Ha Shilth Sa Newspaper October 17, 2024 by Hashilthsa

INTERESTING NEWS

What better way to learn when there is a meal shared and

Tyson Touchie, Lil’Star Frank, and IrisArlene Frank, break for

Alberni Valley job market soars with monthly posts

With forestry declining, a more diverse labour market has emerged, with double the pre-pandemic job listings

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

It’s never been a better time for job seekers looking for work in theAlberni Valley, according to Bill Brown, the manager of employer services at PortAlberni’s WorkBC Centre.It’s never been a better time for job seekers looking for work in theAlberni Valley, according to Bill Brown, the manager of employer services at PortAlberni’s WorkBC Centre.

On theAlberni Valley Employment Centre website, Brown says they are posting about twice the number of jobs than they were pre-pandemic: an average of 563 a month this year compared to 228 a month in 2019. These numbers include PortAlberni and west coast communities in Clayoquot Sound.

“Despite the interruption of the pandemic, this region seems to be experiencing more signiﬁcant growth than in recent decades. The high paying long-term jobs in the forest industry are disappearing, but we now have a more diverse economy than 10 or 20 years ago,” said Brown.

“I’ve never seen so much construction as there is now and I’ve lived here since 1978,” he continued. “Real estate and construction are strong, new homes and apartments are being built, and new arrivals are often younger families who are bringing businesses or jobs with them.”

Regional First Nations are developing new business initiatives at a rapid

rate, Brown points out. FromAnacla to Ahousaht, First Nations communities have, on average, a younger population to train and ﬁll those opportunities - plus a growing population as well.

Brown shared the new Oomiiqsu (Aboriginal Mother Centre) housing development, for example, recently posted 22 positions for Tenant Support Workers.

In 2021, there were 4,255 Indigenous people in PortAlberni, making up 16.8 per cent of the population. B.C.’s proportion of Indigenous people is 5.9 per cent, and in Canada it is 5.0 per cent, according to Statistics Canada’s latest census.

In general, the Indigenous population in PortAlberni is younger than the nonIndigenous population, with the 2021 census showing the average age of the Aboriginal population in PortAlberni at 33.9 years, compared with 48.9 years for the non-Indigenous population.

Additionally, Indigenous children aged 14 and under comprise 26.4 per cent of the area’s totalAboriginal population, while non-Indigenous children aged 14 and under accounted for 11.7 per cent of the non-Indigenous population, according to the 2021 census.

“Those kids are already 17 and entering the workforce now,” Brown said. “It’s been my feeling for a while that employers are really going to have to step up and start employing Indigenous people like they didn’t use to.”

For First Nations who are navigating a

new career path or ﬁnding their way in the workforce, the Nuu-chah-nulth Employment and Training Program (NETP) supports Nuu-chah-nulth communities in their employment, education and training goals.

From the popular Drivers LTraining offered throughout the year, to unique training opportunities like the Office Administration Essentials course coming to Ty-Histanis or Small Vessel Operator Proficiency in Ditidaht, NETP partners with each Nuu-chah-nulth region to ensure needs are met.

In the Northern Region, NETP is working with Ehattesaht First Nation to bring a chainsaw safety course to the remote community 70-kilometres west of Gold River.

“We don’t just decide on what it is we provide, we ensure there is eﬀective and eﬃcient equity behind what we do in knowing the voices of our members matter and (acknowledging) that they know their communities best,” said NETP Manager Melanie Cranmer.

Health care and social assistance (2,070 people) were the biggest employer in Port Alberni at the time of the 2021 census, followed by retail trade (1,500) and construction (1,165), according to Brown.

The two largest employers in PortAlberni were Island Health and the school district, Brown said.

“In our region, we have a larger than average per cent of the population who have

aged out of the workforce compared to the B.C. average, which means a smaller percentage in the workforce,” Brown went on to note. “That tightens the labour market here a little more. We don’t have the immigration levels that the Lower Mainland has.”

Cranmer explained that NETP works one-on-one with clients and helps cover any barriers clients might face.

“We work towards an action plan and that action plan provides guidance in order to meet their goal,” said Cranmer.

“If they want to go job hunting and don’t have access to the buses transit system, we will provide bus tickets. When they are participating in our program we always make sure there is a meal share.”

“Our team is also continuously doing job development in order to help support any nation,” Cranmer added. “We are also mindful of what our clients are experiencing on a day-to-day basis and how that impacts their life. We walk with gentle feet to ensure we are being very understanding to the surrounding and the impacts of communities.”

For individuals interested in taking a speciﬁc course or training, Cranmer recommends connecting with a case manager by calling the main NETP oﬃce: (250) 723-1331.

NETP also assists with Indigenous retention within organizations.

Nora O’Malley photo

friendships gained? From right: instructorAkhil Manne, Dale Mundy Sr., Patrick Morgan, NETPcase manager

a hot lunch during a recent Food Safe Level 1 course at the NETPUcluelet oﬃce.

State of salmon report shows decline in many species

Over 70 per cent are below average abundance, with global warming pushing some stocks north, says report

By Sarah Banning Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Over 70 per cent of salmon are below their long-term average, according to the recently published State of Salmon report from the Paciﬁc Salmon Foundation (PSF).

The report aims to educate and answer questions about the current conditions of salmon in B.C. and northward to the Yukon. This report comes at a time where PSF’s polls show that 85 per cent residents in British Columbia are very concerned about declining salmon stocks.

“This State of Salmon Report gives us the clearest picture yet of how Paciﬁc salmon are faring across Canada — and it’s evident they need our help,” says Michael Meneer, president and CEO of the Paciﬁc Salmon Foundation.

Of the six species of salmon surveyed, chum and steelhead are well below average, signaling significant conservation concern. Chum, which was once the most abundantly caught species in commercial fisheries, has experienced the most rapid decline, according to the report. Their absence has caused fisheries in the Yukon to close.

First Nations communities all along the coast of B.C., Vancouver Island and north into Haida Gwaii and the Yukon rely on salmon not only for food sovereignty but cultural ties. Fishing salmon is a part of their history and lifeblood.

For the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations, their cultural ties to salmon have become restrained because their waters can’t support them anymore.

Sockeye has to be ﬁshed from neighboring nations’territory.

“Not being able to ﬁsh in our own territory, we risk a disconnection to the land and the waters. Spiritual being and everything else for KCFN is at stake,” explains Katarina Duke, KCFN’s manager of Marine Conservation and Fisheries.

Sabrina Crowley, a regional biologist with Uu-a-thluk, agrees.

“Alot of the local salmon populations nations rely on are key in providing food and opportunities to harvest locally to support the community,” she said. “But there are cases where those populations have declined to the point where the community not only cannot rely on them, but have also restricted or even stopped harvesting altogether in order to rebuild the stock of concern.”

Most people will assume that climate change and rising water temperatures are the cause for species decline, and that is true to a point, according to the PCF.

“Salmon are expected to shift north as the climate changes,” says Katrina Connors, senior director of the Paciﬁc Salmon Foundation. “There’s a perception that northern areas will provide refuge for salmon as climate change pushes salmon to their limits in their southern range. However, the poor state of salmon and the rapid pace of climate change in these northern regions suggest that these salmon actually need more of our help.”

The PSF report shows that there are many other factors that are pushing salmon to the brink. Industrial development - pipelines, agriculture, mining, damming - has blocked streams and made it impossible for salmon to reach their spawning grounds. Hatcheries release five billion salmon into the North Pacific yearly, causing competition and unhealthy inbreeding, reducing their adaptive capacity. Urban development threatens salmon habitat. Aquaculture, fisheries, predation are also factors affecting the wide-spread declines outlined in the report.

Despite all the negative news, there is hope in the report. Several salmon species are showing above average population growth. Chinook, sockeye and coho are doing exceptionally well in southern regions. Fraser River coho are above average for the ﬁrst time in a decade. Salmon in the Cowichan River have rebounded from numbers near extinction only 15 years ago.

“Overall, the state of salmon in B.C.

Meneer

and the Yukon should raise our collective alarm. Most species in most regions are declining. However, there is hope. Some species are recovering and showing remarkable resilience in the face of increasing threats like climate change,” says Connors.

PSF hopes information in the report will empower First Nations and decision makers with the data necessary to revitalize salmon populations. Helping wild salmon

recover requires partnerships focused on conserving and rebuilding ecosystems for populations to once again thrive.

Crowley sees a way forward by rebuilding stocks with habitat restoration.

“We are looking at all the options at what will bring salmon back,” she said.

“We may have to ﬁsh for species that are available and be grateful when we do get some.”

For her, it’s more than just a food source. It’s a way of life.

“We believe we have a responsibility to take care of all the relatives. It doesn’t matter if it’s a species of salmon we don’t want to eat. It still has intrinsic value.”

It may be generations before salmon numbers reach a state of abundance, but with continued information and the dedication of many organizations and First Nations, there is hope for communities and the salmon they rely on.

“With access to these data-driven insights at our ﬁngertips, we can take decisive action to protect salmon for generations to come,” states Maneer.

Ditidaht demands be er connectivity after fatality

Fatal incident that brought murder charge highlights deﬁcient telecommunication services in remote community

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Nitinaht Lake, BC –After a harrowing weekend emergency that saw that saw dozens of ﬁrst responders, law enforcement and support workers pour into the Ditidaht community at Nitinaht Lake, Chief Judi Thomas is calling on the government of Canada to fulﬁll their commitment to bring reliable, high-speed internet and cellular service to the remote community.

Following an incident at a private home that left one man dead, Thomas said Emergency responders, health services, and leadership were unable to coordinate eﬃciently due to the lack of cellular service and the instability of the existing 500MB internet connection.

There is no cellular service in Nitinaht.

According to Chief Thomas, there is a cellular hotspot at the community hall at the entrance to the village.

In the event of an emergency

“This incident underscores the urgent need for reliable, high-speed internet and cellular connectivity in our community,” said Chief Councillor Judi Thomas. “The safety, health, and well-being of our members and visitors are being compromised due to outdated and unstable digital infrastructure.”

In a statement dated October 2, 2024, the Ditidaht First Nation called on the Ministry of Citizens’Services, Telus, and the Government of Canada to fulﬁll their commitments to bridging the digital divide in First Nations communities by ensuring reliable, high-speed internet and cellular service in Ditidaht Traditional Territory.

“Despite federal pledges to work with partners to provide access to high-speed internet that meets or exceeds the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)’s universal service objective, Ditidaht remains critically underserved. The recent tragic

Less than 200 residents live in the

incident involving the fatality of a young man in the community highlighted a dire need for improved communication infrastructure,” Thomas said in her statement.

Recent cellular service maps show how isolated Nitinaht Lake is in terms of cellular coverage, with the closest cellular service areas several kilometres away, in areas around Bamﬁeld, and Cowichan Lake being the closest coverage areas.

For internet services, Nitinaht residents and businesses can subscribe to Xplorenet, a satellite internet service provider.

Fewer than 200 people live in Nitinaht Lake year-round but with its growing tourism industry and local population, the nation needs better connectivity.

Thomas said in her statement that Ditidaht First Nation is ready to implement cloud-based accounting and payroll systems, but the lack of reliable connectivity is hindering the community’s

progress and success. “With current internet speeds and no cellular service, critical operations are at risk of failure, further impeding the First Nation’s ability to manage essential services eﬀectively,” she wrote.

The Government of Canada has previously stated its commitment to improving digital infrastructure in First Nations communities. Ditidaht First Nation is calling upon both the federal and provincial governments to urgently prioritize the deployment of 5G connectivity and ensure a robust network that meets the needs of the community. “Our First Nation is ready to advance and grow, but we need the digital tools to do so,” added Thomas.

According to the provincial government about 80.3 per cent of households on First Nation reserves and Modern Treaty Nation lands have access to the recommended internet speeds. Through

the Connecting Communities BC program, the Province aims to provide all underserved households and First Nations communities with access to high-speed internet by 2027.

In March 2022, the governments of B.C. and Canada announced a partnership to invest as much as $830 million, $415 million each, toward high-speed connectivity infrastructure projects in rural and remote areas. Through the Connecting Communities BC program, the Province aims to provide all underserved households and First Nations communities with access to high-speed internet by 2027. This program also fulﬁls a call to action in the DeclarationActAction Plan.

According to the province, when all current projects are complete, that ﬁgure will rise to 91 per cent and 91.7 per cent, respectively.

Nitinaht tragedy highlights inadequate road signage

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Nitinaht Lake, BC -Arecent tragedy in Nitinaht has highlighted the inadequacy of signage to the village, as many travelling to be with loved ones became lost in the complicated web of logging roads to the remote community on southwest Vancouver Island.

The Ditidaht First Nation is calling on the provincial government and others that manage the 70-kilometre route from PortAlberni to Nitinaht to improve signs marking the way. The difficulty for those unfamiliar with the area in finding the community became apparent after an incident on Sept. 28, which left a young man dead and a first-degree murder charge for another individual.Aheavy police presence flooded into Nitinaht that morning, after Lake Cowichan RCMP responded to a call before 7 a.m., in which a deceased man was found in a home.An arrest was soon made afterwards when multiple police units arrived in Nitinaht. As the community struggled to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy, at least three vehicles with those travelling to be with loved ones got lost on the way to Nitinaht, according to the Ditidaht First Nation.

“They missed the left turn at the fourway stop junction at Mainline Carmanah and Bamﬁeld Main Road at Franklin

River, continuing straight and inadvertently ending up in Bamﬁeld instead of Nitinaht,” stated the First Nation in a media release. “As the community mourned, the uncertainly of the overdue arrival of family members only compounded the worry and deep grief.”

There are countless turn oﬀs along the route, branches of logging roads that can be diﬃcult to follow for those new to the area.

“This issue extends beyond one junction,” continued the Ditidaht First Nation.

“There is also confusion at Hawthorne Main Road, where signage arrows direct traﬃc to stay left, misleading drivers up a logging road branch. Visitors unfamiliar with the area have taken this wrong turn, resulting in them being lost for hours, which could have life-threatening consequences in emergency situations.”

The road to Nitinaht is not a provincially regulated highway, but a series of logging roads with a fragmented ownership shared by the provincial government and forestry companies operating in the area. Despite its rugged quality intended for industrial use, for weeks the route became a detour for essential traﬃc over the summer of 2023. This was an emergency measure to ensure transport when a forest ﬁre at Cameron Lake shut down Highway 4 – central Vancouver Island’s only direct land passage to the west coast. Temporary signs were installed to clarify

the detour route between PortAlberni and Lake Cowichan, but these have since been removed.

In November of last year Ditidaht Chief Councillor Judi Thomas brought the issue to Rob Fleming, who was the province’s minister of transportation and Infrastructure at the time, during the B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leadership Gathering in Vancouver. She plans to continue to press the matter.

“Clear and proper signage is not just a convenience – it’s a matter of safety and accessibility,” stated Thomas in the Ditidaht release. “The loss of a young life, followed by family members getting lost while trying to reach our community in a time of crisis, underlines how critical these improvements are. We urge the provincial government and industry to take immediate action.”

Ditidaht First Nation photo

Ditidaht First Nation community at Nitinaht Lake on southwestern Vancouver Island.

Submitted photo

A‘Bamﬁeld KEEPLEFT’sign sits at Hawthorne Main on the route from Port Alberni to Nitinaht.

Drug crisis draws divisive views in B.C. election

Harm reduction & decriminalization have become targets of criticism eight years into public health emergency

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Is British Columbia on the right track in its handling of the opioid crisis? Or has the province’s approach to the eight-yearold public health emergency become a “failed experiment” in harm reduction and decriminalization measures, as argued by the upstart Conservative Party of BC?

With the provincial election approaching on Oct. 19, it’s hard to imagine a more pressing issue facing Nuu-chahnulth communities. One month before that scheduled vote, the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council raised the urgency of getting more help from various branches of government with the declaration of a state of emergency for the interconnected toxic drug and mental crisis that continues to devastate families.

“This is a real emergency. We are losing too many, especially young people, to this crisis,” said NTC President Judith Sayers. “When we invest in mental health, education, housing and economic development, we can create a future where fewer people turn to opioids to cope with trauma and pain.”

The incumbent NDP, Conservatives and Greens have all addressed the issue in their campaigning over the previous months, although with diverse messaging and in diﬀerent degrees of prominence on their respective election platforms.

Since the toxic drug crisis prompted the province to declare a public health emergency inApril 2016, over 14,000 have died by overdose from illicit substances.

Currently an average of six people are dying from toxic drugs each day in B.C., making it the most common cause for death among those under 60 – more than car crashes, homicide, suicide and natural diseases combined.

Fentanyl continues to be a major element of the crisis, as the lethal painkiller was found in almost 90 per cent of the deaths reported this year.

Although First Nations people comprise just four per cent of B.C.’s population, they account for almost 20 per cent of overdose deaths. Indigenous people face a fatality rate six times that of the rest of B.C., according to the First Nations HealthAuthority.

After some progress three years into the public health emergency, the rate of deaths climbed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and its corresponding societal disruptions.As the public was urged to socially distance to prevent infection, concerns grew that a growing number of illicit drug users were overdosing in isolation.

Harm reduction has emerged as a major facet of the province’s eﬀorts to lessen the rising tide of fatalities. This approach entails various measures to decrease the danger that illicit drug users face, notably the use of supervised consumption sites, which have grown to number over 350 across B.C.

Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside continues to have by far the highest rate of fatality due to illicit drugs, as substance use dominates many parts of the streets. Pictured is East Hastings inAugust 2024.

Just one overdose death has been reported at B.C.’s regulated supervised sites, but allowing drug use at these facilities and in their vicinity has created “a drug consumption free for all,” according to the Conservative Party of BC, which says that these locations will be shut down if they don’t “abide by strict standards of conduct.”

“We refuse to accept addiction as a lifestyle choice,” stated Conservative Leader John Rustad in a statement from the party. “Addiction destroys lives, families and communities. We will focus on prevention – ensuring that British Columbians, especially our youth, are equipped with the knowledge and support they need to avoid falling into addiction in the ﬁrst place.”

Part of the reason supervised consumption sites have opened is to bring illicit drug users out of the shadows, into a public realm where recovery support is available if they are willing. In another major measure to reduce the stigma drug users face, B.C. became the only province to be granted an exemption from Health Canada under the Controlled Drugs and SubstancesAct. Enacted for three years starting at the end of January 2023, this exemption frees people from criminal charges if found to possess up to 2.5 grams of the most common street drugs, including Fentanyl.

The province has also worked to prescribe safer medical alternatives like Hydromorphone to drug users, an eﬀort that reached an average of 4,777 people each month last year. But a report from Provincial Health Oﬃcer Bonnie Henry in July noted that so far the health care system has shown a “limited capacity” to reach enough people with these safer alternatives, as the supply of street drugs is accessed by an estimated 165,000-

225,000 people annually.

“The NDP’s failed experiments with decriminalization and ‘safe supply’have cost us thousands of lives and torn communities apart,” argued Rustad. “The Conservative Party of BC will end this crisis, save lives, and get British Columbians back on track.”

On the other side of the political spectrum lies Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Greens. She spoke about the eﬀects of the opioid crisis onAug. 30, addressing a crowd in PortAlberni on the eve of International OverdoseAwareness Day. During her talk the Green leader shared a story of a young man lost to drug overdose whom she knew while she was a teacher, and the Conservatives inability to understand the personal complications of the crisis. She feels that Rustad is weaponizing the issue for political gain, while supervised consumption sites should be a safe oasis for drug users.

“We need to lean into our best angels right now,” said Furstenau during the talk.

During the campaign the Greens have said that the government isn’t doing enough, and want monthly updates on the number of people accessing medical alternatives to illicit drugs. They accuse the NDP of not addressing the crisis “with the urgency and depth it demands.”

Long before the election, it appears that the NDP government recognized that widespread decriminalization could be a pollical risk. In May decriminalization was scaled back with a policy change that again makes it illegal to use in public spaces or hospitals.At the time Premier David Eby said that street disorder wouldn’t be tolerated as the government

deals with the opioid crisis.

During the campaign period the issue isn’t at the top of the NDP’s platform messaging. Further down in the platform the party does note plans for a new treatment centre for construction workers, who constitute one in ﬁve of overdose fatalities. The party also mentions the opening of new Indigenous treatment facilities, such as the 20-bed Tsakwa’lutan Healing Centre set to open on Quadra Island this fall.

Then there are plans listed that the NDP actually shares with the Conservatives, although either party is reluctant to acknowledge this. These include more training for school staﬀ about the dangers of illicit drugs and an expansion to involuntary mental illness and addiction treatment that could be oﬀered in correctional institutions and other facilities.

“We’re going to respond to people struggling like any family member would,” said Eby. “We are taking action to get them the care they need to keep them safe, and in doing so, keep our communities safe, too.”

As the parties have disputed how the drug crisis should be handled, the number of people dying by overdose has actually declined this year. The most recent data from the BC Coroners Service shows 192 illicit drug deaths in July, a 15 per cent drop from the same month in 2023. Each of the ﬁrst seven months in 2024 show a decline in overdose fatalities from the same periods last year, suggesting that –however devasting the crisis continues to be on families and communities – some of the methods put forth by the NDP government could ﬁnally be working.

Eric Plummer photo

Nuu-chah-nulth leader weighs in on B.C. election

Judith Sayers gives the last NDP government a seven out of 10 in making progress with First Nations’ rights

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilt-Sa Reporter

British Columbia – With voters preparing to head to the polls for the BC General Election, a Nuu-chah-nulth leader shared her thoughts on the top two candidates running for premier.

NTC President Coly-e-iis, Dr. Judith Sayers, has been involved in Nuu-chahnulth politics for many years. A member of the Hupacasath First Nation, Sayers was elected as the president of the Nuuchah-nulth Tribal Council in September 2017 and is a long-time advocate for the promotion and protection of First Nations rights and title.

Also in 2017, John Horgan, leader of the B.C. NDP, narrowly defeated Christy Clark’s BC Liberal government to win the provincial election. Under Horgan, the NDP party retained power in the 2020 provincial election, defeating runner up Liberal candidate Andrew Wilkinson by a more decisive margin than in the previous votes.

In the summer of 2022, Premier Horgan announced he would be stepping down after receiving treatment for cancer.

David Eby was elected within the party to step in as NDP leader in October 2022. So, over the past four years, the NDP has been under the leadership of ﬁrst Horgan, then Eby.

NTC President Cloy-e-iis, Judith Sayers, said she would rate the current NDP government’s performance at seven out of 10.

“They have tried to work hard with First Nations on implementing UNDRIP since they passed the law,” she said of the current NDP government.

Back in 2019 the province passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which sets to align B.C.’s laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. When DRIPA was passed in B.C., Sayers recalled that the current Conservative Leader John Rustad, who was an MLA with the Liberal party at the time, voted for it. But in a statement made on Feb.1 Rustad said that the legislation must be repealed.

“He has started a political war with First Nations by saying he will repeal an act that First Nations have worked so hard to implement and change things for the better in many different ways,” said Sayers. “He is not to be trusted when he flips on his positions depending on what can benefit him politically.”

Over the past few years progress has been made with DRIPA in place. Cloy-

NTC President Cloy-e-iis, Dr. Judith Sayers, has been involved in Nuu-chahnulth politics for many years.Amember of the Hupacasath First Nation, Sayers was elected as the president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council in September 2017 and is a long-time advocate for the promotion and protection of First Nations rights and title.

e-iis says there are now tables looking at changing certain laws.

“Such as the Heritage Conservation Act, the Police Act and the Anti Racism Act,” she noted.

Additional developments include the Haida Title Act, which recognizes the nation’s jurisdiction over Haida Gwaii.

But more work remains to complete outstanding First Nations title claims in the province.

Polls leading up to the election show the Conservatives to be very close to the NDP’s share of the popular vote, with some calculations having the opposing parties with identical numbers. Some fear that if the Conservatives are elected, or have a large number of seats in the next Legislative Assembly, progress First Nations and the province have made in recognizing rights and title could be put in jeopardy. On Sept. 30 a statement from the First Nations Leadership Council raised this alarm. The council is comprised of the political executives of the BC Assembly of First Nations, the First Nations Summit and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.

“The FNLC is extremely concerned by John Rustad’s ongoing eﬀorts to pit British Columbians against each otherhe showed this with the Haida title bill when he spoke in favour of the bill and then turned around and voted against it,” stated the leadership council. “The FNLC stresses that the recent years have included extremely hard work by First Nations and the government to make progress based on cooperation and work-

ing together. We’ve moved forward on title recognition, revenue sharing, child and family services, housing on reserve and in many other ways. We can’t go backwards and undo the Declaration Act, which underpins our current work, and the years of progress we have made together.”

Sayers said this outcome would be very concerning for her with all the other First Nations titles that have yet to be resolved.

“John Rustad has turned his back on the Haida and Haida title even when he said he supported it,” she said.

While the NDP government hasn’t mastered how to work with First Nations, “they are trying hard and, it’s a lot better than it was,” she added.

In the future, Sayers hope to see Nuuchah-nulth-aht having more shared management over their land, inland waters and decision making over forestry.

“Free prior and informed consent must be required before projects in their territories, including mining and pipelines or any other projects that can aﬀect their lands and resources,” she said.

When it comes to human services, Sayers says Nuu-chah-nulth communities need more resources to deal with the mental health and opioid crisis. There have been some housing projects in some Nuu-chah-nulth communities, but more is needed.

“Nuu-chah-nulth need more homes for the homeless and the ability to meet the social needs of those that don’t have a home,” she said.

“I hope everyone gets out and votes as there is a lot at stake in the future,” said Sayers.

According to Elections BC, advance voting for British Columbia’s 43rd Provincial General Election begins Thursday, October 10.

There are six days of advance voting for this election, from Thursday, October 10 to Sunday, October 13, and from Tuesday, October 15 to Wednesday, October 16. Advance voting places will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Advance voting locations and district electoral oﬃces will be closed on Monday, October 14, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Voters can ﬁnd information about where to vote on Elections BC’s website or call Elections BC at 1-800-661-8683.

Elections BC will publish voting turnout statistics throughout the advance voting period. These statistics will be available on the Elections BC website.

Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council photo

John Rustad

Ha-Shilth-Sa newspaper is published by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council for distribution to the members of the contributing First Nations, as well as other interested groups and individuals.

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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.

- Editorial space available in the paper.

- Editorial deadlines being adhered to by contributors.

LETTERS and KLECOS

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 deﬁnitely 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.

Hackers access FNHA’s patient info

First Nations Health Authority notifying those aﬀected in cyber aÅack last spring

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

British Columbia – The First Nations HealthAuthority has concluded its investigation into a cyber security incident that occurred in May, which compromised the personal information of First Nations people. On October 7 the FNHA announced that the process has begun of notifying First Nations people whose information has been impacted.

“On May 13, 2024, we detected unusual activity occurring on our information technology systems,” states FNHAon its website. “On initial investigation, our IT Team discovered that an unauthorized third party had gained access to our network and was in the process of accessing and copying ﬁles stored in a certain portion of our network for the purpose of stealing those ﬁles.”

News of the breach was released on May 22, when FNHAreported that an “unauthorized entity” had gained access to it’s corporate network and that immediate actions were taken to block the threat.At that time FNHAdiscovered evidence that “certain employee information and limited personal information of others has been impacted.” The system housed corporate, employee and client information.

“Upon discovery of unauthorized access to the FNHAnetwork, our teams immediately deployed technological countermeasures to secure our ﬁles, systems and network from further attack,” said Richard Jock, CEO of the FNHA. “We then retained third-party cybersecurity experts to assist in containing, investigating and recovering from this incident.”

According to their investigation, FNHA has conﬁrmed the following groups of people may have had their personal information impacted:

• Current (hired before May 13, 2024) and certain former employees of the FNHA(those who received a T4 tax form for the years 20212023);

• First Nations peoples who live or have recently lived in British Columbia and who have a Certiﬁcate of Indian Status card;

• First Nations peoples and their immediate non-First Nations family members who lived on reserve or in

First Nations communities in B.C. on or before March 29, 2016, and who had one or more Tuberculosis screening tests prior to that date;

• Individuals who have filed compliments or complaints, or who have had a compliment or complaint filed on their behalf, with the FNHA’s Quality Care and Safety Office, or with another provincial health authority’s Patient Care Quality Office where that compliment or complaint was shared by or with the FNHA’s Quality Care and Safety Office between January 1, 2020 – May 13, 2024.

FNHAsaid while the majority of the compromised files contained no personal or confidential information, some files did.

“As a result of our review, we have now determined both who was impacted and what type of personal information was impacted by the unauthorized access to these ﬁles” stated the FNHA.

For some of those impacted, FNHAsays the attackers were able to access the following types of information:

• First and last names;

• In some cases, personal contact information such as home address; home or mobile phone number; email address;

• Demographic information such as date of birth and gender;

• Certiﬁcate of Indian Status Card number;

• Personal Health Number;

• Health insurance plan eligibility information (e.g. MSP, Paciﬁc Blue Cross);

Ha-Shilth-Sa belongs to every Nuu-chah-nulth person including those who have passed on, and those who are not yet born.Acommunity 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 50th year of serving the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. We look forward to your continued input and support. Kleco! Kleco!

• Paciﬁc Blue Cross health insurance claims information, including nature of claims and claims costs;

• Tuberculosis screening test results for those living on reserve or in First Nations communities in B.C. and who were tested on or before March 29, 2016; and

• Information about compliments or complaints ﬁled with or managed by the FHNA.

How do you know if your information has been compromised? FNHAinvites those with Indian Status Cards to visit www.fnha.ca/cyberincident and click on the icon that reads “Am I eligible for credit monitoring?”. Further instructions can be found at the end of this article.

If, after following these instructions, you receive anActivation Code and a link to the Equifax Complete™ Premier enrolment website, this means that your Status Number was impacted.

For those impacted, FNHAhas arranged to provide a credit monitoring and identity theft restoration service for a period of 24 months at no cost.Additionally, a dedicated FNHACyber Incident Support Centre is available to people who may have questions.

As a protective measure the FNHAis oﬀering to provide eligible individuals with a free two-year subscription to Equifax Complete™ Premier, a premium credit monitoring and identity theft prevention service.

Please note that you have until January 31, 2025, to determine your eligibility for this service.

To determine whether your Status Number has been impacted, please visit www. fnha.ca/cyberincident and click on the icon that reads “Am I eligible for credit monitoring?” and follow instructions.

If, after following these instructions, you receive anActivation Code and a link to the Equifax Complete™ Premier enrolment website, this means that your Status Number was impacted.

If you have received anActivation Code but are having diﬃculty enrolling in the Equifax Complete™ Premier service, please contact the Equifax Customer Care Centre at 1-800-395-5920 for assistance.

The Equifax Customer Care Centre’s operating hours are 6:00 am – 6:00 pm PST, Monday to Friday, and 6:00 am – 3:00 pm PST, Saturday and Sunday.

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

Richard Jock

Doctor shortage forces cuts in walk-in clinic hours

With recently expanded authority to prescribe, local pharmacies ﬁll gaps after clinic shuts down in afternoons

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

PortAlberni, BC – The extremely busy walk-in clinic in PortAlberni announced that it has been forced to reduce its hours for a period of one month due to a doctor shortage.

According to a recent post on the Mapleway (sic) Medical Center Facebook page, “from October 10, 2024 until November 12, 2024, the urgent care opening hours will be drastically reduced due to lack of medical doctors.”

The post goes on to say that the urgent care clinic will not be open in the evenings and “most day shifts will be closed too.” Normal hours will resume on November 12th, they stated. It is not clear what day shifts will be open.

The West Coast Urgent Care Clinic is a privately-owned service that is operated by three local physicians. It provides non-urgent medical care for people on a walk-in basis to get advice, assessment and treatment for minor illness and injuries and no appointment required.

With the nation-wide doctor shortage, the West Coast Urgent Care Clinic ﬁlls a gap for those that can’t get in to see their family physician and others who don’t have a doctor. It helps to divert less urgent medical cases from the hospital emergency departments and many Port Alberni residents rely on the service.

Located at 109-3949 Maple Way, the West Coast Urgent Care Clinic is normally open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The clinic re-opens from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the evening shift. But a note on the clinic’s website says that the hours are subject to physician availability and patient volume.

Doctors that operate the Urgent Care Clinic have their own private practices and see patients at the Maple Way Medical Center as their schedule permits –usually during their dinner breaks or after a shift at the hospital.

Anote posted on the wall at the clinic advised patients that a Dr.Adams would be leaving PortAlberni in October 2024. The spokesperson would not discuss the reasons for the reduced hours and did not conﬁrm that hours are indeed reduced for the period of one month. But a visit to the Mapleway Medical Center Facebook page shows in real time whether the clinic is open.

Alberni Pharmacy owner, pharmacist Farah Kassam, has increased services at her business to help ﬁll gaps left by reduced services at West Coast Urgent Care clinic.

“Alberni Pharmacy is happy to also introduce our virtual walk-in clinic,” said Kassam.

With a virtual walk-in clinic, the patient callsAlberni Pharmacy at 778-419-3784 to book an appointment with a doctor

who will call you on your phone during the day.

The virtual doctor speaks privately to the patient on the phone, and, if necessary, they can order lab work for the patient. They can prescribe medication which is sent directly to the pharmacist.

“The virtual clinic is really awesome,” said Kassam.

Patients can usually get same-day appointments, sometimes within the hour. Kassam says weekend and afterhour appointments, from 5 to 7 p.m., are available through this service. The virtual clinic does not do prescriptions for narcotics and they don’t do paperwork for patients, such as sick notes.

In addition, Kassam reminds people that pharmacists have expanded authority to prescribe medications for some common, minor ailments.

“Most pharmacists can also do emergency supplies and can prescribe for 21 minor ailments,” she shared.

Those minor ailments include cold, ﬂu, bladder infections, yeast infection, cold sores, conjunctivitis, painful periods, headaches, birth control and Plan B –which is emergency contraception. Alberni Pharmacy oﬀers a women’s and children’s clinic from 9 to 5 Monday to Friday from October 10 to November 12, during the period of reduced hours at the Urgent Care Clinic. For weekend appointments, contact Farah Kassam on Facebook Messenger to book. On these days, patients can call or visit the pharmacy to have their healthcare needs addressed. There are about twelve pharmacies operating in PortAlberni. Contact your local pharmacy to enquire about expanded health services.

Food is Medicine health fair coming to Port Alberni

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalist Initiative Reporter

Connecting families to traditional foods and traditional healers is a central focus of the inaugural Food is Medicine Diabetes Gathering on Nov. 2 at the Echo Centre in PortAlberni from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This free, drop-in event is for people living with diabetes, their family members, supports and anyone who is interested in overall wellness.Ahealthy lunch will be served, and no pre-registration is required.

“We’re really looking forward to it and we’re hoping that people will feel really nurtured and that they’ll feel happy in being able to connect and create some community around diabetes,” said Jen Cody, a registered dietician with the Nuuchah-nulth Tribal Council.

Cody told the Ha-shilth-sa that the Food is Medicine Diabetes Gathering takes a holistic approach to people on their wellness journey related to diabetes. In addition to sharing information about traditional foods and healers, there will also be a wide range of helpful resources.

Participants can chat with a foot doctor, Seabird Island Mobile Diabetes clinic will be onsite testing blood sugar level, cholesterol and kidney status and there will also be someone checking eye

health.

“I think most families are impacted by diabetes in one way or another, so this will be a really good opportunity for people to come on by and learn a little bit more either for themselves or for family members,” said Cody. “All of connections and information that’s there can be really relatable to overall health, so if people are really wanting to prevent diabetes, then coming and learning more can make a big diﬀerence for them too.”

Areport released inAugust by the First Nations HealthAuthority (FNHA) and British Columbia’s Oﬃce of the Provincial Health Oﬃcer (OPHO) highlights the reality that diabetes amongst First Nations People in B.C. is worsening.

“Prior to settler-colonial contact, First Nations Peoples in BC lived highly active lifestyles and ate healthy traditional diets.As a result, chronic conditions such as diabetes were virtually nonexistent among First Nations communities,” states a report release inAugust by the FNHA and British Columbia’s Oﬃce of the Provincial Health Oﬃcer (OPHO).

But the intergenerational eﬀects of Indian Residential Schools and conﬁnement to reserves have contributed to high rates of diabetes amongst First Nations Peoples by “limiting their ability to connect with the land and water, and often disrupted access to traditional foods,” notes the

FNHAreport.

“This has pushed many First Nations people into poverty and more sedentary lifestyles, and toward less nutritious diets. This dietary shift typically includes increased amounts of simple sugars and saturated fats, as these are often key ingredients in more readily available, aﬀordable, and highly processed market foods,” reads the FNHAreport.

Cody says “decolonizing the food that we eat” is one way to prevent and manage diabetes.

“Traditional foods are the most out-

standing and the most nutritional foods that people can connect with. Carbohydrates weren’t a very big part of a traditional diet and so coming back to a traditional diet is way to really connect with the land and the ocean and connect in a good way with the foods that really support health and nutrition,” she said.

Swapping high sugar, ultra processed foods for whole foods that come directly from the land is the best way to maintain a healthy diet, Cody notes. She suggested snacking on apples with peanut butter, veggies with hummus, dried clams, smoked salmon, boiled eggs or a can of salmon.

“The salmon and the protein foods are going to stick with you. They are quick and easy and a really good snack,” she said.

“I know for many people with diabetes, they think it’s hard and challenging and they feel judged. That is totally valid. One of the things we are trying to do is create an opportunity so people can feel pride and people can feel success in being able to take care of themselves and take care of others in a really good way and be on a good path,” said Cody.

For more information about the Food is Medicine gathering or for the schedule of events, contact MatildaAtleo: (250) 7206141 or email matildaatleo@gmail.com.

Denise Titian photo

Jen Cody

Clam Garden Series: Dennis Hetu and the ancestral

Toquaht citizen ﬁnds evidence of historic Indigenous shellﬁsh farming that produced 6,000 pounds from each arch of rocks in the

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie, Toquaht citizen Dennis Hetu couldn’t believe his eyes the day he stumbled upon an ancient clam garden in his ḥaḥuułi (traditional territory) on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The action unfolded over 20 years ago, but Hetu remembers like it was yesterday. Having just acquired a commercial licence to harvest oysters, Hetu was out on the water scouting beaches when he came across an inviting spot for clamming. It was low tide, he had a rake on hand, plus his aunt had requested clams for dinner…so he boarded the beach and started digging.

“I was very weary of the beach because I knew that bears were around. My head was on a swivel. I thought I heard something, so I looked up and that’s when I saw the ﬁrst arch,” Hetu recalls.

Arches are rock walls created by Indigenous ancestors by rolling boulders down to the lower intertidal zone to increase access and clam productivity.According to the Clam Garden Network, gardens produce at a rate of 150 to 300 per cent more clams that grow quadruple the biomass than nonmodiﬁed spawning grounds.

“I have lots of experience as an archeologist, so I knew right away what I was looking at,” Hetu said excitedly. “This is a clam garden. What I didn’t realize was that it was a farm, until I found the second row. And then another one.”

Much to his astonishment, Hetu had discovered not one, but four arches on these ancestral grounds.

“I had just finished doing all these courses for shellfish aquaculture. It all clicked to me. That’s a four-year cycle for a clam. Each arch was harvested each year, so by the time they got to the top arch, the first arch was ready to be harvested again.”

With four arches in plain sight, Hetu’s find represents an ancient system of mariculture and the first real evidence of sustained shellfish farming in Toquaht.

“This is a piece of history; history that had nothing to do with proﬁt. It was just all about food. It was about keeping a community fed in times that were really tough, like winter. Back then there were no roads.

There was nothing other than water access,” said Hetu.

If the system was working eﬃciently, Hetu says his ancestors could yield about

With paintings of his grandfather, the late Tyee Ha’wilth of Toquaht Cecil Mack, and grandmother

der, Dennis Hetu looks over the map of Toquaht Nation traditional territory. 6,000 pounds of clams out of each arch. These rock arrangements helped with the husbandry of clam spawning by helping disperse the reproductive process – after harvesting all the edible clams in the ﬁrst arch, the next arch would spawn that very same year.

“That could easily feed 100 people over a month,” he said, noting that a biomass study was conducted to determine the estimate.

Due to the location of the ancestral clam farm, Hetu believes it was the job of one family to maintain the site daily and to harvest the clams for their people.

“Whichever family was utilizing that

site was very successful in feeding their people. It’s the only site I’ve seen utilize that method. It’s super smart is what it is,” he beams.

Historically, coastal First Nations would eat four types of bivalves: butter clams, littleneck clams, cockles and horse clams, according to the Clam Garden Network. Today, it’s the Manila clam, a species Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says was accidentally introduced in Canadian waters during the 1930s in oyster seed from Japan, that are the main commercial clam found in abundance in the intertidal zone of B.C. Manilas, like the native littleneck clam, are steamer clams that separate easily

from the shell after cooking.

Hetu says his ancestors used cedar bark baskets to haul the clams back to the village, but he’s not quite sure what they used to dig them up.

“I’m wondering if they used a stick that they steamed and bent into the shape of a rake. Hands would be doable, but hard. I think they would have used a tool.”

The clams were eaten fresh, steamed or smoked and dried for later consumption.

“They ate clams for sustenance. Today it’s a treat, but back then it was a necessity,” said Hetu, who enjoys eating clams sauteed in garlic butter with a little salt.

Nowadays, butter clams are a real treat

Nora O’Malley photo

Queen Hakum Jessie Mack over h

Hetu’s ancestors ate clams for sustenance rather than the culinary delicacy they are known for today.

Researchers studied two walls at diﬀerent tidal heights, part of an ancient clam garden on northern Quadra Island.

ancestral clam farm

each arch of rocks in the intertidal areas

for elders.

“They’ll open it up, put it in a patty and make clam fritters or clam cakes,” Hetu shares.

The refuse from meals would go to a communal site known as middens, where people brought all their shells, bird bones, ﬁsh bones, bear bones and even eggshells. In the middle of Toquaht’s main village of Macoah, Hetu says the nation excavated a “very large” midden site that was 12-feet deep by 30-feet in diameter.

“They had little small middens in front of each house or settlement, but as a community there was one site that they brought all the bones to lessen chance of wildlife entering the property.”

While Hetu guesstimates his ancient clam farm is over 300 years old, a 2019 study funded by the Hakai Institute found clam garden sites on northern Quadra Island in the traditional territories of the Laich-KwilTach and northern Coast Salish peoples to be over 3,500 years old.

The researchers conducted subsurface testing, sample collection and radiocarbon for dating nine clam garden sites, six in Kanish Bay and three in Waiatt Bay.

“These rock-walled intertidal terraces, in combination with a variety of cultivation techniques, enhanced clam productivity and abundance through a variety of mechanisms,” the study notes. “In the past, as today, these features were linked to the governance, livelihoods, and identity of coastal First Nations fromAlaska to Washington State.”

Hetu has since returned to his ancient clam farm only to ﬁnd it in ruins, the rock walls toppled by bears and humans.Although historical protection protocol with the government fell through, Hetu maintains the uniqueness of the site.

“I’ve been to a dozen garden sites up and down the coast and the only one that I’ve ever found with four arches is right here. That’s why I’m sure that it was the ﬁrst type of farming because all the other sites have one big arch.”

Hetu’s face lights up when he talks about digging clams for his family. He says this story of archeological discovery is important to tell and oﬀers teachings for the next generation.

“Every time I step out on the land now, I know that every inch of it my people have walked on. I can’t walk anywhere without thinking that ﬁrst and being grateful.”

With guidance from Hetu and cultural leaders, the Nuu-chah-nulth Youth Warrior Family will restore Toquaht’s historic clam farm this November.

This story was made possible in part by an award from the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

This is article is part of a series of stories on Nuu-chah-nulth clam gardens. The next article looks at how the Warriors rebuild the clam garden and following that, we will lean into the issue of food sovereignty.

Students gain credits through land-based learning in a fragile river environment

High school class installs a salmon trap to help spread eggs in a creek by Sproat Lake

By Holly Stocking Ha-Shilth-Sa EditorialAssistant

PortAlberni, BC – This October students got an opportunity to learn about the fragility of our environment by stepping out of the classroom and getting their feet wet in a creek.

On the morning of Oct. 8, nine students fromAlberni District Secondary School’s new Land Based Learning program, Grades 9 to 12, helped biologists install a trap to capture wild salmon spawners. This trap will aid in increasing the coho numbers in the Sproat watershed.

This is the pilot year for the Land Based Learning program, led by teacher Sarah Williams and land-based worker Erin O’Hagan.

“We are basing our learning on the Nuuchah-nulth seasonal food round as well as activities that allow for restoration or reciprocity,” Williams told Ha-Shilth-Sa. “Skill building through hands-on, experiential learning activities enables students to get credit for their high school courses in a way that is engaging and more culturally connected.”

“Its more hands on and because you get to experience new things,” said Nevaeh Amos, a student in the land-based program.

David Clough, a biologist with DFO, heads the team working out of the Ward Creek site. Clough started the morning by giving the students a breakdown of what he wants them to do and spoke to them about respect; respecting their surroundings, nature, the creek bed.

“Walk like blue heron and not like hippos, the small pools in the creek could have tiny fry in them that survived all summer,” he cautioned.

Three volunteers from theAlberni Valley EnhancementAssociation (Jake Leyenaar Hatchery) were there to help set the trap and encouraged the students to get right in the water and participate. The students used shovels, rakes and even their hands to remove rocks and debris to level the creek bed for the trap.

Education is one of the main components of Clough’s job and he wants the students learn about the environment, the broad scope of nature.

“Basically touching, feeling, understanding it. We are here to build a ﬁsh trap, but we are also working in a stream environment,” he said.

This entails the stream environment,

substrate on the creek bottom, the trees and how it all impacts the life and growth of the salmon.As the students were working, Clough talked to them about the sensitivity of nature and Williams reiterated their leave-no-trace policy.

After the trap was set Clough and the students disassembled a land bridge someone from the nearby campsite had built across the stream with rocks for their quad. Clough told the student small disruptions like this can make large impacts on the environment our salmon need to survive.

The volunteers from theAVEAwill continue to monitor the trap as well as a number of others in around theAlberni Valley. Once a salmon is caught theAVEA team will take it back to the McLean Mill

location near PortAlberni, extract and incubate the eggs so the workers can released them back into the creek the salmon was captured in.

Hatchery salmon make up a large number of ﬁsh caught in theAlberni Valley.

Hatchery-raised salmon comprise around 9 per cent of chinook that are caught, 45 per cent of coho, less than 10 per cent of chum, while Sockeye has no enhancement because of how disease prone they are, according to Wilkinson.

Jim Wilkinson, a volunteer with the AVEA, tells Ha-Shilth-Sa they are always seeking more volunteers for their hatchery.

“Just show up to the Mclean’s Mill site Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. or call me at 250-735-3854,” she said.

Nora O’Malley photo Hakum Jessie Mack over his shoul-

Chloe Wangler photos

David Clough (left), a biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, works with students in the Land Based Learning program installing a salmon trap at Ward Creek, near Sproat Lake on Oct. 8.

New deep-sea droid embarks on multi-day trial

The $8-million Jenny can do ‘very complex tasks that need high dexterity’ on ocean ﬂoor oﬀ Vancouver Island

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Plunging down into the abyss of the Pacific Ocean along the west coast of Vancouver Island, B.C., a deep-sea droid dubbed ‘Jenny’embarked on its first major expedition this fall with Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) and Canpac Marine Services Inc. Jenny, a roughly $8 million remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of reaching depths of 6,000 metres, is off completing key maintenance tasks on ONC’s offshore subsea 800-kilometre-long cabled observatory infrastructure from Oct. 5 to 12.

Canpac Marine president RyanAnderson says after years of talking about building a deep-sea droid, it took one year to design and one year to build the robot.

“There are only a couple in the world that can work at those depths,” said Anderson, noting that Jenny is about the size of a small VW hippie van. “It’s great to ﬁnally get out for sea trials and see her in action.”

During the eight-day expedition aboard the Canpac Valour, the new ROV will swap out old instruments for fresh ones at three main sites along ONC’s observatory NEPTUNE (North-East Paciﬁc Time-series Undersea Networked Experiments), a data collection loop that starts and ends at PortAlberni’s shore station.

Meghan Paulson, ONC executive director of observatory operations, says NEPTUNE has ﬁve nodes used for powering communications.

“Because it’s cabled and powered, we are able to collect data in near real time and keep the instruments powered for years on end. If you think about instruments working at the bottom of the ocean, think of them as computers, sometimes they stop working,” said Paulson.

Jenny can do “very complex tasks that need high dexterity”, according to Josh Tetarenko, Canpac’s director of ROV operations who controls the two arms on the ROV with miniature versions on the ship’s control centre.

“When we move these around, the

Networks Canada photo Canpac Marine president RyanAnderson, Josh Tetarenko, Canpac’s director of ROV operations, and Meghan Paulson, ONC executive director of observatory operations, stand with Canada’s newest deep-sea droid rated to work up to 6,000-metres under the ocean surface.

arm on the sub moves exactly where we move,” he said.

Depending on sea conditions, the droid will also collect up to 12-hours per day of video footage from 11 high resolution cameras and 300,000 lumens of light.

“It’s all basically 4K quality and the zoom capabilities are incredible. It has a lot of functionality,” said Tetarenko, who is an electrician by trade and has been working with ROVs for the past 15 years.

Paulson and Tetarenko went on to add that deep-sea ROVs have a whole suite of sampling capabilities, from shipwreck observation and recovery to marine debris collection and species monitoring.

“It really opens up a whole world for any number of scientiﬁc expeditions that are wanting to explore in the deep ocean,” said Paulson. “The more we understand about the ocean the more we can protect it; change how we are living and

inﬂuence policy to make big decisions, particularly on things like the climatechange front.”

Tetarenko said ROVs have been used to transect a speciﬁc line on the sea ﬂoor over many years.

“That video gets handed over to scientists to review and count the sea life and biology in it. We’re actually starting to use machine algorithms to do ﬁsh counting for us, so grad students don’t have to sit and watch the video for hours at a time,” Tetarenko said.

In addition to being rated to work up to 6,000-metres deep, Tetarenko adds that the droid is built with a 7,000-metre long umbilical cord capable of lifting 3,000-kilogram objects.

“The inside is made of Kevlar around the conductors we need to power the ROV, which are extremely high voltage, outside looks like a wire roped, armoured

around,” he said.

For this fall sea trial, Jenny will be working in a range of water depths, 2,500-metres being the deepest and 100-metres (close to the coast at Folger Passage Node) at the shallowest, says Paulson.

Since stepping into her leadership role with ONC four and a half years ago, Paulson says some of the earthquake data they’ve collected has made her sit up and take notice.

“We have a whole network of seismometers and accelerometers on our NEPTUNE observatory. We are in a seismically active area. I’m not from this coast, but I was surprised at the frequency of earthquakes that happen here from the low magnitude,” she said.

Activity is particularly notable around the Endeavour site, which is located 200 nautical miles oﬀshore from the west coast of Vancouver Island.

“In one area, in the Endeavour area, it’s at a spreading center where continental plates are moving away from each other, that activity has certainly increased over the past two and a half years,” Paulson continued.

Coastal First Nations and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) recently protected 133,017 square kilometres of deep sea territory located off the southern tip of Haida Gwaii. The Tang.ɢwan-ḥačxʷiqakTsigis Marine ProtectedArea (MPA) is home to extraordinary seafloor features, including more than 47 underwater mountains, known as seamounts, and all confirmed hydrothermal vents in Canada. It is now the largest MPAdesignated under Canada’s OceansAct.

Tetarenko says they hope to work with DFO next summer to do more seamount research and emphasized that the impacts the ROV has on any biology is “extremely minimal”.

“We try to make sure the ROV doesn’t touch the seaﬂoor when possible. We put a lot of eﬀort to make sure we don’t leave any debris or any oil,” said Tetarenko. The fall expedition is being broadcast live at: https://www.oceannetworks. ca/expeditions/oncabyss-expeditionfall-2024/

Phrase†of†the†week:†Huu%aktana†%ayamit%iš†%a>†waa>ak†c’a%ak@iqkin†+u>sup†%uu%atup†piiš††%u%atuniš††m’i+mis†

Pronounced ‘who ugk ta na ooh ah look mi ish alt caa ugh ugk in clu sup ooh alth look piis ii ooh mus alt nis mitl mia ,’it means ‘In the old days, long ago our men in the village would go to the rivers to move logs for the ﬁsh to travel easier up to spawn. Now we pray for more rain!’Supplied by ciisma.

Illustration by Koyah Morgan-Banke

Ocean

The Storm: High school unveils new name for teams

A new logo is in the works, replacing the Armada name that had li le relevance to students, says school faculty

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

PortAlberni, BC -Alberni District Secondary’s sports teams now have a new name, after following a decision-making process that led to an inherent dynamic of the territory that they call home.

To a gym ﬁlled with jubilant fanfare, ADSS announced on Oct. 3 that its sports teams will now bear the name Storm, referencing theAlberni Valley’s long history of harsh weather over the cooler months.

Storm replaces the formerArmada name, which the school abandoned over a year ago due to it having little meaning for students.

“Coaches were saying, students, they don’t even know what armada is,” commented Mike Roberts,ADSS’athletics director. “What relevance is it to our area here?”

Roberts recalls thatArmada originated in 1985 when he was a student at the high school, a time whenADSS’teams had diﬀerent names.

“The senior boys basketball team was the Chieftains, the senior girls was the Chiefettes, the Celtics was the soccer team, rugby was the Barbarians, I think,” recalled Roberts.

Armada means a ﬂeet of armed ships, and the former logo was a two-masted schooner on the ocean.At a school where one third of the student population identiﬁes as Indigenous, theArmada name and logo brought a potential connotation with the region’s colonial past, leadingADSS to drop the brand over a year ago. The schooner logo was replaced with anA bearing a design made by Hesquiaht artist Geena Haiyupus, and now a new emblem for the school’s sports teams is being developed.

“What we want with that is simplicity,” said Roberts of the new logo. “If you follow that team it’s recognizable. That’s the trick for us, it’s to ﬁnd something simple that means ‘school’and through time everybody will understand.”

Roberts says it was clear that the high school teams needed a new logo when ADSS moved from Burde Street to its current location on Roger 12 years ago. But the process didn’t get prioritized until about two years ago, when a request to the School District 70 board of trustees to change the name was approved.ADSS faculty engaged with representatives from the local Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations in discussions on an appropriate name. Soon 10 potentials came up, including Fog, Rain and the seriously considered Tsunami, but PortAlberni’s

a Nuu-chah-nulth dancer wearing a hinkeets mask. youth swim teams are already named after the tidal wave that unfolds after an oﬀshore earthquake.

“Going through all the names, this is one that came through,” said Tseshaht Councillor Nasimius, Ed Ross. “We’ve shared a lot of legends to give an identity to this.”

In the naming process Roberts found that the Storm moniker brought a widespread relevance.

“Tseshaht’s logo is lightening snakes, lightening bolts and thunder, it just made sense,” he said.

“It was signiﬁcant to us, it’s signiﬁcant to everybody.Astorm is pretty powerful,” added Ross. “It’s natural, it’s naturally powerful, just like our athletes.”

As theADSS cheer team performed for a crowd in the gym, two dancers wearing hinkeets masks moved on either side of them.Agroup of Tseshaht singers also performed for the audience to mark the unveiling of the school’s new team name.

Ross was also a student atADSS, and found the recent occasion as another reminder of how much the school has changed since his high school days.

“In past history we weren’t included on these things. Now we are, and it just feels

good that we’re moving together,” he said. “Coming through what we’ve come through over the years and seeing our kids be proud of who they are, putting

Eric Plummer photos

To a gym ﬁlled with jubilant fanfare,ADSS announced on Oct. 3 that its sports teams will now bear the name Storm, referencing theAlberni Valley’s long history of harsh weather over the cooler months. Pictured are the school’s cheer team with

on those hakuuma (mask), the hinkeets (head piece), us singing, that’s beautiful.”

Nasimius, Ed Ross, sings with Tseshaht members at theADSS gym on Oct. 3.

Usma

Story)

Usma is excited to share that we are leasing a new, additional building!

The care support team, family wellness workers, cultural coordinators and chaputs coordinator will be moving right next door to the main Usma building on 6th avenue to a new space that will accommodate the growing needs of the Usma department as we work to support Nuu-chah-nulth families.

The vision for the new space is intentional and purposeful; warm, welcoming, and inviting, while steering away from a traditional office environment. Instead of chairs, fluorescent lighting, and standard office spaces, they are hoping to create open spaces with soft lighting, couches, a mini fridge with food and drinks, and Nuu-chah-nulth art.

“I’m hoping that by being more inviting, the space creates a sense of safety, so people walk into that space feeling supported,” saidAnnaAllan, the Care Support Team Coordinator. “I’m hoping that the people we serve will walk into that space and leave feeling stronger, empowered, and cared for.”

An exciting change for the teams is the new activity rooms they will be able to now use instead of contracting and booking spaces with outside organizations. There will be a quiet, safe and welcoming space where clients and counsellors can sit, a new playroom with a menu of sensory and cultural toys, and a space for movement and bigger activities such as Indigenous boxing, carving, and painting.

“Our team provides supports and services that are centered in both the western continuum of care and the cultural continuum of care,” saidAllan. “Our goal will be to lead with culture.”

“The research around best practice within trauma-responsive care is now just validating what’s been known within Indigenous communities since the beginning of time,” saidAllan. “Culture is healing.”

Based on referrals from other Usma teams, community partners, and selfreferrals, the care support team provides clinical and behavioural services to children, youth, and parents. The team focuses on providing person-centered, culturally attuned, respectful, compassionate, and collaborative services that empowers clients on their healing journey while building resilience.

The care support team is made up of a

variety of registered clinical counsellors, including a SAIP (SexualAbuse Intervention Program) councillor for children up to 12 years old, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) counsellor for children, youth, parents, and caregivers and a play therapist who supports elementary aged children.

The team includes a short-term intensive behavioural support (STIBS) consultant, STIBS workers, and social-emotional learning (SEL) workers for children and youth, as well as a care support worker for caregivers and parents, and a therapeutic parenting support worker, who supports parents.

“Every person that we serve has the inherent ability to, not only heal themselves, but to decide what that looks like,” saidAllan. “As best as we’re able to, we’ll show up to support that journey and that direction.”

If you are interested in seeking supports or have any questions about the services the care support team provides, reach out toAnnaAllan, Care Support Team Coordinator, at 1-778-260-1160.

Usma cultural coordinators and the chaputs coordinator will share the space, providing another layer of support to families, children and youth with one-onone support, programs, and partnerships with the larger Usma team, other NTC teams, and external partners.

The teams hope to be moved into the new space by the end of October and to have the space fully functional by the end of the November.

On Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, Usma’s resource team hosted their annual caregiver appreciation event in PortAlberni and the West Coast.As the Hupačasath House of Gathering and the Tin Wis Wickaninnish Conference Hall ﬁlled with smiling faces, laughter, and chatter, we took the opportunity to thank the Usma caregivers and acknowledge the good work they do to support Nuu-chah-nulth children and youth over a shared meal. We are so happy about the great turnout for both evenings!

Usma is also excited to share that we’ve launched our new Facebook page: Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services. Follow us on Facebook to stay connected with Usma events, news, and programming. We are wishing everyone a wonderful October and a Happy Halloween! Until next month!

By Aleesha Sharma

Book your henna session for community events, weddings, birthday parties, school events or any special event.

Phone: 250-730-1262 or 250-720-3096 E-mail: aleesha_sharma1@hotmail.com

DAC HealthAbility Fair

October 23 & 24

AlberniAthletic Hall – tentative venue

More information to follow closer to the event date

Nuu-chah-nulth Baby Group

Every Monday

CYS - 4841 Redford Street, Port Alberni

10am-12pm. We oﬀer Prenatal and infant development information, special guests, snacks provide and $20.00 food voucher per family. 250-724-3939. Enter from 4th avenue side, building with orange stripe.

Girls Group

Every Tuesday

Usma culture space, PortAlberni

5:00pm-7:00pm Girls ages 13-18. Need a safe space? Want to express yourself? Looking to learn to bake and cook? Do

&Community Beyond

you enjoy doing crafts? Come join us for fun activities with food and refreshments every Tuesday!

Eating in Balance

Wednesdays

PortAlberni Friendship Center Group works together starting with planting seeds up until preserving the food. Participants will receive a $10.00 grocery coupon that can be used at Quality Foods and Buy Low Foods. Open to all families with children 0-6. To register please contactAmber at 250-723-8281 ext. 233 or aﬂaro@ pafriendshipcenter.com or on FBAmber PAFC

Cultural Brushings with Quu asa

Every Friday

RedfordAdministration Building, Port Alberni

Obituary

Carole Margaret Clutesi passed October 8, 2024. She was 79 years old. Carole was born in PortAlberni, BCApril 24, 1945 to George and Margaret Clutesi. She is survived by her sons Duane and Scott, her beloved granddaughters, Kiana and Malia, her daughter-in-law, Karen. Carole will be missed by her sisters Bonnie and Joy, her brother Guy as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Carole had a successful career as an educator. She was the ﬁrst person ever to receive a Master of Education degree in First Nations studies at SFU in 1996. She taught at Malaspina College and received a degree in Kinesiology from UVIC.

She loved books, was spiritual and spent her life healing & helping others. Carole moved to Pemberton in 2003 to be closer to her family. Kiana and Malia grew up spending time at “Nan-nee’s” house playing with toys, listening to stories, and learning about their heritage.

Carole was born Tseshaht and Hupacasath of the Nuu-chah-nulth people.

As we remember our ancestors, our songs, our dances, our stories

Every time a child observes, listens, or imitates

The spirits of our Nuu-chah-nulth ancestor’s chant.

Rest in peace Huup kwis f’a% ags. Duane Clutesi

9:00am-12:00pm Cultural Brushings in support of the Tseshaht Community. Please call 250-724-1225 25 Years Ago in Ha-Shilth-Sa

a salmon into the new spawning channel as hundreds gather to witness the re-opening of an ancient river.

The Ditidaht First Nation was able to open a spawning side channel after the salmon population was decimated by decades of irresponsible logging practices.

The Nation combined traditional and scientiﬁc knowledge and opened a 1.3-kilometre-long channel where the Caycuse River once ﬂowed on the south side of Nitinaht lake.

The Caycuse River was so badly damged by log jams and landlides it took the Nation two and a half years of working with local logging companies and the BC Ministry of Environment to be able to open the channel. The Total cost of the project was $250,000.

-Original story by David Wiwchar.

Original photo caption: Tsuk-si-tay Project Manager Seaton Taylor throws the backbone of

henna artist

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

Le er to Editor Former chief councillor presented with award

Ahous Adventures also awarded community-owned business of the year by BC Achievement Foundation

By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Anacla, BC - Robert Dennis Sr. is certainly one humble guy.

Despite receiving a rather prestigious award from the BCAchievement Foundation, the former longtime chief councillor of Huu-ay-aht First Nations feels awkward praise is being thrown his way. Dennis was presented with theAward of Distinction for LifetimeAchievement through the foundation’s Indigenous BusinessAward program.

He was honoured during a ceremony held at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver on Oct. 7.

“I’ve been telling everyone it was kind of embarrassing because I’ve always looked at what Huu-ay-aht has achieved as being a team eﬀort right through the whole process,” he said.

Dennis served as his First Nation’s chief councillor from 1995 through 2011.And he returned to the same position from 2015 until his ﬁnal term expired in June of 2023.

Before becoming Huu-ay-aht’s elected chief, Dennis had also served 12 years as a councillor for his First Nation and three years as band manager.

“I always say that I’ve been really fortunate to have really strong connection to my past and to have listened to elders from the ‘50s and ‘60s and ‘70s, what they were saying, things where they had said we were mistreated and they needed to see corrected,” Dennis said. “That was a good guide.”

Dennis said that approach was adopted by the community in the early 1990s, which led to Huu-ay-aht members deciding to enter the treaty process.

It was then under Dennis’leadership that a modern treaty, the Maa-nulth First Nations FinalAgreement, was developed and eventually implemented in 2011.

Dennis said his biggest accomplishment while he was Huu-ay-aht’s chief councillor was ratifying and getting that treaty in place.

“That gave us the foundation to build our economy,” he said. “And it’s worked very eﬀectively for the nation. The willingness to tough that out, because it was a touch and go to get it approved and move on in the process. I would say that was the one project I was most proud of. It was certainly the project that enabled us to build our economy that we have today.”

During his political career Dennis frequently talked about how it was better to be self-suﬃcient as a nation instead of relying on handouts.

“I’ve always said in my approach as a leader that I would rather be managing prosperity than poverty,” he said. “That’s what really drove me in terms of having a willingness to work long hours, set goals and objectives and don’t give up until you’ve achieved them.”

Dennis added the second project he’s most proud of during his tenure was getting a road upgraded from PortAlberni to the Huu-ay-aht village ofAnacla and Bamﬁeld.

“It’s safe to drive the road now and it’s in better condition than it used to be,” he said of the project, which was completed in the fall of 2023. “It’s something

I started pursuing after we had done an economic study in 1996. We did the study that identiﬁed that in order to diversify our economy we needed a road upgrade. That would enable us to develop our tourism rather than being dependent on resource development.”

Dennis said it wasn’t always easy spearheading Huu-ay-aht initiatives.

“It became challenging because our governments change,” he said. “And our councils change over the years. For example, what was a priority 40 years ago isn’t a priority today. It’s a change of the time.”

Speaking of changes, Dennis, who is now 77, has been undergoing his share of them since his Huu-ay-aht term ended.

He’s trying to keep himself occupied by doing some consulting work with the company he’s owned.

“It’s hard to go from where you’re a busy person to all of a sudden being nothing,” he said. “So, I just look for a little bit of work to do.”

Dennis makes it clear, however, that he won’t be returning to political oﬃce.

Ever.

“There’s going to be absolutely no chance of me resurfacing,” he said. “I had been given a task. I completed it.”

Through his consulting work though, Dennis would like to see Indigenous forestry prosper, where First Nations people beneﬁt from forestry activity.

“We need to change how governments develop their policies moving forward because you can’t say that you’re giving First Nations an economic opportunity when they can’t even make money because the stumpage rate is too high,” he said.

Dennis was joined at the BCAchievement Foundation awards ceremony by various family members including his wife, son, a couple of his grandchildren, his older sister and a couple of nieces. Some representatives from businesses who had worked for the First Nation were also in attendance.

Dennis said a highlight of the evening was that his son, also named Robert, sang him in during his introduction.

Meanwhile, a Nuu-chah-nulth company was also honoured with an award at the ceremony.

Toﬁno-basedAhousAdventures, owned byAhousaht First Nation, was selected as the community-owned (one entity) business of the year.

Courts and Indigenous communities work together for be er access to justice

Sept. 30 was the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day honors the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. The BC Provincial Court is committed to reducing the number of children in care and reducing the amount of Indigenous people in jail. We continually work with communities in developing creative approaches to improving access to justice.

Up until recently, the BC Provincial Court had approximately 89 court locations. Now there are 91 locations. In April 2024 the court accepted the invitation of theAhousaht First Nation and brought the court to their community on April 9, June 4, andAugust 13. In doing so, a new court circuit was created.

On a court circuit, the judge, court staﬀ, lawyers, and other justice participants go into a community and set up court. Historically, community members who had to attend court would have to spend $60 for the return boat trip. ForAhousaht residents, due to the cost and method of travel, which must be by boat or plane, sometimes individuals could not make it to court. Even if they could, often their supporters might not be able to attend with them. If they did not come to court, an arrest warrant would be the outcome. Ahousaht has a small, but dedicated RCMP detachment but to eﬀect an arrest takes time, resources, and sometimes more boat rides, and ground transportation to other correctional facilities. In other words, it can be time-consuming, complicated and expensive.

In the recentAug. 13 sitting in Ahousaht, the victim services worker pointed out that for the ﬁrst time in recent memory, no arrest warrants were issued. Everyone made it to court.

By bringing the court to the community, elders, local counsellors, and other community members, including the victim, can directly participate in the court process.Acourt circuit allows the judge and community to communicate and work together to restore the sense of harmony to the community that has been harmed by oﬀending behavior.

On each of theAhousaht circuit court sittings, a community member welcomed the opening of the court with a traditional Nuu-chah-Nulth song. When the court took a break for lunch, everyone sat

down together and ate homemade salmon sandwiches and soup together. Welcoming comments and gifts were exchanged.

On Sept. 9 the BC Provincial Court also had the first sitting of court on the Tla-o-qui-aht territory, known as HaHoothlee. In anticipation of having court on their territory, over the last few years the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation created a Justice Committee with nine members. The committee has been very active in assisting victims and offenders who are involved in court proceedings. One goal is to increase the voice of victims in court proceedings and assist in the rehabilitation of offenders so that in time they might be reintegrated into their home community.

The court circuit was held in a room located on the ancestral site where from 1971 to 1981 the Christie Residential School was located. There was a strong community presence at the ﬁrst sitting on this circuit.All the Justice Committee members and other community members were very participatory in the court proceedings. They oﬀered information to do with victims and information about supports available.

On the lunch break everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch of homemade stew and bread. Comments and gifts were also exchanged to celebrate the inaugural sitting of the court circuit.

Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht have a shared language of Nuu-chah-nulth.

They have shared with the BC Provincial Court that one of their core values is Iisaakstalth - respect one another - and another core value is the idea of Heshook-ish Tsawalk, that everything is interconnected.

These community and court partnership initiatives were created and involved many diﬀerent agencies and community members. It is diﬃcult to thank everyone involved, but a special thanks goes to Linda Van Dorne and her network of community support fromAhousaht. As well a special thanks goes out to Curtis Joseph and his community support from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation.

The British Columbia Provincial Court is honored to work with Indigenous communities in the development of creative approaches that increase access to justice. Nearly 10 Indigenous courts and numerous court circuits in many communities around British Columbia are examples of what can be done when our courts and communities work together.

-JudgeAlexander Wolf

Robert Dennis Sr.

Submitted photo

Water taxi driver Bill Webster, Defence Counsel Charles Beckingham, Crown Prosecutor John Boccabella and Vancouver Island RegionalAdministrative Provincial Court Judge Carmen Rogers begin their boat ride out toAhousaht.

Man turns career setback into multi-faceted business

Quyuuk Fishing & Lodging opened after ambitious investment and lots of hustle from a lifelong Kyuquot local

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Kyuquot, BC – In order to make a living in remote, isolated Kyuquot, one has to be creative to ensure steady income through the seasons. That is what Russell Hanson, a Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations citizen, learned growing up in the tiny Houpsitas village.

Hanson is a life-long resident of the village, so remote it is only accessible by boat or ﬂoat plane. Born in 1976, Hanson thinks he’s the last one to be born in the village.

“I was born on my gramma’s couch,” he shared.

Born to Peter and Daisy Hanson, Russell, the eldest son, is next in line to take his father’s seat, one of the Ha’wiih of KCFN.

But being born into Nuu-chah-nulth royalty doesn’t mean life’s necessities will be given to you. You have to work hard.

“I started in the tourism industry when I was 19,” said Hanson.

Along the way, he took courses that helped him advance in the local tourism and forestry industries.

Starting at the age of 10, Russell would go fishing with his father. In the summer he would take jobs with the local lodges and resorts, working as a fishing guide. In the off-season, he found work in forestry doing silviculture work. He would take training when he could and became interested in natural resources restoration work.

In 2012, Hanson graduated from university with a Forestry Resource Technician diploma. He became passionate about repairing and restoring his homelands from decades of damage done by industrial logging, ﬁshing and poor resource management decisions of the past.

Set up with steady employment yearround, Hanson was able to support his family. But in 2022, things took a turn.

Following a dispute at work, Hanson lost his job.

“I really loved my job as stewardship program manager,” he told Ha-Shilth-Sa. He had visions of restoring the nation’s

land to a healthier state.

“I want to see us be able to sustain ourselves if there is another pandemic or something like that,” said Hanson.

So, Hanson decided to go into business for himself. He applied to the Nuu-chahnulth Economic Development Corporation for funding. His plan was to start his own small forestry company. For that, he would need a boat, a truck and a quad. He would use the equipment to salvage wood to fulﬁll his 5,000-cubic-metre permit.

His custom-built aluminum boat was outﬁtted to pull salvaged logs oﬀ beaches. But to maximize the income potential of his equipment, the boat was built with a heated, comfortable cabin so that it could be used as a water taxi between Fair Harbour and Houpsitas.

Over time he purchased two more working boats. But in 2023, his custom-built work boat sank at Fair Harbour. The boat was insured but it would take months for the repairs to be completed, and he had a new baby on the way.

The following spring Hanson noticed an advertisement oﬀering a nearby ﬂoat house accommodation for sale.

According to Hanson, the owner brought the ﬂoating building into the bay to house contractors working in Kyuquot.

The owner didn’t want to pay the $75,000 it would cost to move the accommodation back to Campbell River. Within eight minutes of the post being made, Hanson was in touch with the owner – along with 29 other interested parties.

With more help from NEDC, and weeks of hard work and sacriﬁce, Hanson bought the ﬂoating lodge for an amount less than its assessed value. The previous owner of the 10-room facility put $300,000 worth of improvements into the lodge including generators, solar panels, paint and a roof.

In order to purchase the lodge, Hanson had a few short weeks to come up with the $28,000 down payment. From May to July 2024, Hanson worked his two boats, engaged in ﬁshing, forestry, water taxiing, anything he could do. He paid expenses but didn’t pay himself a wage.

“I just gave all my income to NEDC,”

said Hanson. “I came up with $17,000 in 17 days!”

And even when he took possession of his new Quyuuk Fishing & Lodging on July 25th, he didn’t take a break.

“On July 26th I had my ﬁrst guests,” Hanson shared.

His guests were a pair of researchers that stayed at the lodge.

Quyuuk (pronounced like the place Kyuq) Fishing & Lodging operates yearround in the bay adjacent to Houpsitas. The rooms are like that of a ﬁshing lodge, with a single bed in ﬁve of the rooms.

Two rooms have a pair of single beds and the other two rooms have a double and single bed in each.

There is a large, open space that houses a comfortable sitting area with sofas and television, a dining room and kitchen. The lodge has Wi-Fi. Guests can bring in and cook their own food or, for a small additional fee, have three daily meals prepared for them.

Hanson has his own water taxi service to bring guests to and from the lodge. And now, instead of looking for work, he is oﬀering employment. He has his own staﬀ, including three boat operators, two cooks, housekeeping and maintenance workers.

The future is looking bright for Hanson’s now one year-old daughter. He even has his 22-year-old son working for him

and walking in his dad’s footsteps.

“He works with me in forestry and as a boat operator and he will be enrolled at Vancouver Island University for forestry,” said the proud father.

Very recently, Hanson was able to capitalize on an amazing opportunity. The entrepreneur discovered that a scallop farmer had abandoned a ﬂoat house near Houpsitas. Hanson applied to Transport Canada to salvage the ﬂoat house and got a license of occupation.

“It’s a 30-by-60-foot eight bedroom living accommodation, and I got it for free!” said Hanson.

He plans to renovate the place and rent it out. He hasn’t yet decided if it will be a long or short-term rental accommodation, but he will make the best use of his latest asset.

For now, Hanson is concentrating on building up his companies and making his accommodation facilities fully operational.Always on the lookout for ways to build his businesses, Hanson found an opportunity with a local guide ﬁshing lodge that is closing its doors for good. He negotiated with the other business owner and is set to acquire their quest list and a couple of their boats.

“There’s lots of opportunity here,” Hanson noted.

For now, he stays busy managing his businesses. He said the NTC rents space in his lodge to hold workshops.

“I have projectors, screens and a big tv along with Starlink Wi-ﬁ.”

Quyuuk Fishing and Lodging is within view of the village of Houpsitas. It’s quiet and isolated enough that guests require a boat for the minute or two trip to the village.And Hanson has the boats to ferry his guests wherever they need to go.

Aproud member of Indigenous Tourism BC, Hanson looks forward to busy summers.

“It took a lot of work – from two years ago, I went from almost nothing and now I’m worth almost three quarters of a million dollars with all that I have now,” Hanson shared. “I am the ﬁrst local to individually own a lodge – proudly Indigenous.”

Indigenous snowboard team seeking new participants

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Vancouver Island, B.C. – Up Mount Washington, Indigenous youth can ride through the trees or sit and throw snowballs from the trees – it’s all about having fun and being free for members of the Vancouver Island Indigenous Snowboard and Ski Team.

The recreation-focused, 100 per cent volunteer driven snowboard and ski team is accepting applications from Vancouver Island-based Indigenous youth ages 12 to 17 until Nov. 12. Members receive a pass to Mount Washington Ski Resort for the 2024-2025 season, access to gear if they need, plus holistic training that promotes healthy living and long-term love for the sport.

“We’re not drilling kids to go fast, you know all these things that competing brings. We’re like, ‘just have fun!’Let’s just get out. Don’t think about anything else but being free and being here,” said coach Steve Recalma, a community archeologist who is Kwakwaka’wakw from the Qualicum First Nation.

Team membership and admin co-ordinator Kim Leming says the program helps

Indigenous youth reconnect to the land in a diﬀerent way.

“We’re leading by example with the lifestyle that we’ve chosen to have,” said Leming, a veteran snowboarder who is of Cree descent from Lac La Ronge, Saskatchewan.

Recalma, a former competitive snowboarder, adds that being a role model includes showing up with a healthy meal, drinking ﬂuids constantly and being clean and sober on the mountain.

“Snowboarding saved my life from drugs and alcohol at an early age,” he shares.

The Vancouver Island Indigenous Snowboard Team evolved from the First Nations Snowboard Team in Whistler, a legacy of the 2010 Winter Olympics. With a constant commitment from Mount Washington Ski Resort, the program has supported hundreds of Indigenous youth throughout the years. Going forward, Leming says they’re looking to build capacity by connecting with Indigenous leaders and working with other organizations and Nations that can provide guidance.

“We’ve been holding back. We know how big this can be. We know how

it can bloom and blossom, which is amazing for Indigenous youth,” said Leming, a full-time staﬀ member of Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council (ISPARC).

Recalma would love to see more Indigenous coaches added to the program, adding that one of his former students is returning this year as an instructor.

“It’s kind of like a revolving door. We teach the youth and then they teach the youth. They learn how to coach and they see how we operate,” he said. “We are more than a coach to them, we’re mentors, we’re friends. They really start to open up to you and build a level of trust when you see them all season. It’s just huge for both parties.”

He went on to share that he’s been spending a lot of time in the mountains these days and can feel the temperature diﬀerence.

Facebook photo

Another awesome day up the mountain with the ISPARC crew.

“I’m just really excited for it all,” Recalma beams. Leming can’t hide her optimism.

“I think this year is going to be a really good snow year,” she said.

Anyone interested in applying to the program or boosting capacity as a coach is encouraged to email vancouverisland.fnst@gmail.com or visit Indigenous Snowboard Team - Vancouver Island on Facebook for more information.

Russell Hanson