents With the Parks Regulations bylaw ofabout bullying people and controlling in the survey indicated that they want ficers ensure that those using temporary people.” permanent housing. Thirty-five per cent shelter are lawfully in permitted areas Before becoming homeless, Smith had identified as Indigenous, and 45 responwithin permitted times, said Perkins. previously worked in the hospitality Additionally, they must ensure that others dents out of the 854 surveyed identified industry for 30 years. as Nuu-chah-nulth. Of the Indigenous can use the park safely.

“I’ve taken care of people, [and] this respondents, 12 per cent are on a waitlist “Each person is dealt with on an indiis different. I’m not used to this,” said for on-reserve housing, 15 per cent for Smith when reflecting on his experiences vidual basis and enforcement decisions are based on their ability to comply either urban Aboriginal housing, and seven per living unhoused. “It rips you apart from cent are on both. over time or on any day,” wrote Perkins. the inside…just having to watch this and Single individuals may not consider Though not all unhoused individuals see this on a daily basis.” putting themselves on a waitlist, because experience mental health, drug addicSmith would like to see a level of huthese housing opportunities often priorition, and other ailments, in the cases that man sensitivity in the enforcement. tizes families, reads the report. individuals do, it impacts their ability to “I see everybody around me get haOf the 84 youth respondents surveyed, comply, she said. rassed, and have [their] stuff impounded 36 per cent identified as Indigenous.

“It certainly is a dominant factor,” and stolen, not just myself,” he said.

“We have so many Indigenous youth on wrote Perkins. “For these reasons, Water hose allegations our streets that are not getting the care compliance can take several days or that they need,” said Mills. “They’re out weeks to achieve. This is why tents Karen Mills, an outreach worker who there [and] they’re trying to survive.” will remain up, despite bylaw officer had previously been unhoused for eight “It’s heart wrenching for me to give attendance.” years, spoke at the rally claiming she has somebody a tent and watch their home When asked about extreme weather, witnessed bylaw enforcement use a water being displaced every single mornPerkins wrote that the city does not rehose in the morning so that homeless ing when I gave them a home the night quire unhoused individuals to tear down people would pack up and move along. structures during heavy rainfall, and with before,” said Mills. “We need better treat“I wasn’t a person, because I was a freezing temperatures they are “anxiously ment of these people. Nobody deserves or homeless person,” said Mills. “Today, chooses to be homeless.” engaged in getting people inside.”

I’m not homeless, and my voice does The Mayor and City Council did not The enforcement that bylaw does during count.” respond for comment. extreme weather like windstorms, wrote Nataucappo also claimed to have wit-

Page 4— Ha-Shilth-Sa—March 23, 2023 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.

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FNHA provides health feedback office Quality Care and Safety Office aims to improves health care services across province

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter British Columbia – The First Nations Health Authority is informing front-line workers about its Quality Care and Safety Office, offering support to Indigenous people as they navigate through the health care system in the province.

“The goal of the First Nations Health Authority’s Quality Care and Safety Office is to improve health and wellness programs and services for First Nations people across B.C.,” wrote the FNHA in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa. Through the Quality Care and Safety Office, clients of the various health services in British Columbia provide feedback, either positive or negative, about their quality of care.

“FNHA’s quality care staff provide channels for easy access to those wishing to provide feedback regarding the care that they, their family members and/ or loved ones have received,” wrote the FNHA. At a recent meeting of the NTC nursing department, guests Desiree Holmes and Krista Joseph from FNHA spoke about the Quality Care and Safety Office. After hearing complaints that could be from clients who have used services in the health care system, like the hospital, ambulance, doctor, pharmacy, or dentist, QCSO staff will act on the issue, seeking resolution. One example that the FNHA staff spoke about was a client with a complaint about a pharmacy. Advocacy from QCSO reportedly resulted in changes at the BC College of Pharmacists.

The FNHA says that when the QCSO receives a complaint about the health care system, the quality care team assists by providing support with a transparent process for accountability. A person’s unique care concerns are considered, and the complaint office helps people navigate through the system.

The QCSO also receives complements and feedback about positive experiences in the health care system. “(The QCSO) also shares positive experiences with the appropriate program, service and/or provider,” said the FNHA. “B.C. First Nations people have rights when sharing feedback regarding their

Courtenay Louie photo

An Ahousaht resident receives a vaccination shot for COVID-19 in January 2021 from a nurse with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. Indigenous people across B.C. can provide feedback on their positive or negative experiences with health care providers through an office established by the First Nations Health Authority. care.”

FNHA’s quality care staff uphold and provide education regarding those rights, he added.

You can provide feedback on your experience with any B.C. public health care service, including: those delivered directly by FNHA (such as nursing stations, Virtual Doctor of the Day and some health benefits) those delivered by external health-care providers (such as hospitals) those funded by FNHA (such as care provided in First Nations community health centres, Pacific Blue Cross and PharmaCare Plan W) Once a complaint has been filed the FNHA Quality Care and Safety Office

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COVERAGE: Although we would like to be able to cover all stories and events, we will only do so subject to: - Sufficient advance notice addressed specifically to Ha-Shilth-Sa. - Reporter availability at the time of the event.

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will respond to you within two business days. They say they will listen and respond to the complaint with privacy and respect. After gathering information, they will outline the options available to you, including restorative approaches to healing in a cultural way.

The QCSO will work with the client according to their wishes and will provide a written summary.

If you have feedback about your experience in the B.C. health care system that you would like to share, you can email, phone, or text FNHA Quality Care and Safety Office.

Phone: 1-844-935-1044 (toll free), email: quality@fnha.ca

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.

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March 23, 2023—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 5

Fog, faulty equipment factors in crash, says report Transportation Safety Board outlines adverse conditions that faced an over-dedicated water taxi operator in ‘22

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor Tofino, BC - A transportation Safety Board investigation is pointing to the combination of dense fog, instrument failure and fatigue from an overworked operator as factors that could have led a water taxi to crash into a rock during a routine trip from Tofino to Ahousaht.

The federal agency released its report on March 13, with details leading up to the crash involving the Rocky Pass in early 2022. Four of the five people aboard the water taxi were seriously injured when it hit a rock in a shallow area between Tofino and Ahousaht on Jan. 25, 2022, including skipper Chris Frank.

The accident occurred during a morning of thick fog, conditions that prompted Environment Canada to warn that visibility could be reduced “suddenly to near zero” on the water around Vancouver Island. The Rocky Pass, which was one of the busiest water taxis between Tofino and Ahousaht at the time, had arrived from the Flores Island community to make its first pick up at Tofino’s First Street Dock.

Rocky Pass left the dock at 9:05 a.m., as another water taxi was also headed to Ahousaht, while two more were coming the other way towards Tofino. Halfway through the journey the vessel passed through Coomes Bank, a shallow area with rocks that become exposed during low tide, which is the typical passage for water taxis venturing between Tofino and Ahousaht. The boat was steered a few metres to the right of its usual track through Coomes Bank to give the oncoming vessels space, stated the TSB report, noting that its speed was 22 knots, three knots slower than normal for water taxi travel through this area.

“As the vessel was transiting Coomes Bank, the GPS display froze and, as a result, the operator could no longer view the vessel’s actual position on the display,” described the report. “The operator was attempting to reset the GPS by using the zoom feature when he observed a rock directly in front of the vessel.”

Rocky Pass hit the rock at 9:28 a.m.

“The operator was thrown forward out of his seat and struck the front window but was subsequently able to stop the engines and transmit a Mayday call using the VHF radiotelephone with the assistance of one of the passengers,” continued the TSB. The Canadian Coast Guard responded, as did the Coastal Nations Coast Guard Auxiliary and other vessels in the area.

Submitted photos

On Jan. 25, 2022 the Rocky Pass hit a rock during a morning trip from Tofino to Ahousaht, causing a large dent in its hull.

Since then, the water taxi has been out of operation.

With a large dent and hole in the hull, witnesses saw the taxi taking in water.

Reports said that the vessel’s radar had problems “with the clarity of the display that affected its usefulness”, stated the federal agency.

“This speed in these conditions provided the operator with approximately two seconds to react to any navigational hazards,” said the report. “As well, the operator was relying on a single navigational aid, the GPS, to maintain a safe passage because the vessel’s radar was not in use during the voyage. When the GPS display froze, the operator had no back-up navigational aid to provide positional information.”

On such a foggy morning, a back-up navigational aid could have provided welcome assistance - especially considering that Frank had returned from transporting someone for a medical issue just hours before he got up for work that morning. Ahousaht relies on water taxis for medical evacuations to Tofino, and without a set schedule, Frank ended up being the driver willing to take an emergency call the previous night when he was getting ready to go to bed.

“He waited approximately 20 minutes to see if someone else would respond to the call, and when no one else did, he responded,” stated the report, noting that Rocky Pass left Ahousaht at 11 p.m. with the patient. “Once in Tofino, the operator stayed at the wharf to see whether the

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patient would require a return transfer to Ahousaht.”

As he waited Frank slept in the boat, before heading home without the patient.

He got back to Ahousaht at 2 a.m., and was awake at 6:15 a.m. to depart on the first trip of the day half an hour later.

Although the TSB couldn’t determine if fatigue was a factor in the Jan. 25 colli-

sion, it notes that the lack of coordination among water taxis to perform medical evacuations from Ahousaht creates a risk for the vessel operators.

“This unpredictability makes it challenging for operators to prioritize their hours of rest and exposes them to the rick of fatigue,” stated the report.

Page 6— Ha-Shilth-Sa—March 23, 2023

‘Indigenous practice is prevention’ in foster system As the impacts of residential schools trickle down to youngsters in care, workers point to Indigenous practices

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter It was scary for Victoria Oscar and her brother to leave their family home in Kyuquot Sound and enter the foster care system.

From age two to 16 Oscar and her brother were in and out of foster care, living in Campbell River, Zeballos, Alert Bay and Kyuquot, among other places. When they entered the foster care system, they arrived with only what they could carry, said Oscar.

Over the course of a year when Oscar was a teenager, they were waiting for “approval” to live with her grandfather, though soon after they were in his care, he passed away.

“We always got to stay with family.

That’s why they moved us so much,” said Oscar. “We just wanted to be home, close to our mom and our stepdad.”

Oscar and her brother were able to stay together throughout the years, in and out of foster care.

“When you’re trying to keep your siblings together, it’s a matter of space,” said Oscar when sharing some of the challenges of being in foster care. “A lot of places we were stuck in the same room.”

Reflecting on the social workers she interacted with, Oscar remembers one in particular who treated her well, understanding the importance of keeping the girl close to her culture, community, and family. Oscar said this social worker was the reason her and her brother were able to stay together.

“We’re okay living out of bags. We’re okay sleeping in a tent. We’re not scared of anything. We’re not afraid to sleep on the floor or the cement,” reflected Oscar.

In 2021, she began school at the Native Education College in Vancouver. This was the same time that Oscar overcame addictions she had struggled with since age 15.

“When I started school, I hit the ground running and I just couldn’t stop,” said Oscar. “They help you grow… They give you the tools to build your own foundation, and it’s a really beautiful place.”

Oscar has two more math classes before she receives her GED, and plans to walk across the stage next year.

Disruption to the family dynamic Geena Haiyupus of Hesquiaht is a youth navigator for Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services. Haiyupus helps youth as they age out of care by assisting them with life skills required when they leave Usma.

Haiyupus explains that Canada’s colonial history directly impacts the youth in Usma services.

“They tore us apart from [our culture], and then they separated us from our language and our traditional roles that we would have taken very seriously had we still been living in community,” said Haiyupus.

She explains that residential schools and the foster care system cause disruptions in the traditional family dynamic, and has done so through generations.

The biggest challenge that the youth face is finding a sense of belonging, whether it be with their parents, relatives, or community, said Haiyupus.

“That disruption of connection and sense of belonging really impacts them,” she said. “They go and look for outside resources [to have] a sense of belonging, and that often comes with the streets.”

One method that Usma employs to support young people is to keep them busy,

Eric Plummer photo

Children in care gather at Hesquiaht Harbour in the First Nation’s homeland during a family reconnection event. away from the streets and other outside “As a result of this alleged failure, this will increase to $1,465.86. For youth influences by following protocols that children in care were exposed to physiaged 12-19, the maintenance rate is build connection with their families and cal abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, $1,124.19 and will increase to $1,655.91, communities, explains Haiyupus. neglect, exposure to drug use, exposure wrote the ministry.

Charlene Thompson-Reid (Wiick-saato criminal activity, given inadequate British Columbia is the first jurisdicwilth) of Tseshaht has been working with food/nourishment, given inadequate tion in Canada to pass legislation, in late Usma since 2009. medical and other treatments and given 2022, that recognizes the right for Indig“Culture to us, here at Usma, is maninadequate support…to complete a Grade enous communities to provide their own datory,” said Thompson-Reid. “They 12 education,” reads the class action. child and family services, enabling them deserve to be invited, to be included to be In an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa, the Ministo keep their youth safe and connected to part of that culture.” try of Children and Family Development families, culture, and communities, acThough many youth in care with Usma writes that it is their “first priority to keep cording to MCFD. are with extended family and community children and youth close to families, “The ministry, I feel like they’re miles members, with non-native homes, Usma communities and cultures. More children behind us,” said Thompson-Reid. “I feel brings culture to them, explained Thomp- than ever before are staying connected to like [Usma] has been supporting our son-Reid. their families, communities, and cultures caregivers culturally, way longer than This ranges from activities such as mak- in out-of-care arrangements with extendit was even implemented that we were ing traditional headbands, drums, and ed family or friends.” made to do it.” shawls, having an elder teaching roles “As of January 31, 2023, we currently ‘The only light that shines over you’ and values, or learning about hunting and have the lowest number of Indigenous One of the challenges that Usma is presfishing. children and youth in foster care in 20 ently facing is the lack of foster homes Staff will also bring youth to Hesquiyears - 2,281,” continued the ministry. for youth, explains Thompson-Reid. aht, Tseshaht, Ahousaht, and Huu-ay-aht “Last year over 93 per cent of Indigenous Some homes have up to eight children. dance classes, said Thompson-Reid. children who needed protection were Due to the nature of the work Usma If the child isn’t connected to family, able to return to living safely with their does, there is often a fear and lack of trust they will make sure Usma organizes a families after receiving supports.” in communities, she said. naming ceremony and celebration, she “With the 2023 budget investing $85 With the goal to keep teenagers out of added. million to support caregivers, kinship, group homes, keep siblings together, and When Haiyupus is with the youth she and out-of-care providers with costs of keep Nuu-chah-nulth youth connected will point out who their relatives are, so food, clothing, and transportation, this to their communities, Thompson-Reid they can build connections and deepen investment will increase maintenance explains that the communities are partner their sense of belonging. rates by 47 per cent and reach more than groups, and that there is a need to work “It’s slowly changing, less kids are get5,000 caregivers,” wrote the ministry. together, build trust and provide homes ting removed as much as they were even “Increased funding for kinship and outfor the youth in care.

14 years ago, when I first started here,” of-care caregivers increases the likeli“We need a lot of healing so that we can said Thompson-Reid. hood that a child or youth can be well trust again,” she said. supported without having to come into ‘Indigenous practice is prevention’ “That cultural component with every care, while maintaining connections with According to statistics from the Ministry single child in care will get them through their family, community, and culture.” of Child and Family Development, from those times in care,” continued ThompThe monthly maintenance rate for a 2001 to 2021 the number of Abnoriginal son-Reid. “It’s almost like the only light child, ranging from an infant to age youth in foster care decreased from 4,273 that shines over you in those moments.” eleven, is $1,024.64, and as of April 1 to 3,548, though 67 per cent of children in foster care are currently Indigenous.

“Indigenous practice is prevention,” said Haiyupus. “The more we practice our Indigenous worldview, the more that we bring sacred practices back to what we’re doing, the more healing we have.”

When asked where foster care can improve, Oscar said they need to “Indigenize” the system, using things like the “healing wheel”.

“The only way that we’re going to find prevention is by seeking that healing,” said Haiyupus.

In December of 2022 Murphy Battista LLP filed a class action lawsuit against the Ministry of Child and Family Development for failing to provide the proper care for children in the foster system, alleging that the MCFD didn’t supply basic rights like being fed, clothed, and nurtured.

March 23, 2023—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 7

Court approves $2.8B residential school se•lement Judge calls ruling ‘transformational’, as it helps 325 First Nations impacted by Indian residential school system

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor Ottawa, ON - Federal Court has approved the terms of a $2.8-billion settlement that Canada is calling the first compensation to First Nations communities for the loss of language, culture and heritage due to the residential school system.

On March 13 the court determined that terms of the Gottfriedson Band class settlement are fair and in the best interests of the 325 First Nations tied to the litigation.

This long list includes First Nations that opted to participate in the class action lawsuit due to the longstanding impacts of their members being forced to attend Indian residential schools, which were Christian-oriented institutions run across Canada from the 1860s to the 1990s. In Nuu-chah-nulth territory the Ahousaht, Christie and Alberni Indian residential schools are named in the litigation, with the Ehattesaht/Chinehkint, Ahousaht, Tlao-qui-aht, Tseshaht, Hupacasath, Uchucklesaht and Huu-ay-aht First Nations listed in the class action due to the continued impacts of these assimilationist institutions on their members.

The settlement entails the federal government placing $2.8 billion into a not-for-profit trust fund to be managed by a board of nine Indigenous directors elected to represent the interests of the 325 First Nations. Funding is intended to apply to the settlement’s four pillars: The revival and protection of Indigenous languages, preserving Aboriginal cultures, supporting the wellness of First Nations communities, as well as the promotion of

House of Commons video still

In January Marc Miller, Canada’s minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, announced that the government has reached a $2.8-billion settlement with representatives of the 325 First Nations tied to the litigation. their heritage.

First Nations are also to receive a share are part of Canada’s history, even recent “Settlements are not often described as of the fund’s annual investment income, history, and they continue to have devas‘monumental’, ‘historic’, and ‘transforwhich will be dispersed with considertating effects across the country. Part of mational.’ Here, however, I agree that ation given to population size. this horrific legacy is the loss of Indigthose words aptly describe this settlement The Gottfriedson Band class settlement enous culture, knowledge and traditions.” agreement,” wrote Justice Ann Marie differs from individual compensation to The class settlement is named after McDonald in her decision. “The flexibilresidential school survivors that resulted Shane Gottfriedson, a former elected ity this structure affords to the band class from statements given to the Truth and chief of the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc members, to set their own priorities to reconciliation Commission of Canada.

First Nation who launched the litigawork within the four pillars and thereby Instead, the settlement is intended to help tion. It builds upon the Gottfriedson address needs unique to their nations, is communities with the collective harm Day Scholars settlement of 2021, which unprecedented.” caused by residential schools. applies to those who attended residential An initial amount of $200,000 will be “This settlement is not intended to place schools but did not live at the institutions. available to each First Nation tied to the a value on the losses, but instead is a step According to the terms of the settlelitigation, funding the development of a forward in rebuilding our relationship ment, after two 30-day appeal periods, proposal for a larger amount of money with Indigenous Peoples,” stated Marc the federal government will transfer for initiatives that attend to the settleMiller, Canada’s minister of Crown-Infunds into the trust. ment’s four pillars. digenous Relations. “Residential schools

Page 8— Ha-Shilth-Sa—March 23, 2023

Naa%uu, come together and feast, celebrates culture Tla-o-qui-aht’s creation story goes back thousands of years, bringing alive its heritage from before colonization

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Tofino, BC - Among round tables, in a traditionally inspired longhouse, Naaʔuu invites community members to gather and celebrate Tla-o-qui-aht culture for an evening.

On March 16 the evening began with Hjalmer Wenstob, co-host and artistic director for Naaʔuu, along with singers welcoming guests with a paddle song.

Soon after, the room filled with sounds of laughter and conversation as plates were brimming with salmon, mussels, and bannock, an abundance of coastal cuisine made by Heartwood Kitchen.

Wenstob said this event was an opportunity to tell Tla-o-qui-aht’s narrative from their own perspective.

“What we’re doing is sharing a history that you may have not heard before,” said Wenstob. “A lot of the time Indigenous histories and our own histories aren’t told from our perspective, they’re told from a perspective other than our own and in that they can get skewed.”

Tla-o-qui-aht’s story goes back thousands of years before the first contact with Europeans that is commonly spoken about and taught in schools, explained Wenstob.

“The way that we share in public is to tell the story and lead the story in our own words, with our own visuals, with our own dancers, and singers,” he said.

Wenstob began with sharing that “the beginning of stories” for Tla-o-qui-aht connects to the ocean, salmon, and cedar.

His account journeyed back many years to “the very beginning of time,” Tla-oqui-aht’s creation story.

“The elements around us that really make us and make up who we are,” he explained.

A drum began to play, a faint song followed, and as Wenstob shared, a dancer wearing a salmon mask moved across the stage and through the longhouse.

Soon after a dancer, dressed in fur and Joe David’s bear mask, slowly moved its way through the crowd. Throughout the night the guardian mask, language mask, Covid mask, and raven mask followed, sharing stories of Tla-o-qui-aht, their connection to the land and their culture, through time.

He shared a story of Captain Robert Gray, who commissioned Tla-o-qui-aht to build the first tall ship on the coast.

After Tla-o-qui-aht refused Captain Gray’s request to take food, supplies, and women from their community, Gray destroyed over 200 Totem poles and the houses that lined the shoreline of the village of Opitsaht.

“In a time of truth, and in a time of reconciliation…it’s really important for you to hear those stories, it’s really important for you to hear those truths,” shared Wenstob.

In 1984, when Meares Island was at risk of being logged, hereditary chiefs and elders declared it a Tribal Park for protection from logging.

With the 2008 Tribal Parks Declaration, Tribal Park Guardians would then help monitor and implement the Tribal Park plan, explained Tla-o-qui-aht Natural Resources Manager Saya Masso.

Tla-o-qui-aht territory is now divided into four Tribal Parks that encompass their territory: Wah-nuh-jus - Hilth-hoois (Meares Island), Tranquil Tribal Park, Ha`uukmin (Kennedy Lake Watershed), and Esowista Tribal Park.

“It’s been a tool for us to engage busi-

Eric Plummer photos

Hjalmer Wenstob, second from right, and other Tla-o-qui-aht members sing during Naaʔuu, a cultural sharing and storytelling experience being held at the Best Western Tin Wis in Tofino this month. ness, for sharing who Tla-o-qui-aht is, to explain how we envision our territories to be used and respected,” said Masso.

Through the guardianship program, Masso said Tla-o-qui-aht can benefit from tourism while also mitigating the impacts of it.

According to a 2018 report, Tofino saw a total of 600,000 visitors, with an average of 6,600 daily tourists in July and August.

“If tourists want to come and be here, we want to teach them. We want to have a space of education too,” said Wenstob.

Wenstob explains that tourism can be a space where Tla-o-qui-aht culture is revived while also protecting their homeland and giving back to the local communities.

“We started with a story, a story that reflects in the fact that we’re known as history at Naaʔuu. ability and stewardship, we’ve had to salmon people, we’re known as cedar “Who are cedar people without cedar, change to become protectors, we’ve had people, we’re known as amazing singers who are salmon people without salmon, the chance to become guardians, guardand whalers, because of our connecwho are whalers without whales?” asked ians of this place.” tion to this place,” said Wenstob as he Wenstob. “Our work has changed from Proceeds from ticket sales for Naaʔuu concludes his segment of Tla-o-qui-aht harvesting to relationships with sustainsupport the Tribal Parks Guardians.

Trading beads from the the early colonial period are displayed with an item brought from India, atop a Hudson’s Bay Company blanket.

March 23, 2023—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 9

A coastal family’s story through masks, song & dance Hjalmer Wenstob and Timothy Masso tell their Tla-o-qui-aht story through art at the Naa%uu cultural event

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Tofino, BC - Timothy Masso and Hjalmer Wenstob have spent over a decade working together and collaborating on traditional masks, dances, and songs. In the recent years their collaborations have been used to share Tla-o-qui-aht culture with others. At Naaʔuu the two brothers shared their First Nation’s history, and their family connections.

During the first four evenings of Naaʔuu Wenstob is host; for the remaining evenings fellow Tla-o-qui-aht member Terry Dorward of the Seitcher family will stand before the audience.

On March 16 Wenstob and his family welcomed community members into a room made to resemble a traditional longhouse, sharing their Tla-o-qui-aht culture.

“Every family has a different history in Tla-o-qui-aht,” said Wenstob. “We want to really highlight and elevate our territory through this.”

In addition to the Salmon, Bear, and Guardian masks that were made by world renowned Tla-o-qui-aht carver Joe David, Wenstob and his family showcased three more masks accompanied by fun songs.

Wenstob said that because historically Nuu-chah-nulth didn’t have a written language, moments in time were recorded through carving, art, and oral histories.

“It was a way of recording that point in history to tell it so it wouldn’t be forgotten,” said Wenstob, reflecting on a Tla-o-qui-aht mask carved in response to smallpox.

When the pandemic hit, Wenstob and his brother set out to create a Covid mask and song.

“When Covid hit our communities took it very seriously. It wasn’t the first pandemic our people have faced, and we weren’t going to let those numbers be as atrocious as they were the first two or three that we’ve faced already,” said Wenstob.

Wenstob called his brother and said, “We have to record this point in history, we can’t write it down. We have to record it properly.”

With inspiration from the smallpox and Pookmis mask, which depicts a drowned whaler, Wenstob carved a mask out of red cedar that would be danced. The mask is equipped with two moveable hands that open and cover the sickly mouth.

When Masso set out to write the Covid song that would pair with the mask, he decided he wanted a healing piece.

“When we set out to write a song we think about what our end goal is [and]

Eric Plummer photos

Timothy Masso wears a mask depicting the COVID-19 pandemic, which was made by his brother Hjalmer Wenstob, at Tin Wis in Tofino on March 16. Below are other masks displyed during the event.

When Wenstob carved the raven mask, think about what we want to really once and they’re light enough to hold he made it as long as his brother, Masso, achieve with that song,” said Masso. together.” was tall. Due to how heavy the mask is, He started out with sayings such as “let The two masks and the transformation there be no sickness” and “help us.” symbolize the history of generations who it’s tied down to Massos back to counter“Nuu-chah-nulth is a really complex were not allowed to speak their language, balance.

Wenstob explained that with the raven language that doesn’t really allow for to those who now are reviving their diamask, he carved it while also receiving direct translation,” Masso cautioned. lects, shared Wenstob. insights from his brother.

He consulted with elders to find NuuThe raven mask, made of red cedar, “It›s not really just about me carving chah-nulth words that would fit. Once was specifically carved to be interactive a sculptural work, it›s about something they had the words and phrases, over at Naaʔuu, said Wenstob. They designed that’s going to be danced, [and] it has to Zoom Wenstob and Masso figured out a it so that it could be danced through the be weighted properly,” said Wenstob. beat and tune. longhouse.

Though Wenstob carves the masks and For the language mask, Masso said they “We’ve always found a raven as such a Masso writes and dances the songs, both wanted to demonstrate the connection curious creature,” said Masso. “There’s brothers agree they are collaborating on between language and art. lots of stories about how the raven stole all aspects of creating cultural pieces, “[Wenstob], and I sat down and we the sun and then is always trying to find said Wenstob. The whole family is intalked about how can we show language something that is the next big thing.” volved, he continued. coming back in a mask, and that was “For me as a dancer, [it’s] really excit“[It’s] such an inspiring thing for [brothsomething that was kind of hard to exing to have a mask that the mouth opens ers] to work together like this,” said plain,” said Masso. up and you can get closer and get really Wenstob.

To showcase this, the mask has two involved with people,” he added.

The remaining dates for Naaʔuu are pieces; one with a mouth, the other withDuring Naaʔuu, Masso playfully dances March 22, 23, 24, 25, 30 and 31. Tickets out one. through the crowd stealing forks and can be purchased online.

“Halfway through the dance, do a phones off tables with the beak of the transformation where we have a mask raven. below that has a mouth to show that our language is coming back, we’re now able to speak,” said Masso.

Due to the way the dancers move and hold the masks, Wenstob used alder, which dries to be a hardwood.

“We use alder because then we can get it really thin and really light,” said the carver. “You can dance two masks at

Page 10— Ha-Shilth-Sa—March 23, 2023

Ahousaht enjoys k`#aqmis as herring spawn spreads submitted photos

There was joy in Ahousaht over the second weekend in March as the people shared their photos of the first k̓ʷaqmis harvest of the season.

The ocean took on a pale green, an indicator that the herring are spawning in coastal areas.

People set hemlock branches in quiet inlets to collect the herring eggs as the annual spawn began in Ahousaht territory. Pictured are Dwayne Martin Sr., left, and Keon Frank Sr.

Phrase of the week: +’upiici+%a>quu %uuyii%iš%a> +a>ši> @uuyii%aqkin Pronounced ‘Cluupii chilt athl koo tlahk Wii chilt ish alth ooh re ugh kin’, it means ‘Spring is when plants grow and we can get new medicine.’ Supplied by ciisma.

Illustration by Koyah Morgan-Banke

March 23, 2023—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 11

8-year-old traditionally invites NTC to cultural event In a building once used for residential school, Jesse Maquinna speaks in her ancestral language for an invitation

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Port Alberni, BC - In a building that was formerly part of the Alberni Indian Residential School, a place where speaking Nuu-chah-nulth was banned among the children who had attended, eight-year-old Jesse Maquinna spoke in the ancestral language to traditionally invite the NTC executive to a cultural sharing event.

Nuu-chah-nulth Education Worker Marsha Maquinna and her daughter, Jesse, traveled from Gold River to present a cultural invitation to the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council’s executive director, president and vice-president on March 13.

This was Jesse’s second traditional invitation.

“I’m very proud of her,” said Marsha, “for an eight-year-old to stand up in front of people and invite [them].”

“Even when I’m shy,” added Jesse. “[I’m] realizing that she does teach me,” said Marsha.

The mother explained that when Jesse comes home from school, she shares Nuu-chah-nulth words with her.

Richard Samuel, cultural development supervisor with the Education, Training, and Social Development department at NTC, said it was great to hear Jesse speak in Nuu-chah-nulth.

“To hear… a young person speak Nuuchah-nulth language in that building, it makes it… positive,” said Samuel.

Samuel added that, “supporting and uplifting one another” is part of the Nuuchah-nulth way of life. When witnessing a young person speak in the language, perform a traditional dance or song, it’s uplifting, he continued.

“It makes a sense of belonging, and helps us support one another in a positive way,” Samuel said.

Alexandra Mehl photo

Jesse Maquinna stands with NTC President Judith Sayers and Executive Director Florence Wylie during a gift presentation “Whatever the schools are doing is… great. It’s keeping it alive,” he said.

“That’s the most important thing we can do now is just keep it alive [by] saying those words, Nuu-chah-nulth words.” “[It] was very empowering to have a young Mowachaht girl come and invite the NTC executive to a big event in our language. She was confident in herself and spoke well,” wrote NTC President

Judith Sayers in an email to Ha-ShilthSa. “Following the invite, the tradition of gifting then was done. [It is] so good to see that our young people are being taught the right way to invite people in person. I will make sure I go to that event to see more of our culture on display by our youth.”

In preparation for the cultural sharing event, they have been meeting to

practice every Tuesday and every other Wednesday. They hold practice at the Mowachaht/Muchalaht’s of House of Unity in Tsaxana.

They have been planning and preparing for this event since October 2022, which will be co-hosted by the Gold River Secondary School and Ray Watkins Elementary School.

The event will be on May 18, at GRSS.

Ditidaht students deliver invitation to Haahuupayak

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter Port Alberni, BC – On March 10 a small group from Ditidaht Community School traveled the long bumpy ride from Nitinaht Lake to Port Alberni in their school bus to invite seventh-grade Haahuupayuk School students to their Paddle Days.

Usually an annual event, the Ditidaht Community School Paddle Days came to a halt at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Paddle days comes in the last few weeks of the school year as the weather warms up. It allows the children to not only play but also learn how to navigate and paddle traditional dugout canoes on Nitinaht Lake as they race each other and students from other schools.

“We’ve had as many as 130 guests at Paddle Days,” said Sarah Tom, who was speaking on behalf of the DCS students.

Guests either camp or stay overnight in the classrooms.

Dressed in shawls and regalia, six DCS students and their supporters stood faceto-face with their Haahuupayuk counterparts. Cheyenne Tate got things off to a start with a prayer chant before the students, using their Ditidaht dialect of Nuuchah-nulth, introduced themselves. They mentioned where they came from and who their parents and grandparents are, in traditional Nuu-chah-nulth custom.

Sarah Tom translated their message in English.

“Our students came to invite you to our Paddle Days event on June 7th and 8th,”

Denise Titian photo

In March students from Ditidaht Community School issued a formal invitation to Haahuupayak to participate in Ditidaht Paddle Days, which is scheduled for June 7-8. she told the Haahuupayuk students. “We “It sounds awesome,” he told them.

Cheyenne Tate, Shanice Chester-Edgar, will paddle around, we will feed you and The Haahuupayuk School students Mabel Adams, and Brayden Tom. we will entertain you.” raised their hands and thanked the DiPrincipal Emily McLennan was there Trevor Little, the Nuu-chah-nulth Studtidaht Community Schools in the Nuualong with elders Christine Edgar, Doroies assistant at Haahuupayuk School chah-nulth language. thy Sheperd, Tina Joseph, Grace Marshall (owned by Tseshaht First Nation), “We’re excited and hope you can and Chester John. thanked their guests for the invitation. come,” said Sarah Tom. The group went off to Nanoose to issue He also thanked the students for sharing She said the students that came to do more invitations. They had already been the beautiful song and for speaking their the invitations are volunteers, doing this to Penelakut and Port Renfrew to invite language in their introductions and invita- during their spring break. Those students students from there as well. tion. were Amanda Peter, Karen Williams,

Page 12— Ha-Shilth-Sa—March 23, 2023

Community&Beyond Tseshaht House of Regalia moccasin workshop

March 25 - 26, 2023 House of Regalia (old sewing center) 10:00am-4:00pm During this workshop we will create moccasins. This will be for Tseshaht members and their significant others ONLY, to build our Regalia to stay within Tseshaht. This is first come, first served. Space for 10, Tseshaht only. For more information contact Gail K. Gus at 250-731-6622

Employment and Training

Community Hall, Ditihdaht 10:00am-3:00pm. Join us for lunch, meet the staff and discover the services we provide to income assistance. For more information please contact Janice Webster, Southern Region Case Manager Cell:250-720-1131 Email: Janice.webster@nuuchahnulth.org or Laloni Everitt, PES Coordinator Tel: 778-421-8807 Email laloni.everitt@nuuchahnulth.org.

Tseshaht Health Fair

April 20 - 21, 2023 Toxic Drug Crisis Tseshaht First Nation call to action!

Maht Mahs Gym, Port Alberni

March 27 - 28, 2023

10:00am to 3:00pm daily, the theme is regaining our health. Contact Gail Gus or Melissa Bigmore at at 250-731-6622

Maht Mahs Gym, Port Alberni 9:00am-4:00pm. Calling all community leaders, stakeholders, organizations, governments, individual government officials, health officials and those involved in combatting the opioid drug crisis and state of emergency in the Alberni Valley.

We are gathering to unify on a certified and fully funded detox center and stabilization unit as a common action item in order to address the opioid crisis.

RSVP to Gail K. Gus at 250-731-6622 or gkgus@tseshaht.com

Huuayaht Gatherings

Wednesday March 29, 2023 House of Huu-ay-aht, Port Alberni 6-8 PM. Please join us for culture and Huu-ay-aht history. For questions, please contact: Cory Howard – cory.j.h@ huuayaht.org or Mel Edwards – mel.e@ huuayaht.org or call 250-728-3414

Meet and Greet PES staff

Memorial Potlatch

May 6, 2023 Thunderbird Hall, Campbell River We are extending an invitation to you and your family to join us as we celebrate the life of our late mother MARGARET JACK and my perfect late son TREVOR ANTHONY JACK on May 6, 2023, starting at NOON at the Thunderbird Hall, 1420 Weiwaikum Road, Campbell River. If you have any questions, please message Anita Baker on Facebook or text/call 778-676-1012

Marcy Keitlah Memorial Potlatch

September 23, 2023 Port Alberni, BC Your hosts; Calvin Keitlah, Cory Frank, along with Grandparents Marilyn Watts and Rudy Watts Sr.

April 5 - 6, 2023

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

March 23, 2023—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 13

Employment and Training

View more job postings at www.hashilthsa.com

Page 14— Ha-Shilth-Sa—March 23, 2023

UVic breaks ground on new Indigenous law centre Facility seen as a step towards the recognition of First Nations’ traditional laws within Canada’s legal system

By Konnor Oliver Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor Victoria, BC - In 2018, the University of Victoria became the first in the world to have a program focusing on Indigenous law. And now, months after the program’s first class has graduated, construction has begun on a major facility upgrade.

The National Centre for Indigenous Laws (NCIL) is multi-million-dollar facility, with funding donations from the Law Foundation of British Columbia, and both the federal and provincial governments. Once completed, it will be home to a joint degree program in Canadian Common Law and Indigenous legal orders, as well as the Indigenous Law Research Unit.

The NCIL is being constructed as an addition to the already existing Fraser law building, and will also contain the Environmental Law Centre, the Business Law Clinic, and the Access to Justice Centre.

There will also be spaces for gatherings and ceremonies, as well as an elders’ room and garden.

“This physical structure represents a sanctuary where our laws, which enable us to be peoples, will be safe, and where both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students will learn about those laws, creating the foundation to a multi-juridical Canada,” said Dean of Law Val Napoleon.

When the program launched in 2018, a large goal was to provide the groundwork to expand the legal system in Canada, and allow Indigenous law to work in concert with other levels of Canadian law, something which advocates have been wanting for years, and that has seen improvements recently.

Kate Gunn and Cody O’Neil from the First Peoples Law Corporation have

UVic photo

Stephen Teeple, founder of Teeple Architects, displays renderings for the upcoming National Centre for Indigenous Laws with Patricia Barkaskas, associate professor at UVic’s Faculty of Law and the strategic advisor to the dean for the centre, when the University of Victoria marked the beginning of construction for the new facility on March 9. worked to highlight this, showing the struggles of the Canadian legal system to work with Indigenous law, but also showing the progress being made in recent years. In Whalen v. Fort McMurray No. 468 First Nation, a 2019 case, the court determined that it was able to “recognize the existence of a rule of Indigenous law when it is shown to reflect the broad consensus of the membership of a First Nation,” when it comes to elections.

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There have also been family law cases as far back as 1993, which included the right to customary adoption under section 35 of the Canadian Constitution.

There is still much work to be done, however. In the high-profile case of the Wet’suwet’en roadblocks and Coastal GasLink, the courts determined that Indigenous laws are only effective under Canadian law if they have been recognized prior “through treaties, court declarations or statutory provisions.”

“It is imperative that Canadian governments begin to acknowledge the role of Indigenous law in the formation and existence of Canada based on the grow-

ing call from Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike to finally respect and be accountable to Indigenous laws on Indigenous lands,” say Gunn and O’Neil in a study.

Construction of the NCIL broke ground in early March, and is expected to be completed in the Fall of 2024. The University of Victoria has partnered with Two Row Architect as the main consultant, an Aboriginal-owned company from Ontario. They will also be working to employ local carpenters and labourers, and have an Indigenous-owned company from Duncan working on civil and excavation.

March 23, 2023—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 15

Yuquot energy project could help nation return home A renewable energy microgrid is in development, using a wave energy device that can power some facilities

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter Yuquot, BC – The University of Victoria has received a $1 million grant to develop a clean, renewable energy source using the power of ocean waves to supply energy to Yuquot, the ancestral home of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht people.

In a statement dated March 3, the University of Victoria said its Pacific Regional Institute for Marine Energy Discovery (PRIMED) has received a grant from the 2022 TD Ready Challenge to develop a clean energy project that captures the power of wave energy at Yuquot, BC. “PRIMED is working towards the development of a first-of-its-kind renewable energy microgrid incorporating a wave energy device at Yuquot on Nootka Island, a National Historic site and traditional home of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN), located off the west coast of Vancouver Island,” reads the UVic press release.

UVic went on to say that this project will be at the cutting edge of renewable energy system development.

“It will support the nation to achieve their long-held dream of re-occupying Yuquot after being forcibly relocated decades ago, and contribute to reconciliation,” added the university.

But moving back home will have to wait as the innovative clean power source has been scaled back. According to MMFN Administrator Azar Kamran, the initial feasibility study was not “as conclusive as they would have liked to have seen,” so the project took on a smaller scale.

The wave energy microgrid will deliver 15 kilowatts of power to Yuquot. According to Kamran, that would be enough to provide lighting to the compostable restroom facilities and maybe some lights for the tourist cabins that MMFN operates and plan to renovate.

The microgrid is expected to be operating in 2024, making the annual Yuquot Summerfest more safe with lights in the restroom areas.

“If it works, then we will build something similar,” said Kamran, adding that this is the very first step in many, many more, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Brad Buckham, chair of UVic’s Mechanical Engineering department and codirector of PRIMED, said he is excited to be working with Mowachaht/Muchalaht to help develop clean energy ideas for their eventual reoccupation of Yuquot.

But large-scale wave energy is a “completely green field,” he told Ha-Shilth-Sa. He said there are various types of machinery used to harness wave energy and this project will help determine the best fit for the needs of Mowachaht/Muchalaht, both now and in the future.

For now, PRIMED will deploy a buoy off of Yuquot that will collect data on windspeeds, waves and currents.

“Yuquot is located on a world-class wave energy supply and the nation is highly motivated to pursue clean energy solutions that improve quality of life, facilitate economic development and support self-determination,” reads a statement from the PRIMED initiative. “As keepers of the land, they want to demonstrate technological solutions that achieve these goals while also lessening negative impacts on the environment, thus setting a positive, sustainable example that the rest of society can follow.”

There is one family living in Yuquot year-round and the church is used a cultural centre. They rely on gasolinefueled generators for electricity, but these

Eric Plummer photo

Children play in the waves at Yuquot, during the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation’s Summerfest in 2021. The development of a wind power system could provide renewable energy for more members of the community to live in their ancestral homeland. are noisy, said Kamran. There are some limited solar-powered lights at the old village site.

Buckham says it’s not only a question of cost, but also what the best combination of technology is that can be economically feasible. While the idea is for wind/solar/ wave energy to displace the dependence

“It is the wish and dream of every single MMFN person that I know, and I know most of them, to return there and to live there and to go back to a way of life there that was going on for thousands of years” ~ Roger Dunlop, MMFN’s Lands Resources and Fisheries manager on diesel power, for now, there is a place for diesel as a back-up source when there is not enough sun or wind.

“It is exciting that we can play a role in these trade-offs,” said Buckham.

“It is the wish and dream of every single MMFN person that I know, and I know most of them, to return there and to live there and to go back to a way of life there that was going on for thousands of years,” said Roger Dunlop, MMFN’s Lands Resources and Fisheries manager.

“This clean energy generation project is kind of step two in the re-occupation of Yuquot.”

The Mowachaht and Muchalaht First Nations formally amalgamated in the 1950s, and made Yuquot (Friendly Cove) their home base. The MMFN people were moved from Yuquot to Gold River in the 1960s and then again, about 30 years later in the 1990s, to Tsaxana, according to an article by historian John Dewhirst.

Every year many Mowachaht/Muchalaht return home to Yuquot for their Summerfest. Many yearn to return on a permanent basis.

PRIMED photo

“This is such an exciting, pure and wonderful example of an Indigenous-led, community-based resurgence through clean energy,” says Buckham. “The idea of reinvigorating a community and helping them return to their traditional lands is powerful. You can’t undo history, but you can change the future and this project represents a symbolic changing of course where all of us are working together to support the Nation to go back to their rightful home in Yuquot.”

“Located on Nootka Island, Yuquot is the center of the universe for the Mowachaht/Muchalaht people, who have long stewarded the sea and lands around it,” reads a statement from UVic. It’s also considered to be the origin of modern British Columbia. In 1778 Captain James Cook landed at Yuquot, establishing the first sustained European contact with Indigenous peoples in Western Canada. This eventually led to a series of harms that continued through the ensuing generations.

“In the 1950s, the MMFN were forced to leave by the federal government to locations that were easier to service, with most of the surviving population moved to unfamiliar urban centres on Vancouver Island,” noted the university. “Since then, the MMFN have long aspired to return

home to Yuquot. However, a planned return necessitates creating an electricity supply for the community. The emissions of diesel generators, both in terms of pollution and noise, are an affront to cultural priorities, and they are intent on implementing renewable energy alternatives that are clean and self-sustaining.”

“The Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation is refusing to take the easy way out by continuing to rely on diesel fuels,” said Buckham. “They are willing partners demonstrating leadership by embracing an entirely new microgrid system of clean, renewable energy that has the potential to be a model of how wave energy is harnessed in small coastal communities here in Canada and around the world.”

Buckham says it could be as early as 2025 that the MMFN choose which direction they wish to go in creating their vision of a repopulated Yuquot with a clean energy source.

According to TD Bank Group, the grants are awarded to projects designed to assist people and communities disproportionately affected by climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The TD Bank Group awarded 10 $1 Million grants for projects of this nature, across Canada. This was the only grant awarded to a project in British Columbia.

Page 16— Ha-Shilth-Sa—March 23, 2023