Desire for schools to reopen

School district prepares for return, but not all parents are willing to risk bringing COVID-19 into their homes

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Port Alberni, BC - Despite widespread concerns over the spread of COVID-19, over 90 per cent of parents are planning to send their children back to school when classes resume this month in the Alberni Valley, Tofi no, Ucluelet and Bamfi eld. In a letter sent to parents on Sept. 4, Greg Smith, School District 70’s head superintendent, noted a strong desire among many families to have their children back in the classroom when facilities reopen for students on Sept. 10 and 11. As was the case across the province, SD70’s schools closed during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic after the March break. Schools reopened as an option for parents later in the spring, but most families kept their children home to avoid contracting the incurable respiratory disease. The school district has stated that a hybrid classroom and home learning option like what was off ered in the spring will not be available this fall. “The response is not uniformly distributed throughout the district, but there is a clear, strong and consistent desire from parents to have their children return to their schools with their peers and classroom teachers this school year – even if it means waiting to see how the fi rst weeks go before sending their children to school,” wrote Smith. Submitted photo All schools are now required to maxiNot all parents are willing to risk coronavirus infection this fall, including Letitia Charleson, who is postponing college mise in-class instruction within guidestudies to educate two of her children at home. Pictured is Charleson with father Josh, Nuuchi Charleson, Maddexx George lines set by the B.C. Ministry of Health. and Malyla Charleson. Part of these guidelines will be “learning masks. in the spring, the need for daily connecrisk for my household. I feel like it’s groups” to limit the number of contacts Last school year 1,369 of SD70’s stutions with students became evident, as jumping a little bit too fast and I feel that students have during the day. For SD70’s dents identifi ed as Aboriginal, comprising many continued their schooling remotely. there should have been more smaller elementary children, individual classes 30 per cent of the student population. Ten “Back in the springtime a lot of NEWs steps.” will serve as the learning groups. Each Nuu-chah-nulth education workers are did a lot of cultural learning though other Adding to this concern is that Charlegroup of students will stay with each distributed throughout the school district, means,” said Samuel. “They created son’s daughter has asthma, and her oneother throughout the day, including durwho will be supporting these students videos, they created Powerpoints for the year-old son is a risk due to respiratory ing outdoor recess and lunch periods. navigate through the new COVID-19 students to interact that way to learn how issues. “Outside a learning group, approprimeasures. our people are traditionally. They were “Common colds drain into his respiraate physical distancing will remain the Richard Samuel, a cultural development very innovative during that time.” tory area as he’s been in the hospital in expectation,” wrote Smith. supervisor who manages the NEW workAlthough most of SD70’s students are his fi rst year, just needing extra oxygen to The arrangement is more complex for ers, said that the team is currently helping returning to full-time classes this Septemget to his heart,” she explained. high school students attending Alberni school principals connect with students to ber, some have chosen to study through The mother has had to adapt by stepDistrict Secondary or Ucluelet Secondinform them of what the next school year the school district’s online platform for ping away from studies she planned to ary. Morning classes will keep a learning will be like - even if families can’t be home studies, Distributed Learning, or begin this fall at North Island College, group together, covering two courses of reached by telephone. other remote learning options. Samuel instead serving as a full-time teacher for material over the fi rst eight weeks. But “They’re able to track them down said that the NEW workers will be her 11-year-old son and fi ve-year-old some mixing is expected in the afterthrough other means, like social media, supporting students who opt for home daughter. noons, as teenagers from diff erent learnFacebook messenger, or any other kind schooling by providing material each “I will just continue staying at home ing groups will be in the same classroom of means that they have,” he said. “They week and regularly checking in. focusing on our children’s education,” to study their elective options. This will have a personal connection with all of “The Nuu-chah-nulth education role said Charleson. “Each family and each require physical distancing and preventathese families.” primarily is for cultural learning opportuhousehold have diff erent priorities and tive requirements, such as wearing face Samuel noted that when studies resumed nities for students and teachers,” he said. diff erent choices.” “When it comes to academic support, For those parents who will be sending we’re looking at student achievement their children back on Sept. 10 and 11,

TSESHAHT MARKET where they work together with all school staff and work as a team to ensure the entry into schools will be discouraged to mitigate risk of infection inside the facili

GATEWAY TO THE PACIFIC RIM student is achieving well academically ties. The school district announced more through the school year.” eff orts to clean and disinfect facilities, Under normal circumstances two of although there will be no new roles to Letitia Charleson’s children would be check students or staff for symptoms of starting classes at Haahuupayak this coronavirus infection. month. But after the number of B.C.’s If a student displays possible symptoms, active cases rose from under 200 to SD70 guidelines state that the child must more than 1,300 over the last two and a be immediately separated from others, half months, the risk of infection is too given a mask and arranged to be taken great for Charleson’s family bear. As home. Each school will have a designed her daughter prepares to start Grade 1, isolation room for this purpose, but the Charleson is concerned with how quickly symptomatic child’s class will not be germs spread among young children. automatically quarantined. “With my middle child, my daughter, “Staff responsible for facility cleaning Hours of operation - 7:00 am - 10:30 pm as soon as she started going to daycare, as soon as she went back to school, little must clean and disinfect the space where the student was separated and any areas Phone: 724-3944 colds and fl u would come back into the used by them,” states the SD70 guideE-mail: claudine@tseshahtmarket.ca household,” said Charleson. “Putting on lines. Find us on Facebook top of that COVID-19, it’s just a huge

But ongoing concerns for the community are to retain teachers and be er engage families in formal education

By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Kyuquot, BC - As schools across the province of B.C. prepared to welcome students back for the new school year, administration staff scrambled to normalize their new social reality. In the wake of COVID-19, schools in B.C. are required to divide their students into learning groups of 60 people, including staff . Children will be segregated from their friends, unable to interact with students from another cohort. But in the small, coastal town of Kyuquot, this year will largely resemble years past. With only 44 students attending Kyuquot Elementary Secondary School (KESS), the remote institution is able to function as one learning group “Because we’re a small school I don’t think that there’s going to be a big impact on the kids educational experience,” said Martin Szetela, KESS principal. “In lots of ways, it’s going to be similar to what it was before COVID-19.” Building on the province’s $45.6-million investment to support a safe restart for B.C.’s schools, the federal government invested an additional $242.4-million. “This funding will allow schools to expand health and safety measures, purchase more personal protective equipment and increase capacity for remote learning,” said the B.C. Ministry of Education. Safety protocols will be implemented at KESS, such as prohibiting students from drinking straight from water fountains and physical contact is to be avoided, said Szetela. Following the Ministry of Education’s guidelines, schools will apply increased cleaning of high-contact surfaces like desks and chairs, along with additional hand hygiene. Students, staff and visitors will be required to clean their hands before boarding school buses, entering school buildings, before and after eating, using the washroom and using playground equipment. “I think a challenge for us is going to be how to balance making sure the students know this has to be taken very seriously,” said Szetela. “And yet, we don’t want to traumatize them.” Although the impact of COVID-19 may be less severe on the isolated school, there are other challenges it faces on an ongoing basis. When Daniel Blackstone moved his family from Nanaimo to Kyuquot three years ago, he struggled with the new learning environment his kids were placed in. “The quality of education took a steep dive from Nanaimo to Kyuquot,” said Blackstone, Ka:’yu:’k’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nation’s family support network coordinator. “The standard that our kids were accustomed to was much higher. They both had homework every day and they were both expected to turn things in every day from every class. When we got to Kyuquot, most kids couldn’t even hand in a paper with their name and a date on there.” In eff ort to try and change the school’s approach, Blackstone worked as a teacher’s assistant for two years. “My son wanted me to come and work there because he knows that I was a very strong disciplinarian,” he said. When he worked at the school, Blackthat we focused on behaviour and the kids really responded. Our kids have layered with a high turnover of teachers of the school’s fi ve teachers left mid-way with soap and water. Hand hygiene will

do want what’s best for our children,” she said. “Our children are our future.” As a way to create dialogue between parents and faculty, Joseph launched a Parent’s Advisory Committee last February. Its aim was to engage with parents, imploring them to explore the best ways to support their children in school. By fostering eff ective ways of communicating their children’s needs with school staff , it became a safe space to open up healthy dialogue, said Joseph. “The dynamics of living in such a small community can be challenging because everybody knows everybody,” she said. “I can understand those challenges. Having started the parent’s club, I’ve been wanting to build bridges.” While Blackstone feels satisfi ed that the school is doing their “due diligence” to keep students safe from COVID-19, he remains sceptical of the school’s educational standards. “Our kids should be able to transition out of this school into any other school in B.C. and fi t comfortably,” he said. “I can guarantee you right now that is not Photo by Melissa Renwick The principal emphasized that one of The remote village of Houpsitas sits on the western edge of Vancouver Island, on the school’s goals is to ensure the same August 14, 2020. academic level is upheld as elsewhere in stone aimed to address the behavioural said. the province. issues he noticed with the students. The Irene Joseph moved back to her tra“I can’t say if that’s the case yet,” said children would swear, walk out of class, ditional territory of Kyuquot from Port Szetela. “It’s certainly a goal of ours that show up late and crawl under their desk Alberni one year ago. The mother of we’re working on.” and go to sleep, he said. four wanted to expose her children to the There is no denying that the school’s “We were coaching parents about how place where she grew up. In the same remoteness present challenges. A day-trip to talk to their kids so that they unway she missed her family while living to a school in Campbell River becomes derstand and appreciate the value of a in Port Alberni, she sympathizes with an overnight endeavour for the students good education,” said Blackstone. “The the teachers who travel from all over the at KESS. It requires traveling on a water cultural legacy left from the residential province to teach at KESS. taxi, down logging roads and involves school era still persists. We still have the “We are very isolated,” said Joseph. staying overnight in hotels. stigma of what education means to First “You begin to miss your family – you “I don’t think we’re diff erent than many Nations people based on the residential begin to miss what was normal to you small communities that way,” added school experience.” before.” Szetela. “All students are in diff erent The school’s principal described the Although staff turnover can bring difareas on the continuum. I think that is students’ behaviour as “exemplary” after fi culties, Joseph credits those who are something many schools grapple with. the last two years of improvement. teaching in the community for their It is certainly something that we grapple “We’ve been really pleased in our kids’ dedication. with and it is certainly something that we growth in behaviour over the last two “My thoughts around the staff here is are working hard on.” years,” he said. “It was very intentional that they are really supportive and they made a huge progress.” The student’s behavioural challenges are Ditidaht Community and school staff . While it was an unprecedented year, two School returning to class through the semester last year, said JenniBy Denise Titian occur when students and staff transition fer Hanson, Ka:’yu:’k’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter from one space to the next. Hand sanitizFirst Nation director of education. ing stations have been set up throughout “I do think that remote schools certainly Malachan, BC – Students of Ditidaht the school. have some economic challenges,” said Community School (DCS) returned to Staff and students will be required to Szetela. “Even by retaining staff , attractclass for the fi rst time in several months stay home if they are ill. ing staff and keeping them. If people after the province went into a state of “We will close from 12:00 to 1:00 daily; don’t see themselves as being able to emergency in response to the Covid-19 we will disinfect while the kids are at move here, buy a house here and make pandemic. Children arrived 8 in the home having lunch,” said MacLennan. this their permanent home, they tend not morning of Sept. 8 for a half day of The school has purchased plastic chairs to stay that long.” classes. for ease of sanitization and will be closed It is a source of frustration for many According to principal Emily MacLenin the late afternoon for cleaning. community members and leaves the stunan, there are 46 DCS students attending “Our goal at Ditidaht Community dents wondering whether any teacher will classes from Kindergarten to Grade 12. School is to minimize transmission of truly stick it out. They will be returning to class full time COVID-19 and maintain a safe and “We’ve had a good string of high-qualibeginning Sept. 9. healthy school environment for students, ty teachers who really connected with the “We have implemented safety measures families, and staff ,” Principal MacLennan students,” said Szetela. “Unfortunately, it under the direction of the BC Centre wrote in an Aug. 19 letter to parents. really hurt the students when they knew for Disease Control, the BC Ministry of School staff took part in a two-day trainthese teachers were leaving.” Health and Worksafe BC,” said MacLening program before the school opened. It is for that very reason Szetela is enternan. In addition, families will be invited to a ing into his fourth consecutive year at the This means that teachers will maintain school picnic where they can learn about school. Because the principal heard the small class sizes while staff adhere to a the new safety protocols and have their teacher turnover was high, he promised regimen of frequent cleaning and disinquestions answered. one of his classes that he would stay until fecting. In addition, students and staff “Right now, I am feeling pretty conthey graduated. members will practice frequent hand fi dent about how the students will be “I’m trying to keep that promise,” he hygiene by using sanitizer or washing returning to school,” said MacLennan. possible.”

‘It’s part of my inspirational story,’ says hairstylist, who found the project helped her recovery from addiction

By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Nitinaht Lake, BC - A Ditidaht woman is fi lling a gap at Nitinaht Lake by opening the community’s only hair and nail salon. With help from the Ditidaht Development Corporation, Kelita Sieber was able to fulfi ll a dream of hers this July by owning and operating her own esthetics business - Sacred Cedars Salon. Sieber said the idea to open a salon began last year when a member of the Ditidaht Development Corporation approached her about possibly opening a hair studio after several tourists wanted to get a hair cut but had no where to go. “I thought about it over the winter and then I started the process in January and Ditidaht Development Corporation off ered to help me with buying all the equipment and setting me up in a spot,” Sieber said. “It’s in [the Nitinaht Lake Motel] but it’s the old laundromat that was no longer in use so we converted it into a small salon.” Sieber completed her education for hairdressing and esthetics back in 2009 and worked as a hairdresser until 2012. Since then, Sieber has moved back to Nitinaht Lake, where she was cutting hair out of her home to compliment her other jobs. “I’ve worked in a lot of diff erent jobs but I’ve always done hairdressing on the side,” Sieber said. “It wasn’t ideal to cut hair at home because the hair gets everywhere.” Working many jobs and having a busy lifestyle is important to Sieber and for her

Ditidaht woman Kelita Sieber stands proudly in front of her new salon that opened at Nitinaht Lake in July.

Submitted photo

recovery. “I’ve been a year and seven months clean and sober,” Sieber said. “Having all this is a lot of motivation to stay clean so that’s why I do a lot. It’s part of my inspirational story.” Opening a salon, especially in her community of Nitinaht, has been a dream of Sieber’s since hair school, but battling addiction for 11 years made it impossible. Now her community has embraced the new salon and staying busy has not been a problem for Sieber. “I will go above and beyond for my community,” Sieber said. “I end up going in anyway on my night off because someone kindly asks me.” In addition to haircuts and colouring, Sieber’s salon off ers acrylic nail extensions and manicures. Sacred Cedars Salon is open on Monday and Tuesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

and Saturday and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. Sieber said she has all the required safety measures for COVID-19 in place and off ers clients masks and hand sanitizer when they enter if they don’t have their own. “Our community is closed to tourists so [the salon] is just for community members right now,” she said.

As visitors fl ock to Tofi no, resources to protect Tla-o-qui-aht members from the coronavirus are running thin

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Tofi no, BC - In the fi nal weeks of another busy summer in Tofi no, the Tla-oqui-aht is urging more local businesses to partner with the First Nation to better protect its members from COVID-19. Despite measures to limit contact during the coronavirus pandemic, the streets of Tofi no are humming with visitors eager to enjoy the west coast destination. Long Beach has also been active with people from across Western Canada – with some venturing from Ontario, Quebec and even parts of the United States. Access to the nearby Tla-o-qui-aht communities of Esowista and Ty-Histanis have been restricted to residents, with gates manned by members performing health checks. “We’re confi rming where people have been for backward tracing if needed, but also mitigating the outside traffi c that comes into the community,” said Tla-oqui-aht Tribal Administrator Saya Masso. “That’s a really important tool for being able to open our homeland to share it to the million tourists that come each year.” Access to the First Nation’s communities by Long Beach has also been patrolled by Tribal Parks guardians, but this program ends in the fi rst week of September - with no funding in place to ensure entry points are watched in the fall. Managing back roads is also a concern, said Masso. “A lot of people have been using our back roads for camping and summer activities,” he said. “We need better resources for our guardian program to manage the back roads, to help clean up the back roads that people utilized when they’re seeking their personal space away from COVID.” The guardians have been paid through the Tribal Parks Allies program, which partners with local businesses to conBy Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor Port Renfrew, BC - The release of a review of old growth logging that the provincial government has been siting on since the spring is coming “later this summer or in the early fall,” according to Minister of Forests Doug Donaldson. Recommendations from a pair of forestry experts were submitted to the ministry April 30, after more than half a year of consultations with First Nations as well as communities that are still reliant on B.C.’s forest industry. Since then the province has been weighing community employment against the need to protect trees that have stood since before the advent of industrial logging on B.C.’s coast in the 1800s. “The release of the report will lay out a plan for the future, but implementation of the report will require governmentto-government engagement with First Nations, and include discussions with the environmental community, workers, industry and communities,” said Donaldson in a statement sent to Ha-Shilth-Sa. “By working together we can and will fi nd a path forward to better manage for our old growth forests.” Among the groups consulted for the report was the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, which has publicly spoken against the harvesting of monumental cedar trees due to their cultural signifi cance to coastal First Nations. Some are currently concerned for old growth cedar trees that remain in the Fairy Creek watershed, considered to be one of Vancouver Island’s few valleys that has not been logged. “I am against logging of the Fairy Lake watershed altogether because it’s used as spiritual purposes by our former elders,” said Pacheedaht elder Bill Jones. “The ecology there is really quite rare.” “The last of the trout streams are in the Fairy Lake watershed,” he continued. “The rainbow trout are way up near the top in the pools of the watershed. It’s quite awesome to experience that.” Over the last month three blockades have been erected to prevent forestry access into the watershed, which is part of Tree Farm Licence 46, a section of Crown land held by the Teal Jones Group. On Aug. 24 one of volunteers manning a blockade on the north side of Edinburgh Mountain noted that the opposition is working. “At around 6 a.m. we turned around a work crew heading up,” wrote the volunteer. “We had no contact with them as they turned around right when they saw us about 15 feet from the blockade. We heard them on the radio, however, announcing to Teal Jones offi ce that they

Photo by Melissa Renwick Carol Curley, 18, is one of four youth guardians who are patrolling Long Beach in front of Esowista to keep her community of Tla-o-qui-aht safe. tribute one per cent of sales for “the needs.” ecological protection and restoration of Other needs include building isolation the Tribal Parks ancestral gardens and the units, which would be temporary living resurgence of Tla-o-qui-aht culture and quarters where confi rmed cases or those governance,” according to the program’s who could have been exposed can safety website. quarantine for 14 days. Another goal of “It comes from the client, not from the the program is to expand the Tofi no hosbusiness operator,” clarifi es Masso. “If pital beyond its existing 10 beds, thereby it’s a $100 hotel room, we ask that it bringing back a maternity ward that was voluntarily be charged at $101.” eliminated over a decade ago. After over a year and a half of develop“We would like to bear children in ment with local businesses, 37 operators our own homeland again,” said Masso, are Tribal Parks Allies, one of the most whose three children were born in Port recent being Hotel Zed, which opened its Alberni. Tofi no location in August. But with over Laura McDonald, president of the 300 businesses listed with the Tofi noTofi no-Long Beach Chamber of ComLong Beach Chamber of Commerce, merce, said that the business group has current participation in the allies program worked with the Tla-o-qui-aht to develop isn’t enough to protect Tla-o-qui-aht the Tribal Parks Allies program since communities from coronavirus infection 2018. as visitors continue to fl ock to Vancouver “Since then, a chamber representative Island’s west coast, said Masso. has sat on the task force that is work“It may provide certainty for only a ing on community implementation of week or so, but not enough to deal with the program,” she explained. “It is the the larger issues and the fact that we want chamber’s hope that the work continues to reopen our territory in March, next at that table.” year, and there still will be a shortage of The neighbouring Ahousaht and hospital beds,” he said. “There’s a $350 Hesquiaht First Nations have kept their million-dollar economy leaving our terterritories closed over the course of the ritory. If through voluntary fees we get pandemic. But with many of its members something like $2-3 million annually, employed in tourism-reliant businesses we would be able to address all of our and the ownership of the Best Western

Tin Wis hotel, The Tla-o-qui-aht opted to cautiously welcome visitors back to its territory in June. “For some of our member businesses, this summer has been busier than anticipated,” said McDonald, adding that this high demand has been managed with less staff and increased operational costs. “For others circumstances surrounding COVID-19 have meant their business is operating at a signifi cantly reduced capacity and with additional costs, so it has not been as good.” In retrospect, Masso believes that the situation could have unfolded more favourably if widespread participation in the Tribal Parks Allies program was a condition. “We need to build back better,” he said. “If we’re talking about after four months reopening again, they should have said ‘Let’s reopen with this one per cent fee’.” In June the provincial government announced Phase 3 of its plan to recover B.C.’s economy, which included reopening hotels and resuming fi lm productions. But over the summer months infections steadily rose to over 1,100 by the end of August. “After many months of restrictions, we all felt the need to reconnect with our family and friends this summer, but now we must slow down on our social interactions and prepare for the respiratory season ahead,” cautioned Minister of Health Adrian Dix, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health offi cer, in a joint statement issued Aug. 31. “We need everyone to pay attention and step back from the social interactions we have had this summer, so when the cooler weather and respiratory season arrives, we are ready for the challenge.” “I’m trying to avoid a situation where our members feel so unsafe that they want tourism to take a hiatus while we let the [pandemic] clear through the area,”

Old growth review coming in weeks, says minister

said Masso.

Photo by Eric Plummer A massive yellow cedar can be found uphill from the Granite Main logging road that leads into the Fairy Creek valley, one the few watersheds on Vancouver Island that has not seen forestry activity. were not going to work as ‘protesters had cubic metres per year is quite defensible moved from Reid Creek to Truck Road based on the information presented is this 11’.” document,” states the management plan. Yet thousands relay on employment Donaldson contends that a balance can from a coastal forest industry that is be attained through the right approach. still counts on harvesting old growth to “Our government is committed to remain economical. The TFL 46 manprotecting old growth and biodiversity agement plan states that the majority of while supporting workers and communitimber harvested annually in the area can ties,” he said. “When it comes to this sustainably be old growth for the next work, there have been some strides over few decades – as long as 180,000 cubic the past 30 years, but our government metres is second growth. wants a comprehensive science-based “An [annual allowable cut] of 370,000 approach.”