Ha Shilth Sa Newspaper September 21, 2023

Taking reins on education: 50 years since AIRS closes

Residential school shut down after National Indian Brotherhood called for ‘Indian Control of Indian Education’

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

PortAlberni, BC - It was onAug. 31, 1973 when theAlberni Indian Residential School (AIRS), on Tseshaht’s main reserve, closed its doors for good.

Charlie Thompson, a survivor ofAIRS, recalls when the West Coast District Council of Indian Chiefs began to discuss the closure of the school in 1972. Thompson was working as a band manager for Ditidaht and attended meetings with his father, Webster Thompson, who was the First Nation’s elected chief councillor at that time.

“The discussions around shutting it down was music to my ears,” said Thompson, who had two children who were getting to the age when they would have gone to the school.

Taking the reins on education

Thompson said that the publication of a paper by the National Indian Brotherhood, now known as theAssembly of First Nations, called, “Indian Control of Indian Education”, was what started the conversation of theAIRS closure.

Because of this paper, said Thompson, chiefs across Canada began to talk about how to take on the responsibility of educating their children.

According to a report by the Canadian Senate in 2011, the publication was to counter the White Paper, also known as the Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian Policy of 1969. The White Paper proposed that the education of First Nations children be the responsibility of the provincial government.

“The chiefs of the West Coast District Council got together and they started talking about what that’s going to look like, [and] what we could do as leaders of our communities to take over the education of our children,” said Thompson. “The obvious blockage was Indian residential schools.”

Thompson said that throughout discussions of the West Coast District Council there was no doubt in their minds that they had to take on the responsibility of their children’s education.

He also noted that briefly, the West Coast District Council discussed taking over the running of the school, which was ultimately rejected.

The historic meeting that closedAIRS

George Watts, Simon Lucas, and Nelson Keitlah were tasked with negotiating with the Department of IndianAffairs in Vancouver, said Thompson.

According to a press release from

On Sept. 30 the legacy of residential schools will be

ciliation. Pictured are Tseshaht members holding an event in 2022 at the formerAlberni Indian Residential

Tseshaht First Nation, a letter was sent from the West Coast District Council to the Department of IndianAffairs on July 3, 1973 which proposed the closure of the school. This letter, signed by George Watts, led to a meeting in Vancouver.

Ken Watts, current elected chief councilor of Tseshaht, sees this meeting as one of the “historic” events that the West Coast District Council did in their early years.

Watts, son of late-George Watts, shared that when they went to Vancouver, the regional director said, “What do you want George? What can I do for you?”.

“My dad said, ‘We want the residential school closed’, and my dad said, ‘Tomorrow’,” shared Watts.

“It’s one of those things that ended something; ended something pretty substantial, and it should never be forgotten,” said Watts.

“They came back to the tribal council meeting and said, ‘Okay, we’re on course to shut this place down, it’s going to shut down, we’ve got the big shot in Vancouver on [our] side,” said Thompson.

According to The Children Remembered, until 1920 the school’s main attendance were children of Tseshaht and Hupačasath. By the 1940s enrollment

site. grew from the Vancouver Island region to students from First Nations throughout the province.

Lucas and Keitlah were then tasked, by the chiefs, to go to each home village of the students in attendance at the school to inform their parents of the plans for the coming year, said Thompson.

Opposition and moving forward Thompson shared that when the chiefs brought up the closure ofAIRS and Christie Residential School from the West Coast District Council to their communities, they were met with some opposition, though the majority agreed.

Thompson believes that people thought, “Our kids are going to get educated, it’s a good thing to know the white man’s ways”.

“But in the end, that really didn’t happen,” he said. “Some went as far as to graduate, but that was rare. Most of us never finished school.”

Thompson also said that families faced the threats of fines and imprisonment.

“Our grandparents were scared,” said Thompson. “I think they gave into the government by sending their kids to the schools.”

For Ditidaht, when the school closed,

they built a small school on their home reserve for children up to Grade 6, said Thompson. The older children were then bussed each day to PortAlberni; the band soon took over transportation from the school district after buying a school bus. “Other people started doing the same thing,” said Thompson.

Former school buildings, reclaiming a place to heal

Over the decades sinceAIRS closed some of the former buildings had been demolished, though two of those structures remain; one is utilized by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, formerly known as Caldwell Hall, and the other is Maht Mah’s gymnasium where community events and meetings are held.

In 2007, over thirty years after the closure ofAIRS, Tseshaht’s administration office moved from Peake Hall, a former AIRS dormitory, to their new building located along the Somass River, according to a Ha-Shilth-Sa article.

Later, a ceremonial demolition of Peake Hall was held for survivors as the building was torn down, with smudging and blanketing done in Tseshaht’s longhouse.

Continued on page 3.

Alexandra Mehl Photo

recognized across Canada with the National Day for Truth and Recon-

School

Bamfield Main chip sealing nears completion

Upgrade nearly complete to 77-kilometre industrial road, the final kilometres are sealed south of Port Alberni

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Bamfield, BC –As cool fall temperatures set in, residents ofAnacla and Bamfield are seeing their notoriously dusty, bumpy, and dangerous access road improve as crews near the end of the final segment of chip sealing just outside of PortAlberni.

Bamfield Main is a 77-kilometre industrial road, mostly located on the traditional territory of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations, that acts as a link between the communities ofAnacla, Bamfield, and PortAlberni.

The rough, gravel road has claimed many lives over the years, including Huu-ayaht’s Tyee Ha’wilthArt Peters several years ago. But it was an accident involving a bus carrying university students, where two of them tragically died, that drew the province to Huu-ay-aht leadership to work on solutions.

In September 2020 Huu-ay-aht First Nations and the Province of B.C. announced they would work together to make significant safety improvements to the 76-kilometre logging road. The province committed $25.7 million and Huu-ayaht First Nation contributed $5 million to improve the road. Cost have since exceeded this, with Huu-ay-aht covering the excess, according to their agreement with the province.

The road is managed by two logging companies. Western Forest Products oversees about 60 kilometres while Mosaic operates about 18 kilometres. Over several months this year the road was prepared to be resurfaced by chip seal, which is not as durable but is far less expensive than asphalt paving.

Chip sealing involves layering hot, liquid asphalt with a fine layer of aggregate. It is suitable for low traffic roadways while asphalt is better suited to high traffic areas. The lifespan for chip seal is about seven years compared to about 20 for asphalt. The cost of chip seal resurfacing is about a quarter that of asphalt paving.

By September 9, kilometres 32 to 76 on theAnacla/Bamfield end was completely chip sealed.

Grading, preparation, and chip sealing for the remainder of the Bamfield road on the PortAlberni end has continued throughout the month of September. Travellers on the route have faced short waits with

When the final layer of chip seal is applied, the new surface needs to cured then it must be swept.

Motorists are reminded that there will be short delays, with single-lane alternating traffic guided by a pilot vehicle for the remainder of the project. Drivers are reminded to follow the posted speed limits

when driving on the new chip seal.

By Sept. 11 half of Bamfield Main was chip sealed, although traffic was stopped at certain sections to allow work to continue. single-lane alternating traffic involving pilot trucks at active construction zones. By late September, Bamfield locals posted on social media that most of the chip seal is complete with just a few kilometers…some say about 15 and some say less than five kilometres, to reach the paved road in PortAlberni.

“The road surface will be dusty and slippery if sweeping is underway or has not been completed. Please avoid slow, sharp turns on the seal coat while it continues to set up,” warns Huu-ay-aht First Nation.

“Please use four-wheel drive, as well, especially on the hills. These are necessary to ensure a safe work site and not cause damage to the road or vehicles.”

Huu-ay-aht invites people to join them in celebration of the project completion at the House of Huu-ay-aht inAnacla on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, starting at noon.

Eric Plummer photo

Calls for all-government approach to climate crisis

A

recent report

highlights climate equity, traditional knowledge and First Nations’ relationship to the land

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On Sept. 13, Deloitte Canada released a report highlighting the significance of climate equity when considering responses to the adverse impacts of environmental events on Indigenous communities.

For Jason Rasevych of Ginoogaming First Nation, who is the national leader of Indigenous Client Services for Deloitte Canada, the disruptions of climate change for First Nations communities are significant due to “reliance on the land,” making them “more vulnerable to those disruptions.”

Rasevych shares that some of the primary climate change impacts that Indigenous people have faced are related to disruptions in “food security, access to sacred plants and traditional medicines, traditional gatherings that are on the land, safe housing.”

He also noted that the cultural livelihood of communities “is pursued through exercising inherent rights and treaty rights, and also just the generational transfer of Indigenous knowledge from elders and from ancestors down through generational cycles.”

“There’s been a long history for Indigenous people to be sustainable; to have sustainable coexistence due to the knowledge systems and due to Indigenous peoples’roles, and protecting concepts like biodiversity since millennia,” said Rasevych.

“When it comes down to that service that Indigenous peoples are providing to society [and] that the land provides, that often goes unnoticed and also it goes un-

accounted for on the balance sheet when it comes to environmental accounting,” he added.

The report makes recommendations to include a whole-of-government approach with “clear and ambitious” climate equity objectives when approaching solutions that prioritize racialized and low-income communities. It includes the recognition of First Nation, Métis, and Indigenous leadership structures as leading partners, recognizing Indigenous-led environmental assessment, and for each level of government to establish reliable climate equity funding.

“The message around the ‘whole-ofgovernment response is needed’is meant to make the recommendation to government that the siloes need to be removed

and also that this is not a partisan issue, that we need to maintain consistency amongst messaging across the provinces and jurisdiction,” said Rasevych. “As the impacts of climate change grows, there needs to be more departments, ministries, agencies; the administrative bodies, they need to be working together on planning to mitigate this so that it becomes more of a clearer responsibility across government rather than having one specific department that’s tasked with that.”

Rasevych shared that historically, Indigenous perspectives, voices, and knowledge were not commonly prioritized when considering climate change.

“For climate change solutions to work and achieve positive outcomes, they need to explicitly include a holistic approach and focus on the wellbeing of people in their communities,” he said.

In June B.C.’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change launched their first NationalAdaptation Strategy to help reduce the impacts of climaterelated disasters. The strategy aims to improve people’s wellbeing, protect and restore nature and biodiversity, build and maintain infrastructure, and support the economy.

Originally released in 2022, the strategy was open for final comment among territories, provinces, and Indigenous organizations for review.

Similar to the recommendations in Deloitte’s report, most feedback provided was on “how governments could work together to achieve goals and measure progress,” reads a press release. “Notably, feedback allowed for even deeper recognition of the lived realities

and climate change impacts in communities across the country, including Indigenous communities and the North,” it continued.

For TysonAtleo, hereditary representative ofAhousaht First Nation and Climate Program director for Nature United, Crown-government models of resource management are not “well aligned with long-term climate outcomes.”

“What we need to do is draw on other systems of knowledge that are deeply rooted in ecology… to inform new policies for relating to our natural ecosystems,” saidAtleo.

“We know that historically… our cultures in terms of governance and law were very effective at maintaining respectful protocols between our human societies and natural ecosystems,” said Atleo. “Our way of relating to the natural environment was one based on a foundation of reciprocity, care, respect, [and] shared learning.”

Atleo reflects that forAhousaht a true solution to climate change is to integrate traditional knowledge in the context of resource management.

“It would allow us to manage our resources in a way that would continue to sequester carbon and manage resources and develop communities in a way that are climate resilient, because our traditions and our cultures were climate resilient,” saidAtleo.

“Indigenous peoples are climate leaders,” continuedAtleo. “We need to support and enable their leadership in the mitigation and adaptation efforts related to addressing the climate crisis.”

Continued from page 1.

“Imagine how difficult it was for some of our members to have to enter that building to work or for support services,” said Les Sam, Tseshaht’s former elected chief councilor, in a 2007 issue of HaShilth-Sa. “When the worst experiences of their lives, when they were just children, happened in that very building.”

The Hall was replaced with a basketball court, said Watts. He reflected on survivors who spoke about “how great it was to see kids happy there, [in] a place that wasn’t so happy for them.”

For Tseshaht, the closure ofAIRS and the work of continuing to reclaim where the school stood is “helping create a safer space in our community,” shared Watts.

“It’s helping people’s willingness to come back because those buildings represent a dark history,” he said. “It’s an open wound for many who aren’t willing to cross the bridge.”

“That’s why we painted ‘Every Child Matters’on the bridge,” Watts added.

Watts shared that for years he has been working with Canada to tear down Caldwell Hall, and they have made a commitment in writing.

“Our hope is that when we remove those [buildings] it’ll help create a new history there,” said Watts. “Reclaiming the space as ours because it’s our territory.”

Following phase one of Tseshaht’s LiDar scanning and investigation, where they found at least 67 children died at the school, Tseshaht announced 26 Calls for Truth and Justice. One of these calls is under Canada’s Residential School Infrastructure Fund.

Included in this call is for Canada to

fund the deconstruction of Caldwell Hall and an event, as well as supporting the construction of a community center with facilities in formerAIRS buildings, such as a gymnasium, fitness gym, commercial kitchen, and office spaces. The call also mentions funding the deconstruction of the gymnasium if Tseshaht chooses to do so, reads the statement.

Watts said that in the coming months the Tseshaht community will be gathering to decide how they would like to move forward with the gymnasium, known as Maht Mah’s.

“I sure realize how important our people

gathering here, on our territory, in a place where we have such an open wound, is important to all Nuu-chah-nulth and all survivors,” said Watts. “That building needs to be… a place of healing, not just for meetings or cultural events, but for sports, for simple gathering.”

Only fifty years ago

“To me 50 years… doesn’t seem a long time ago,” said Thompson. “In the end it’s a blessing because of the hard work of those people who made it happen.”

Thompson shared that he is thankful for the chiefs of the West Coast District

Council who in 1972, decided to take on the responsibility of their children’s education and close the school.

“They did the right thing to close it down rather than continue to allow Indian Affairs to run our lives as kids,” said Thompson, reflecting on the hard work to close the residential school. “I have a small part in it, makes me feel great.”

“We didn’t ask for it, but we have to live with it,” said Watts. “And now we have to try to help fix those wrongs made by others so that we can create a better community for everybody.”

‘We didn’t ask for it, but we have to live with it’: Wa s

Jason Rasevych

Eric Plummer photo

Charlie Thompson, a member of the Ditidaht First Nation and former student of theAlberni Indian Residential School, speaks alongside Ha’wiih at a gathering on the former school site.

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Youth outreach centre opens in DTES

Half of Vancouver’s homeless lives in Downtown Eastside, says municipal study

By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Vancouver, BC - The first Youth Outreach Centre has launched in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) for young people struggling with homelessness, as well as mental and physical-health challenges.

The new centre, operated by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and located at 786 Powell St., will save lives by connecting young people from age 15 to 24 to crucial mental-health and substance-use supports, states the province.

According to a news release from the Ministry of Mental Health andAddictions, approximately 75 per cent of serious mental-health issues emerge before the age of 25.

In addition to the centre, the province is expanding the multi-disciplinary outreach team from two workers to eight, including mental-health and substance-use nurses, youth care workers, an Indigenous peer advocate and social workers.

“Young people have faced significant challenges over the last few years and their well-being continues to be our top priority,” said Jennifer Whiteside, minister of Mental Health andAddictions, in the news release. “The Downtown Eastside Youth Outreach Centre, which is the first of its kind, will help connect young people to the supports they need and deserve on their journey to wellness, as our government continues to build a system of mental-health and addictions care from the ground up.”

Data from the 2020 Homelessness and Supportive Housing Strategy by the City of Vancouver shows that 2,095 individuals identify as homeless in the metropolitan arear—547 of whom are unsheltered and 1,548 sheltered. Of the unsheltered individuals, 52 per cent of them marked the DTES as where they reside.

Nine per cent of the more than 2,000 individuals who identify as homeless are youth (under age 25) and 36 per cent said they are, or were, in the care of the Ministry as a child or youth. Forty-eight per cent of respondents first experienced homelessness under the age of 25.

The report states people who are homeless consistently experience a range of health issues including addiction (60 per cent) and mental health issues (45 per

cent).

The report also shows that Indigenous people are over-represented among homeless in Vancouver at 39 per cent, whereas Indigenous people make up two per cent of the general population. It’s similar in theAlberni Valley. In the 2021 PortAlberni homeless count, 65 per cent of individuals identified as Indigenous, up from 48 per cent in 2018. That is compared to 17 per cent of the city’s general population who identify as Indigenous.

To help create a culturally safe space at the new DTES Youth Outreach Centre, VCH collaborated with three Coast Salish artists, including a young painter who created murals that adorn the walls. “Meeting this population where they are is fundamental to the work we’re doing,” said Emily Giguere, VCH clinical planner for Youth Substance Use Services, in a press release. “They are sometimes difficult to find. They may not have a fixed address or phone number and they are often distrustful of the health-care system. It’s the best way to connect them to the care they need, where and when they need it. However, the goal has always been to have a home base: a safe, welcoming hub where the team works from and where clients can easily find them.”

The team heads out to the streets of Vancouver to meet vulnerable youth to build a rapport and connect them to

mental-health, addictions and health-care services. These teams also distribute harm-reduction supplies, such as naloxone, as well as basic necessities like sleeping bags, socks, food and drinks.

Last year the Province of B.C. enhanced mental-health and substance-use services for young people across B.C. The province has added 33 new and expanded substance-use programs, supported by approximately 130 new health-care workers, specifically for young people.

In theAlberni Valley, The Youth Short TermAssessment and Response Team (YSTAR) was highlighted as a new service funded by the province to seek out and help youth before substance issues escalate. YSTAR teams are based in Campbell River, Nanaimo, PortAlberni, the Cowichan Valley and Mount Waddington.

“The creation of YSTAR teams across six communities on Vancouver Island is significantly increasing connection, supports and service access for highly vulnerable children and youth experiencing severe mental-health challenges and are using harmful substances,” said Tenille Lindsay, member of the Port Alberni YSTAR team. “As a former emergency department nurse, I know the value of quickly and effectively connecting youth and, where appropriate, their support persons with community-based services and supports.”

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Sixty per cent of the Downtown Eastside’s unsheltered population deals with addiction issues, according to a report. Pictured is Hastings Street in 2020.

Policy amendment bans drug use from playgrounds

Skate parks and spray parks are now also drug free, as governments heed a call from police for public safety

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

PortAlberni, BC - In a move to “ensure families feel safe” in public spaces, British Columbia is making an amendment to its decriminalization policy by prohibiting illicit drug use near playgrounds and skate parks.

As of Monday, Sept. 18, illegal drugs are banned within 15 metres of a playground, spray park, wading pool or skate park, according to an announcement from B.C.’s Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions.

“We requested this amendment from Health Canada to ensure that families feel safe in their community while continuing to use every tool available to fight the toxic drug crisis and save lives,” said Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.’s minister of Mental Health andAddictions, in a press release.

The amendment comes amidst a threeyear decriminalization term in B.C., an exemption to the federal Controlled Drugs and SubstancesAct that came into effect Jan. 31. This exemption means that adults carrying up to 2.5 grams of certain illicit drugs will not face criminal charges or arrest. The decriminalization applies to opioids like heroin, as well as cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA(ecstasy).

As B.C. continues to lead Canada’s provinces with the highest rate of fatal overdoses, the move to decriminalization aims to divert people away from the criminal justice system and towards the supports they need for health, while encouraging drug users to not hide their addiction and use alone.

When the exemption was announced in January, the federal and provincial governments pledged to ensure that “desired outcomes of decriminalization are met and there are no unintended consequences.”

When the Health Canada exemption was announced in January illicit drug use had already been prohibited at B.C.’s elementary and secondary schools, as well as daycares. But since then the BCAssociation of Chiefs of Police has pushed for more areas where drug use is not allowed. “There is clear need to ensure everyone feels safe in public places, while also ensuring people who use drugs are provided with alternate pathways of care,” stated the association’s Vice-President Fiona Wilson.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying societal restrictions, health authorities have struggled to mitigate the deadly effects

of an increasingly toxic and unpredictable supply of street drugs. By the spring of 2020 visits to the province’s supervised consumption sites dropped to nearly 20,000 from the over 60,000 visits tracked in January of that year.

Usage at supervised sites has since recovered, reaching 67,641 visits in June of this year, but fatalities have not, as B.C. now sees nearly 6.5 deaths a day attributed to illicit drug use. The first seven months of this year have proven to be the most deadly yet, with at least 1,455 drugrelated fatalities across the province.

First Nations people have been affected at a rate more than five times that of the rest of B.C.’s population, according to 2022 data from the First Nations Health Authority.

OnAug. 31, which was International OverdoseAwareness Day, butterflies were released at the Usma Nuu-chahnulth Family and Child Services building in PortAlberni in recognition of loved ones lost to the crisis.

“It’s affected every single Nuu-chahnulth person,” said Jaimey Richmond, a youth harm reduction outreach worker with Usma. “It’s an everyday occurrence, whether it’s a friend or a family member.”

InApril 2022, six years after the opioid crisis was declared a public health emergency in B.C., the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal

Council called for an around-the-clock “rapid access addiction clinic” and certified detox centre.

“We say ‘No more deaths’– we must fix this problem now!” stated NTC President Judith Sayers at the time. “We can’t keep saying this is a crisis, an emergency, if we haven’t taken drastic steps to prevent more deaths. The time to act is now –let’s act together to save lives.”

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns has called PortAlberni “ground zero” of B.C.’s opioid crisis – a small city that has the province’s largest number of Nuuchah-nulth residents. Johns reported that last year PortAlberni saw an overdose fatality rate that was double of what occurred across the Island Health region.

“Between the ages of 19 and 44, we’re almost five times the provincial average of toxic drug deaths - in the worst province for toxic drug deaths per capita in the country,” he said. “In PortAlberni there’s no detox. You have to go to Nanaimo to get detox, and then you have to wait, and then there’s a massive gap between detox and treatment. More often than not, treatment is in Maple Ridge.”

Johns made those comments in early July, when Carolyn Bennett, Canada’s former minster of Mental Health andAddictions, came to see the Walyaqil Tiny Shelter Village on FourthAvenue in Port

Alberni. Expected to open this summer, this collection of small living units in PortAlberni’s poorest neighbourhood is being run by the local friendship centre, offering 24-7 staff who can support illicit drug users.

At the time Bennett praised the new site, while commenting that there are more effective approaches than drug treatment facilities.

“Quite often, the 28-day program hasn’t worked. People need longer programs,” she said. “We are building the kinds of puzzle pieces that fit in so that every jurisdiction can do what they know they need to do.”

While decriminalization aims to reduce the stigma of using illicit drugs, Ya’ara Saks, Canada’s current minister of Mental Health andAddictions, noted the careful balance needed to prevent unintended consequences in communities.

“This cannot be forgotten as we continue to work relentlessly to reduce substance-use-related harms,” she stated in a release. “This amendment ensures that law enforcement has the tools needed to address public drug-use concerns, while continuing to provide support for some of the most vulnerable people in our community who use drugs.”

Denise Titian photo

Leon Titian (right) stands with others behind the Safe Injection Site facility in PortAlberni inApril 2022.

Tofino’s drought dries reservoir to urgent level

Businesses are adapting to water conservation efforts, as district replaces public washrooms with outdoor stalls

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tofino, BC - It’s not uncommon for Tofino to go into water restrictions throughout the summer months given dryer weather conditions and an increase in visitor traffic. Kat Thomas, a counsellor for the District of Tofino, said that stage one is usually implemented at the beginning of each summer, though, this year is the earliest that she recalls going into stage three water restrictions.

In early July all outdoor water use became prohibited among residents, business owners and visitors with most public washrooms being replaced with portable stalls.

On Sept. 1 the District of Tofino released a call for urgent water conservation, outlining recommendations for short term-rentals, resorts, food and beverage services, tour providers, retailers and residents in an effort to have reservoirs outlast the drought.

The notice provides recommendations to each sector to decrease water usage, such as shutting off access to outdoor showers, selling or providing bottled water, as well as removing unnecessary linens and extra towels.

Despite a decrease in visitor traffic due to the Highway 4 closure, June’s water consumption only went down by 4.2 per cent compared to June a year earlier, reads a water conservation notice from early July.

Due to low creek flows on Meares Island, where Tofino sources their water, the reservoirs have reached their lowest level so far this year. Tofino’s particularly dry season saw 75 per cent less rainfall than an average summer, reads an urgent water conservation notice from Sept. 1.

“In addition to not seeing the little bit of rain that we normally do, we didn’t get the same level of fog,” said Thomas. “I think it’s less the volume of the rain, but [we] just need some sustained rainfall.”

The District of Tofino has been monitoring water usage every day and sharing it with the community, said Thomas.

“We were sharing that information with the community to kind of encourage people and show them that we were all in this together,” she said. “Everybody was doing such an incredible job of it.”

In early September, staff from the District of Tofino were able to redirect some of the water from higher performing areas to sites with lower levels, said Thomas.

Astudy by McElhanney Ltd, which will help inform a report set to be released by the end of this year, will include detailed solutions to Tofino’s water system, helping to plan management for the next couple of decades, she added.

Maquinna, Lewis George,Ahousaht Tyee Ha’wilth, owns the House of Himwitsa NativeArt Gallery & Gifts, House of Himwitsa Lodge and a smoked fish business in Tofino. He said the drought and water conservation efforts have had a “tremendous impact” on his business and day-to-day life.

“Our guests have been really good,” said Maquinna, who has five rooms at the House of Himwitsa Lodge. “We’ve been telling them that [we] really got to watch out for our water.”

In the last couple years Maquinna removed four hot tubs from his guest house foreseeing the impacts of water shortages in the summer. Now, Maquinna has a 500-gallon tank to collect rain from

the roof which he uses to water the plants outside his business, and when needed, power washing. He plans to add another 500-gallon tank to collect rainwater.

“People should be gathering rain and using rainwater to clean whatever it is that they’re having to clean,” said Maquinna.

“This is the worst so far that we’ve seen,” he added. “Last year was bad too but we scraped by it.”

Similarly, Tla-o-qui-aht TribalAdministrator Jim Chisholm said that this year was a “more extreme summer” and is hoping for a wet winter and spring so that next tourist season bounces back.

“Usually in the summertime we get a lot of rain as well, it’s just not happening anymore,” said Maquinna.

Melissa Renwick photo

Like other business operators Lewis and Cathy George, owners of the House of Himwitsa, have been forced to adapt to Tofino’s summertime water shortage. In recent years they removed four hot tubs from their lodge, and now collect rain with a 500-gallon tank for the business’outdoor use.

With water restrictions and lack of parking, can Tofino sustain tourism?

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Tofino, BC – The town of Tofino has survived the tourist season that didn’t quite materialize in the summer of 2023, thanks to the Cameron Bluffs wildfire.

The fire itself closed Highway 4 for several weeks, starting June 6. For the rest of the summer the highway was either closed completely or open to single-lane alternating traffic as fire damage was repaired. The uncertainty of road openings drove tourists away from the west coast.

But even with the full re-opening of Highway 4 on September 1, Tofino tourism operators and locals are facing other concerns.Although Vancouver Island’s west coast communities saw up to 80 percent fewer visitors in the summer 2023, parking for local offshore residents and tourists was still scarce, and so was fresh water.

In an interview withAhousaht Tyee Ha’wilth Maquinna, Lewis George, he noted that summer water shortages were still a concern for his guests even with the slow season. Maquinna owns the House of Himwitsa Lodge, offering five rooms.

“The first thing they want to do after a long trip is shower,” Maquinna told HaShilth-Sa about his guests.

The District of Tofino stated on their website that historic and prolonged drought has had a significant impact on water levels in their reservoir.

“This week (Sept. 1, 2023) Tofino’s reservoirs reached the lowest levels of 2023,” they stated.

Tofino’s water is collected from creeks on Meares Island, in Tla-o-qui-aht tribal parks territory. In a normal year Tofino receives 424 millimetres of rain from May to September. But in 2023 Tofino saw less than 100 millimetres over the same time period.

Summers have been getting hotter and drier, even in coastal communities like Tofino, so much so that the Coastal Fire Centre issued an extended ban on campfires on July 7. The campfire ban for all Vancouver Island remains in effect.

Anticipating the lack of rain, the District of Tofino launched a water conservation challenge on June 1, encouraging residents to decrease consumption by 20 per cent. But even with early conservation efforts, the District of Tofino Stage 3 water restrictions by July 10.An urgent message was issued by the district on July 14, asking that the community and businesses to immediately reduce water consumption by 20 per cent.

Ha-Shilth-Sa reached out to the district as well as local and offshore First Nations to ask how they plan to manage water and parking with increasing pressure on Tofino’s infrastructure. The District of Tofino was the only one to respond.

“District staff and council are actively working together withAhousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht leadership to identify shortterm and long-term solutions for current parking challenges,” they wrote in an email.

They went on to say that a technical working group has been established to develop solutions for Tofino’s limited parking situation and the challenges offshore drivers face.

Tofino offers free downtown and beach parking passes to residents of Tla-o-quiaht, Hesquiaht andAhousaht communities. In addition, they are working with Tla-o-qui-aht to extend Tofino’s seasonal free shuttle bus to Ty-Histanis and Esowista to help meet their communities’ needs.

When it comes to water, the District of Tofino says a roundtable will be established comprised of representatives from business and resident sectors. The purpose of the roundtable will be to provide recommendations to Tofino Council on water-related maters to inform amendments to the district’s Water Conservation Bylaw.

Tofino has made infrastructure upgrades to its reservoirs, which were installed in September 2023 to increase reservoir resiliency in the face of extended drought.

The district gave away water aerators to residents in 2023 to reduce consumption.

They are looking at incentives to encourage residents to collect rain and to use recycled water for things like gardening.

Stage three restrictions in Tofino means a ban on the use of water outdoors for things like outdoor showers, washing or rinsing cars, boats, bicycles and windows. No filling or topping up hot tubs and pools is permitted, no watering lawns and gardens and no pressure washing.

People were being asked to take fewer showers, and shower no longer than four minutes.Accommodation businesses were asked to notify their guests of water restriction measures and to remove extra towels, bathrobes, and tub stoppers from rooms.

On September 1, the District of Tofino called for urgent water conservation measures to avoid moving to stage four restrictions, which could significantly impact businesses and potentially trigger a state of local emergency.

The district didn’t go past stage three and stepped down to stage one water restrictions as of September 19, 2023.

Even with businesses seeing as much as 80 per cent fewer guests this summer due to Cameron Bluffs wildfire, parking spaces and water were in short supply

Lewis George

Huu-ay-aht hosts Nuu-chah-nulth Artist Symposium

Master artists stress the need for a Nuu-chah-nulth cultural centre with a rotating schedule of mentors to support developing creators

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

PortAlberni, BC –Agroup of Nuu-chahnulth master artists gathered at the Best Western Barclay hotel in PortAlberni at the invitation of Huu-ay-aht First Nations. According to organizer Kimmie McDonald, this is the first-ever Indigenous artist symposium held in PortAlberni and she hopes it won’t be the last.

Huu-ay-aht master carver Edward Johnson Sr. told the group of artists that when he first arrived, he wasn’t even sure what a symposium was, but toward the end of the second day, he said he understood and thought it was beneficial for Nuu-chahnulth artists.

By definition, a symposium is a conference in which experts or academics discuss a particular subject.

In this case, about a dozen Nuu-chahnulth master artists discussed important topics around art and showcasing their work. They spent September 12 and 13 at the hotel in group discussions and engaged in other activities.

The artists discussed ways in which they can protect their art from being exploited or stolen. They also discussed what forms of art should be held sacred and private, and what can be shared with the public. They talked about ways in which mentorship can be provided to up-and-coming artists.

In March 2023, then-project-lead Edward Johnson Jr. told Ha-Shilth-Sa that the idea for the symposium was part of a plan to bring Huu-ay-aht citizens back home and to put a spotlight on Indigenous artists. They applied for and received funding from the Canada Council for theArts to host the symposium.

“Our aim is to create an artists’collective to collaborate on tourism/culture development strategy and build a space that displays traditional ways of creating art with modern access,” Johnson Jr. wrote in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa.

He went on to say that a collective would advocate to protect the artists’rights and the authenticity of Indigenous creative pieces.

“We want to have true Indigenous artists enabled and on display,” he continued.

“With a space dedicated to Indigenous

art, we can control our own stories, push boundaries and preserve art in the face of loss of language.”

Over the course of discussions at the symposium, artists shared who they learned from and cultural teachings they picked up along the way.

Lavern Williams, a weaver from Huuay-aht, shared how she learned from her grandmother how to harvest grasses and

bark for weaving. She recalled fighting the biting bugs as she harvested. Her grandmother told her to crush a certain plant in her hands and rub the liquid over her skin to keep the bugs away.

“She was a pretty cool gramma – she always wanted to teach me something new,” said Williams of her grandmother Carrie Mickey.

Many of the carvers recalled spending

time in carving sheds, mentored by master carvers. They acknowledged that it is a good way to draw the interest of up-and-coming artists.

“We set up a carving table in the parking lot outside the hotel for 20 minutes and it wasn’t long before people were dropping by to watch Tim (Paul) carve,” said Hjalmer Wenstob.

Wenstob, a Tla-o-qui-aht artist, has

Gordon Dick works on a piece carved by Hjalmer Wenstob outside the Nuu-chah-nulth artists symposium on Sept. 13 at the Best Western Barclay hotel During the gathering Huu-ay-aht members Delia Johnson (below left) displays knitted hats she made, as Hipolite Williams (below centre) sits with a for sale, and Lavern Williams demonstrates how to weave with cedar bark (below right).

Artist Symposium

support developing creators

context.

“Old teachings were that when artists worked on projects, the community took care of them, they would feed them,” he said. “When they were taken care of the artists could concentrate 100 percent on their art. We don’t have that anymore.”

Feeling guilt and the responsibility to give back, Wenstob told the crowd that he wants to mentor young artists but he doesn’t have the time. This is something people want, noted Wenstob, but it costs money to have a space and, in this day and age, most artists have other jobs.

“We still have to feed the family and pay the bills,” he said.

He suggested that a Nuu-chah-nulth cultural education center could operate with a rotating schedule of master artists.

“People can be learning under Gordon Dick, Tim Paul, Joe Martin, Hipolite Williams and others,” he said.

Hupacasath artist Rod Sayers asked if they should have a Nuu-chah-nulth centre for the arts and if so, what it would look like. Everything takes money, he noted.

“All wealth is generated from the land, yet we have to ask for permission to get a log in our own territory,” he said.

Hesquiaht carver Tim Paul concurred. Even with the benefit of major donors there are always regulations and guidelines to follow – money with strings attached.

Paul asked that a cultural library be set up. He talked about his peers, those with cultural knowledge, entering their 80s. He spoke of art projects involving family stories and from residential school survivors.

“We don’t own it (stories) – it has to go back to the families,” said Paul.

But with governments funding projects, “we have to be responsive to the templates of IndianAffairs – that’s how we’re losing our culture,” said Paul.

“We have to get something done now,” he stressed.

The Huu-ay-aht organizers hope that the outcomes from this event will support another Nuu-chah-nulth artists symposium in 2024.

Event explores evolution of authentic First Nations art

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

PortAlberni, BC – Indigenous art is not only unique and beautiful, but it is also functional, at least historically. Without written language, Indigenous peoples have made art to convey their history and stories to future generations.

But now that we have other modes of communication, how has Nuu-chah-nulth art evolved? What is its purpose, moving forward? How will future generations learn ancient techniques and the history behind artistic patterns and pieces?

Huu-ay-aht First Nations hosted a Nuuchah-nulthArtist Symposium in PortAlberni, Sept. 13 at the Best Western Barclay Hotel. The purpose of the symposium was to open dialogue among Nuu-chah-nulth artists around the history and evolution of their work. They discussed Indigenous art and how to protect its authenticity.

“When our traditions and languages were taken from us, art played a very important role in preserving and transmitting culture for generations. Master carvers, weavers, painters, singers, and dancers were storytellers who carried on our languages and culture with their hands and feet,” said Edward R. Johnson in an email.

Huu-ay-aht Chief Councillor John Jack said he hoped that the symposium would

allow artists to discuss ways to preserve the authenticity of their work, and to protect their intellectual property.

“You see it on Orange Shirt Day, for example,” said Jack.

Non-Indigenous people are everywhere, selling shirts emblazoned with designs that are not authentic Indigenous art, according to material accompanying the symposium.

“How do we preserve that authenticity of Nuu-chah-nulth art in all forms?” Jack asked.

Nuu-chah-nulth-aht, he added, are known for their intellectual property. The Ha’wiih have their history preserved on ceremonial curtains. They own songs and dances, and individual families have their own songs, art, and stories. How do we protect that intellectual property, Jack wondered.

On September 13, all Nuu-chah-nulth-aht were invited to join the artists. They met Nuu-chah-nulth master artists at work as they demonstrated their techniques. Guests were invited to observe the artists during their panel discussion.

Vendors were on site, selling their art to the public.

“We’re not sure we will solve it, but we will help to organize an approach to it,” said Jack.

The Nuu-chah-nulthArtist Symposium was funded by the Canada Council for the Arts.

been working on totem poles and sculptures that are being erected in his homeland. His goal is to one day see more than 200 poles in the territory, like it used to be. He brought one of his projects to the symposium and allowed other carvers to work on the pole.

Wenstob said he dreams of a Nuu-chahnulth cultural education centre, but it would have to be reimagined from the historical

Nuu-chah-nulth master artists taking part in the symposium were Edward Johnson Sr., Hipolite Williams, Lavern Williams, Gerren Williams, Tom Patterson, Tim Paul, Connie Watts, Geraldine Edgar-Tom, Gordon Dick, Hjalmer Wenstob, and Rodney Sayers.

Denise Titian photos Sept. 13 at the Best Western Barclay hotel in PortAlberni. Williams (below centre) sits with a swan carving he made

Barb Johnson of Huu-ay-aht models a kakawin (orca) cedar bark hat she made.

Shawnee Thomas demonstrates beading at the symposium.

First Nations pieces will stay downtown, says RBCM

Museum plans to keep Aboriginal artifacts at its main building, while other collections will go into new facility

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Victoria, BC - This month the Royal B.C. Museum began construction of a 164,000-square-foot building to house its collections that aren’t on display, but the institution doesn’t plan to include its First Nations pieces in this new facility.

Instead, as the RBCM aims to be “more proactive rather than reactive” in returning certain Indigenous artifacts to their home communities, it intends to keep the First Nations pieces at the main downtown location to facilitate more repatriation opportunities in the future, according to the museum’s communications department.

“Through conversation with community, the intention has been to continue to keep Indigenous collections at the downtown location,” stated the museum in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa. “This is to maintain accessibility for Indigenous communities throughout the province to visit with belongings and allow space for people to be with them in privacy. There are upcoming sessions this fall with the First Nations Summit and with tribal councils to continue conversations about how best care for the belongings in our care.”

Currently only about one per cent of the museum’s collection is on display.

With over seven million artifacts in its care, the construction of a new facility is intended to house the RBCM’s extensive archive, while offering additional space for research and public engagement. With a total estimated cost of $270 million, the collections and research building in Colwood is expected to be open to the public in 2026.

“Visitors will also have the opportunity to see the team working with specimens and artifacts more easily - work that at present, is predominantly behind closed doors,” stated the RBCM.

The museum’s Ethnology collection includes over 14,000 objects, spanning from the early 1800s to the present. Much of this is Indigenous to British Columbia, with tools, regalia, basketry, bead work, weaving and wood carving. Sizes range from full-scale canoes and totem poles to miniscule jewelry.

Two of the larger pieces in this collec-

tion are a pair of welcome figures that originate from the front of a big house in Kiixin, an ancient Huu-ay-aht fortress and village site in Barkley Sound. The welcome figures can be seen at the museum’s main lobby, while replicas stand on either side of the entrance to the House of Huu-ay-aht inAnacla.

In many cases, the Indigenous artifacts were taken from their original places without permission of the people who lived there, a historical dilemma that has led the RBCM to repatriate pieces to their home communities since the 1970s.

In 2018 the remains of six whalers were returned toAhousaht, along with bones from two other individuals that were taken from the northern part of Flores Island. For many years, all of the remains were mixed together in a plastic tote container in the RBCM’s storage. The whaler’s remains were originally taken from anAhousaht whaling shrine in the 1930s by Rev. George Kinney, a missionary stationed in Bamfield who travelled the west coast of Vancouver Island. This collection ended up at the museum after Kinney’s death in 1958, which had the

remains of two other people added to it during the following years after bones were found on northern Flores Island protruding from the ground.

The remains were transferred into a cedar box made byAhousaht artist Wally Thomas for transport and burial in a graveyard on Flores Island, with Ha’wiih and witwaak accompanying the journey back toAhousaht for security.

“In some repatriation cases, communities have wished for us to retain their belongings but to transfer the ownership back to them, while others have wished for their belongings to be physically returned home,” wrote the museum.

“Through ongoing communication, community visits, and open dialog we are working with communities to ensure that their wishes for their belongings are being honoured whether that is through repatriation or other aspects of museum work.”

Another element of the RBCM’s repository is the IndigenousAudiovisual collection, with approximately 65,000 images documenting the province’s First Nations from the 1850s to the present, plus about

200 videotapes of potlatches and other ceremonies.

Also included in this collection are at least 3,700 sound recordings of First Nations people. The orally recorded history of tribes and communities are preserved in these tapes, with traditional dialects spoken by fluent speakers.

“Some of the sound recordings and video tapes can be accessed by appointment; those that document family histories and ceremonies can be accessed only with the permission of the rights holder of the hereditary privileges,” stated the RBCM on its website.

These recordings have recently been discussed during the Nuchatlaht case in the B.C. Supreme Court, where the First Nation is claimingAboriginal title over the northern half of Nootka Island. The province is disputing that there was a continued history of inland habitation in this area, but the RBCM tapes could be presented as evidence, as the Nuchatlaht’s legal team is prepared to invest in translating and transcribing the recordings if needed.

Phrase†of†the†week:†%u%usum%nis†c^a%ak†mi+š†aa+^a>kuu†ha%uk%up†š†uc^’aš†@aqkin†

Pronounced ‘Oh ooh sum nis alth cha ugh mit shay alt koo haa ook up sue chas ugh kin’, it means, ‘We need the rain to feed our Earth’Supplied by ciisma.

Illustration by Ivy Cargill-Martin

RBCM image

The 164,000-square-foot collections and research building is being built in Colwood, at an estimated cost of $270 million. The Royal B.C. Museum plans to keep its Indigenous collection at the downtown location to ensure First Nations have easy access to their artifacts.

Vessel fined after illegally fishing $127,825 of tuna

In late June owners of the Ocean Provider were fined $6,000 for fishing without a valid license in summer 2022

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

PortAlberni, BC - The owners of the commercial fishing vessel Ocean Provider were sentenced earlier this summer after pleading guilty to fishing albacore Tuna from July 22 toAug. 15, 2022 without a valid license.Atotal of 2,250 tuna, equalling 31,956 pounds and amounting to $127,824, was forfeited to the Crown.

On June 28, 2023, the PortAlberni Provincial Court fined the company owners $6,000 and upheld the seizures to the crown.

“This is a serious violation of the FisheriesAct and Canada’s international fisheries obligations,” reads a press release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The illegal activity was discovered when an offshore patrol vessel conducted a routine fisheries inspection of Ocean Provider, 42 nautical miles offshore of Barkley Sound while the crew was actively fishing.

“Officers determined that the vessel was not licensed to fish for tuna at that time,” reads the press release. “The vessel was escorted to port by the fishery officers where the catch was offloaded for processing and seizure.”

Illegal fishing not only threatens conservation efforts, but it can also impact management and closures, recreational fisheries, and commercial harvesters, reads the press release.

The press release goes on to say that illegal fishing can also result in negatively impacting the coastal economy and “threatens the food source for Indigenous people.”

DFO sold seized tuna after vessel was charged

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

PortAlberni, BC – When the commercial vessel Ocean Provider was found fishing albacore tuna 42 nautical miles offshore of Barkley Sound without a valid license on a routine fisheries inspection, they were escorted to port, where 2,250 tuna amounting to 31,956 pounds were processed then seized.

After the owners pleaded guilty, they were sentenced the following summer in PortAlberni Provincial Court and fined $6,000. But when seizures were upheld to the Crown, it left the question: What happened to the seized tuna?

In an interview, Sean Ward, chief of DFO’s Enforcement Operations, told Ha-Shilth-Sa that when an investigation is opened it is up to the initiating officer to decide how the fish will be disposed of based on the various options under the FisheriesAct.

“Because of the quantity and the location, they got three bids, and sold it,” said Ward. “The money goes to the Receiver General [of Canada] and is held pending the outcome of the court case.”

In this case, the tuna fished by Ocean Provider between July 22 toAug. 15, 2022, amounted to $127,824.

Ward explained that the officer could also distribute the fish among local communities. But with each situation there are a number of factors to consider, such as the type of fishery and license issued, willingness of the community to accept the product, among others.

“Last thing you want is a resource to be wasted by expiring,” said Ward.

According to the Sept. 13 press release, some concerns involve the impact on conservation efforts, recreational and commercial harvesters as well as the local economy.

“If someone decides that they’re just going to fish without a license, that means that they’re taking that resource away

from another area or conservation at a higher level,” said Ward, adding that it also takes away from other commercial, recreational, and Indigenous-based fisheries. Similarly, CliffAtleo, said that following fishing regulations is a “no brainer”.

“If you don’t, you impact all kinds of

things including conservation and others who follow the regulations,” saidAtleo, who holds the position of chair of the Council of Ha’wiih Forum on Fisheries, and was a negotiator in theAhousaht Case. “I’m glad that they caught these guys, just simply because we are in that situation where licenses are important.”

Fisheries and Oceans Canada photo

From July 22 toAug. 15, 2022 the Ocean Provider caught 2,250 tuna west of Barkley Sound without a valid licence.

Wikipedia image

The Ocean Provider caught 31,956 pounds of albacore tuna, pictured in the top left, one of the smaller varieties of the fish.

President’s Message

Hello Everyone. Hope all is well in your communities. It seems that summer is quickly passing by and in another week it will be fall. The children are back in school and our students are back in post secondary institutions for another year. Looks like it was a fairly successful fishing year and people got their fish smoked, canned and frozen. Nothing like having fish year-round.

Don’t forget the NTC scholarships will be October 13th and graduation on the 14th. This was postponed from June when the highway was shut down completely and then one lane alternating. Come and help celebrate our scholarship winners and graduates from all levels of education.

Our NTCAGM also had to be postponed due to the audit not being completed due to circumstances beyond our control. An important part of theAGM is the audit. This will now be held on November 30, 2023.

September 30th is coming up quickly.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, better known as Orange Shirt Day. This year Tseshaht is celebrating 50 years since theAlberni Indian Residential School was shut down. There is an art exhibit at the Barclay hotel starting at 10:00 a.m., then a walk at 11:00 a.m. starting from the Barclay and a cultural celebration at noon at Maht Mahs. All are welcome. While we remember the impacts of the residential school every day, it is good to have one day that we dedicate to this.

The latest residential school in a northern Saskatchewan First Nation called English River announced a total of 93 unmarked graves at the end of July. These announcements will keep coming as more and more of the schools get their groundpenetrating radar completed. September 30th is a day to raise the profile of all the missing children, those that never got to go home. We must all mark this day and educate others on what happened.

As was promised, Highway 4 opened on the Thursday before the Labour Day weekend to two-lane traffic. For now, this will be the case, though the Ministry of Transportation will continue to monitor the area aboveAngel Rock, especially with rainstorms. Solutions are still being sought for a permanent secondary highway out of PortAlberni. MLAJose Osborne was very good through these highway closures in bringing all the local leaders impacted together to meet with the Ministry of Transportation and be able to ask questions and have input into decisions having to be made.

I was part of a call with Transport Canada and MP Gord Johns and a few other leaders to talk about changes needed in Tofino Harbour following the two float plane crashes and other dangers. Finding money to do some of the changes is required, as is also looking into changes to laws on how this can best be addressed. Slowing down the boats and planes, flashing lights on planes while landing, etc. This is the first meeting in two years and we will continue to meet to ensure the safety of people and vessels in the harbour.

I spoke at another conference on Zoom with a panel talking about how Canada is doing in taking action on climate change. After a summer of an unprecedented number of forest fires, ocean temperatures rising higher than ever before, flooding, the issue of climate change must rise to the top of the political agenda. Ensuring there is enough resources - human and equipment - to

fight forest fires is critical. Having places where people can evacuate to is also very important. Also having resources to sustain people who have to evacuate and fixing infrastructure before people can return home is critical. Some First Nations communities were burned to the ground and other had major damage. Replacing fibre optic cables and transmission lines take a long time. How do communities cope with this? There is so much to prepare for and discuss with governments regarding natural disasters so we prepare for when they do come. It is very important that First Nations are now being part of the conversations around climate change and what actions need to be taken. What role can we play to help in the climate crisis?

I continue to attend meetings with BC Hydro as they work with first Nations to design a call for power. There has not been a call for power for 15 years and this time, for the first time ever, they are asking First Nations how we want it done. How should First Nations participate in the call? Should every project that is bid have First Nations equity owners, or at the very least meaningful benefits? BC Hydro is having focus groups with various parts of the province and I have attended two sessions. It is critical for all First Nations to be voicing their positions and insisting that all projects must include First Nations. The free prior and informed consent of First Nations must be obtained before any clean energy project moves forward in their territories. I encourage all First Nations to participate in these sessions.

I am also working on the Heritage ConservationAct Transformation project. We want legislative changes to go through next spring before there is a provincial election. One important topic is shared decision making agreements with the province. How can we do that more easily than the process now? The process is that you need cabinet approval for such agreements. Getting on the agenda to a cabinet meeting and getting approval is a long, drawn-out process and takes far too long. There are also a few other ways to get agreements in the HeritageAct and we are trying to find ways to make these agreements easier to negotiate so First Nations can manage their own heritage sites. There will be First Nations engagement sessions on September 27 and October 3rd to review what is being proposed for legislative changes. Your input would be appreciated.

Looking forward to all the events and meetings coming up for Nuu-chah-nulth.

Respectfully,

Cloy-e-iis Judith Sayers

&Community Beyond

Nuu-chah-nulth Baby Group

Every Monday

CYS - 4841 Redford Street

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

PortAlberni Friendship Center –Eating in Balance

Every Wednesday

PAFC

1:00pm – 3:00pm. Participants work together to make a meal, discuss health and food related topics. Participants who work (cook and clean) with the group will receive a $10.00 grocery coupon that can be used at either Quality Foods or Buy-Low Foods. Childminder on premises.Adrop-in group, no registration required. For more information about our program, please call and ask forAmber –250-735-6276 ext. 233.Apart of theASI Early Years program.

Westcoast Community Resources Society Community Lunch

Every Thursday

Westcoast Community Services hub –500 Matterson Drive, Ucluelet

11:30am – 1:00pm. 250-726-2343, admin@wccrs.ca, www.wccrs.ca

Cultural Brushings with Quu asa

Every Friday

Administration Building

9:00am-12:00pm Cultural Brushings in support of the Tseshaht Community. If you have any questions, please call Leanne Harding,AdministrativeAssistant 250-724-1225

Marcia Keitlah Memorial

September 23th, 2023

Maht Mahs Gym – PortAlberni

2:00pm The Keitlah family would like to announce the memorial for Marcia Keitlah.

National Truth and Reconciliation

September 30th

PortAlberni

10:00amAIRS student art display at the Barclay Hotel. 11:00am Walk starts at Barclay Hotel. 12:00pm Celebration begins at Maht Mahs. 50 years has passed sinceAlberni Indian Residential School closed it’s doors. We invite everyone to join us in celebration with a walk to honourAIRS survivors and those that did not make it home, followed by lunch, fun activities, dinner and more! Bring your drums and shawls, wear orange.Ashuttle will be available for drivers to return to their cars. For more information or to make a contribution or donation to this event, please contact Event Coordinator, Esther Charlie at 250-730-3246 or esther. airs@tseshaht.com

NTC Education and NETP Graduation and Scholarship Ceremony

October 13th – 14th 2023

ADSS

More info to come.

Kayakers spot massive sunfish in Kyuquot Sound

The size of a small car and weighing up to 2,500 kilograms, Mola Mola sightings are increasing on the B.C. coast

By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Kyuquot, BC - ThisAugust kayakers in Kyuquot Sound were astonished when they paddled upon a giant ocean sunfish.

Tashi Townley, his partner Megan Komori-Kennedy and her mom Violet Komori are still processing what they saw during their last-minute kayak trip. “It was so surreal. Basically we pulled up on this fin and we initially thought it was maybe a sea lion sleeping on its side and its flipper was poking out of the water,” Townley said. “Then as we got closer there was this moment of just complete uncertainty and it took about 10 seconds for it to sink in that it wasn’t a sea lion and it was actually this massive fish flapping in the current. There’s not really many words that can describe seeing such a large fish.”

Townley, who splits his time between Vancouver Island and B.C.’s interior, said this was his first time paddling around Kyuquot, but his partner and her mom have been coming to the area for years. None of them had seen a giant sunfish before, but the ironic part is, they were all talking about how surreal it would be to see one 30 minutes before the encounter.

“We were all paddling 18-foot kayaks, and [the sunfish] had to be at least half the length of our kayaks and probably close to that in width as well. It was probably the size of a small car,” Townley said. “To me they seem like these mythical creatures.”

Townley said he had a rough idea of what the giant fish was but it was his mom who suggested he submit the photo to the Marine Education & Research Society (MERS).

The giant sunfish that Townley paddled upon was a Mola Mola, one of two different sunfish species showing up along the Pacific Coast that MERS is collecting data on.

Along with ocean surveys and working with partners like Fisheries and Oceans Canada, MERS relies on citizens to submit photos or videos of Mola sightings in waters on the coast from California to Alaska.

The other Mola species found in West Coast waters is the Mola Tecta, also known as the hoodwinker sunfish, because until recently it’s been misidentified as the Mola Mola and has gone undetected.

Jackie Hildering, education director with MERS, said Molas are not uncommon or rare, but there’s been little dedicated research on the species, especially

the Mola Tecta.

“Our role in it as the Marine Education Research Society is to try to use our networks to get more sightings,” Hildering said. “There’s been more research done in California because it’s warmer and [Mola’s] are more common there, but there’s not been a lot of research done certainly inAlaska and in B.C.”

Hildering said research and data collection on the two Mola species showing up in the Northern Hemisphere began to pick up steam when a blog post she wrote in 2011 on what she presumed was the Mola Mola caught the attention of marine scientist Dr. Marianne Nyegaard.

Nyegaard published her discovery of the hoodwinker species in 2017, which she first identified in waters off New Zealand four years prior. Nyegaard believed the temperate Southern Hemisphere was where you’d find the hoodwinker species until a dead one appeared on a beach in

San Diego, California in 2019.After that she began searching the internet for any blog posts or citizen photos on social media of the species being spotted on the other side of the world.

Nyegaard found that it was common for hoodwinkers to be misidentified along the western coast of NorthAmerica. Tracking how long this species has been living in Canadian waters is difficult because there’s not much data before the beginning of social media.

“Presumption even by researchers on this coast was that they were all Mola Mola and with [Nyegaard’s] keen understanding of this new species, she thought wait, that’s not a Mola Mola and it was 6,500 kilometres further north than what was expected to be the range,” Hildering said.

Differentiating the Mola Mola and the Mola Tecta isn’t easy for the average person, but Hildering says through her

research she’s often able to tell the two species apart, especially if they’re adult sunfish.

“Depending on the photo…if there is wrinkling on the skin, it’s almost certainly to be a Mola Mola and there’s an overall smoother appearance to the Mola Tecta,” she said. “If you can get a good look at their head, there’s no head or chin bump in the [Mola Tecta].”

Hildering said Mola Mola’s are known to get to be about 3.3 metres in size and there’s reports of them weighing up to 2,500 kilograms. She said females are believed to be bigger than males. There’s been far fewer sightings on the Mola Tecta and the biggest one known to date is 242 cm long and can weigh up to two tonnes.

There’s been more than 2,000 citizen submissions to date that MERS, along with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and partners in the U.S., have received on Molas.

“For us specifically, even for just this year, we have 60 data contributions in B.C. and a few are fromAlaska,” Hildering said. “In terms of whatever we get randomly, if the number of sightings is big enough it should allow a sense of how many and where the two species are relative to one another. Otherwise it is really difficult. If we are getting more people engaged in one area of the coast versus the other than that is going to skew the results.”

Hildering said sightings off Vancouver Island are sometimes more common because of the same warm waters that bring in tuna. She said she’s seen sunfish near Port McNeill and there’s been sightings outside Haida Gwaii and offshore around B.C. It’s not yet known if sightings around B.C. are due to El Nino years or warming temperatures due to climate change.

“There has been the presumption that [Mola] are far slower and less mobile, which is wrong…they can dive really deep where it’s colder and they’re believed to come to the surface to warm up,” Hildering said. “They also present (at the surface) to be cleaned by birds like Alcatraz because they have parasites on the outside and it is why they are called, collectively, the sunfish, not for their shape but for this behaviour coming to the surface for sun.”

Hildering said for anyone who comes across the large fish, if they’re able to document it in some way without causing any stress to the animal, to please do so and submit any findings to mersociety. org.

Submitted photo

Kayakers Megan Komori-Kennedy and her mom Violet Komori paddled upon a giant ocean sunfish thisAugust in Kyuquot Sound.

Huu-ay-aht eyes Trans Canada Trail for tourism boost

CEO of the largest trail network in the world visits Anacla, as Bamfield awaits more visitors with road upgrade

By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor

Anacla, BC -As the First Nation looks to open up the area to more tourism, serious consideration is being given to extending the Trans Canada Trail to Huu-ay-aht territory on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island.

Spanning 28,000 kilometres by road, wilderness and waterway, the Trans Canada Trail is the longest network of recreational pathways in the world, extending to each of Canada’s three coasts. But currently just 566 kilometres of the trail is on Vancouver Island, running from Nanaimo to the Victoria area.

This could change if conversations continue about expanding the TCT to the island’s southwest coast. On Sept. 11

Eleanor McMahon, president and CEO of the Trans Canada Trail, visitedAnacla and Bamfield, including a tour to the ancient Huu-ay-aht village and fortress site of Kiixin.

“This is an opportunity for us to amplify Indigenous trail tourism experiences, to tell the story and the origin story of Canada through that lens of Indigeneity, and amplify those important cultural stories,” said McMahon. “It’s an association with an iconic brand. We would be thrilled to have the opportunity to tell the story of Canada through the lens of the people here.”

McMahon’s visit developed from discussion with Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns inApril, who sees potential in the opportunity, as funding is available for First Nations that become part of the Trans Canada Trail. The TCT receives annual federal funding, as well as private donations.

“The experience of trail networks is invaluable,” said Johns, noting the marketing benefits of being part of the national trail. “It’s quite timely given the road completion coming.”

Currently the final stages are being undertaken to seal Bamfield Main, a multi-million-dollar investment from the province and the Huu-ay-aht to upgrade the 76-kilometre logging road from Port Alberni to Bamfield and the First Nation’s village ofAnacla.

Cutting down on blinding summertime dust, wintertime washouts and suspension-busting potholes, the Bamfield Main upgrade is expected to enable regular vehicles to travel the road, thereby opening the remote area up to more visitors. The Trans Canada Trail could become a part of Huu-ay-aht’s future in the tourism industry, said Chief Councillor John Jack.

“It will be something that we put on the table before council. I do believe it will be seriously considered, given the natural overlapping interests that we see in the tourism industry, but also protecting natural sites and really diversifying into things like the Trans Canada Trail,” he said, noting that conversations with other First Nations on the coast will needed.

“I do think that it’s going to take more than just one nation to make this happen, though.”

In June of last year the Indigenous presence along the Trans Canada Trail gained more exposure with the opening of Onhwa’Lumina in Wendake. Located in the Quebec City area, where the Huron-Wedat Nation are based, the 1.2-kilometre Onhwa’Lumina section incorporates a dynamically lit forest, with projections and animation that illustrate the myths and symbols of Wendake. To create the project Huron-Wendat members collaborated with Moment Factory,

a Montreal-based multimedia entertainment company.

As many as 100,000 visitors were expected at Onhwa’Lumina over the attraction’s first year. For the Trans Canada Trail, this serves as an indication of the tourism potential of Indigenous-led destinations. Earlier this year the TCT signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indigenous TourismAssociation of Canada to continue with partnerships.

“We would like more people to use our network, to become aware of it. We think it’s an amazing tool for tourism and economic development,” said McMahon, who saw trail use go up by 50 per cent during the pandemic - an engagement that has yet to show signs of declining. “The beauty and the wonder and the nature of Canada is an incredibly powerful draw for people around the world who want to connect to nature, and who live in populated countries.”

On Sept. 11 McMahon, Johns and other visitors where taken to Kiixin, an ancient Huu-ay-aht village site located on the coast near Bamfield andAnacla.Ahike through old-growth forest reveals the National Historic Site of Canada, where soil deposits show evidence of 5,500 years of habitation, explained Kiskiista during the tour.

“The history of our country is relatively short, we only have 156 years as Canada, but in our village Kiixin we have 5,500 years,” he said. “This is an opportunity for us to not only share our culture with the world and fellow Canadians, but also our own people.”

Changes in the layers of soil show that at least 21 tsunamis hit Kiixin.As many as a dozen longhouses stood atop rocky bluffs at the site, enabling residents to watch for invaders.Ahousaht tribes invaded Kiixin multiple times, and Huu-ayaht history tells of a family once hiding in a crevice within the rock bluff during an attack.

Some house posts are still evident at Kiixin, traces of multiple ages of habitation, the most recent dated in 1828.

“They all have a different time period. Sometimes they’re separated by decades, sometimes they’re separated by centuries,” explained Kiskiista. “As we’re get-

ting ready to show this off to the world, we always like to remind our guests that there is a natural order, because we want to minimize our own footprint.”

Kiixin generated excitement among the guests, but Jack cautions that it’s unlikely the Huu-ay-aht would agree to including the site in the Trans Canada Trail.

“We have to take the appropriate measures to protect what needs to be protected, to channel a lot of the attention and energy into places that don’t necessarily have the same cumulative impacts as visiting the Kiixin site will,” said Jack.

“There are locations adjacent to Kiixin that have significant potential for developing some sort of experience that’s more hands-on for individuals, and that Kiixin will remain a protected area, something that has very curated access and interac-

tion.”

As Bamfield braces for more visitors, the elected chief looks to Tofino for lessons on preparing for the impacts of tourism in order to “maintain the unique character and experience” of Huu-ay-aht territory.

“Part of Tofino’s difficulty is that their constraining factors are geographic in nature, and that limits the amount of water that they have coming into their territory,” he said. “That may not necessarily be the same for our territory.”

Mid Island-Pacific Rim MLAJosie Osborne also attended the visit toAnacla and Bamfield, and now Eleanor McMahon plans to return to Vancouver Island in November, when she will visit the provincial legislature in Victoria to discuss the Trans Canada Trail with other MLAs.

Eric Plummer photos

Huu-ay-aht knowledge keeper Kiskiista (above) gives visitors a tour of the ancient fortress and village site of Kiixin. On Sept. 11 a group visitedAnacla and the National Historic Site of Kiixin, including MLAJosie Osbourne, MPGord Johns and CEO of the Trans Canada Trail Eleanor McMahon.

Nuu-chah-nulthTribalCouncilEducationwithN.E.T.P.

2022-2023

Graduation and Scholarship

Ceremony

Where: Alberni District Secondary School

4000RogerStreet,PortAlberni,BC

Scholarship Ceremony—October13th

Doors@4:00pm;Dinner@5:00pm;Ceremony@6:30pm

Graduation Ceremony—October14th

Doors@2:30pm;Ceremony@3:00pm;Dinner@5:00pm

Nuu-chah-nulth nations participating in The K-12 + Post-Secondary Ceremony are:

AHOUSAHT HUPACASATH HESQUIAHT

DITIDAHT HUU-AY-AHT NUCHATLAHT

EHATTESAHT/CHINEHKINT TLA-O-QUI-AHT

KA:’YU:’K’T’H’/CHE:K:TLE7ET’H’ TSESHAHT

MOWACHAHT/MUCHALAHT TOQUAHT

Also, participating Nuu-chah-nulth Employment & Training Program

*All Trades and Vocational program graduates please contact the N.E.T.P. Office to confirm attendance: (250) 723-1331

For more information, please contact Richard Samuel at (250) 724-5757 Or by e-mail: richard.samuel@nuuchahnulth.org