23 minute read
Misplaced gravestone worsens grief
Cemetery vows to ensure Melissa Jack’s grave is in the right spot, after stone was placed in the wrong location
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
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Port Alberni, BC – It’s been nearly a year since Agnes Jack, a Mowachaht/ Muchalaht grandmother, lost her 38-yearold daughter she aff ectionately called Queen. Melissa Jack died Oct. 7, 2021, leaving behind her mother, two children and spouse. So, Agnes was excited when she was able to arrange to have a proper stone placed on her daughter’s grave at Alberni Valley Memorial Gardens. In a barter arrangement, Jack had traded eagle feathers in order to have the stone made in Port Coquitlam. In a miscommunication, the stone was inadvertently sent to Kyuquot, where it was brushed then transported to Campbell River by a relative. Agnes picked up the stone and delivered it to the Port Alberni cemetery in late August, 2022. “I got a call from the cemetery worker, she was excited and told me that Melissa’s gravestone was installed, so me and my friend went up to look at it,” Agnes recalled. To their surprise, there was no headstone at her daughter’s grave. They searched the area but couldn’t fi nd anything. “We saw the cemetery workers having lunch so we walked over to ask them about it,” said Jack. A worker led Agnes to a newly installed headstone, several feet away from where she’d been leaving fl owers all year. She immediately knew it was not where her daughter was buried. “When I selected the plot, I picked a spot where there were no other graves nearby so that other family can be buried together, there,” she recalled. In addition, she remembered the graveside service was on a rainy day, and the open grave was fi lling with water. Jack recalls the pastor apologizing for the water and cemetery workers running a pump with a hose leading to a distinctive tree, nearby, at the edge of the forest. At the graveside service, Jack recalls that mourners didn’t have to worry about stepping on graves because there were none nearby. So, when she saw that her daughter’s headstone was placed less than two feet away from an older gravestone, she knew something was wrong. According to Jack, the cemetery worker told her that he installed the stone according to a map he was provided. To remedy the situation, the stone was immediately moved several feet away to another plot, but Agnes is not certain it is the correct spot. She says the new location is closer to where she remembers the grave to be, but in the 10 months since the burial, the ground has dried and hardened, and it is hard to tell where the actual gravesite is. Not knowing for certain where her daughter is buried has traumatized the still-grieving mother. “It brought me right back to the fi rst day of grieving – I’m glad my friend was there with me,” said Jack. Donna Liberty of Yates Funeral Services acknowledges that there may have been a mix-up on the location of Melissa’s grave. She said that Melissa’s next of kin was her spouse and it was him that selected the plot. Liberty stated that the cemetery strives to work with Indigenous families who abide by the four-day cultural practice of laying loved ones to rest. Sometimes mistakes happen in the rush. “We send the paperwork off to the cemetery workers who fi rst probe the plot to make sure it’s empty,” said Liberty. She said the Alberni Valley Memorial Gardens cemetery is nearly 100 years old and sometimes records and maps don’t go that far back. Sometimes, she said, there’s problems with the selected plot. It could be tree roots, boulders, or underground springs. When that happens, Liberty says cemetery workers move on to the next available plot. In this case, the employee that arranged for the burial has moved on from Yates Funeral Services. “We don’t know if our fi les are wrong and we can’t question the employee,” said Liberty. Liberty said that the cemetery workers immediately moved the marker within an hour of Agnes notifying them that it was in the wrong place. They placed the marker in the spot Agnes had been laying fl owers a couple of rows away. The cemetery will probe the area to determine the exact location of Melissa’s grave. Liberty says it’s on her list of things to do but there is no timeline, with a recent turnover in cemetery staff . “I’m sorry Agnes is angry with us. We will fi nd the correct answer,” she promised.
Photo by Denise Titian Agnes Jack sits by a gravestone for her daughter, Melissa Jack, who passed Oct. 7, 2021. The recently placed stone had to be moved after it was installed in the wrong location at a Port Alberni cemetery.
Outlook positive for COVID-19 restrictions in schools
By Konnar Oliver Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor
It’s been a couple weeks now since the school year started with guidance on how schools in the province should be fi ghting the spread of COVID-19. Picking up with the same restrictions put in place following spring break last year, schools are required to have communicable disease plans in place, but many of the original restrictions are a thing of the past. “Measures for protecting students and families include staying up to date with all your vaccines, practising health awareness, and staying home when sick, including if you have a fever, cough, rash, diarrhea or vomiting,” was the message from the government in August, just before schools reopened. A far cry from the original return to schools, when students were in small cohort groups and required to wear masks. Educators are saying now that the current model is eff ective, and likely to be the standard going forward. Superintendent of Schools for School District 84 Lawrence Tarasoff says that it’s more akin to prevention measures than restrictions. “Masks are a personal choice, and we don’t have the space between the desks, we don’t have any kind of cohorting,” said Tarasoff . “All that stuff is not part of the program now. We’re really just trying to be respectful that if people are choosing to wear or not wear masks, that’s a personal choice. In terms of ventilation, we’ve got [MERV] air fi lter systems in all of our schools.” Precautions are in place should another serious wave of COVID-19 arise, but for the time being the current guidance is to remain in place. “We have the experience from the past,” explained Tarasoff . “We don’t make up our own rules through the school district. We wait and take our guidance from Public Health and the Ministry of Education. But if those restrictions do come back into place, we would be able to take care of those things quite quickly. We’ve got a supply of masks and cleaning products, we have our plexiglass shields. They’re not up right now, but we’re prepared in case we have to do that.” Tarasoff also acknowledges that a large percentage of students at his schools are First Nations, and respects the autonomy of those communities within those schools. Tarasoff says that morale is signifi cantly higher amongst both the children and the staff than it had been. “I was just in our Gold River schools today actually, and it was really good. I think people are glad to be back to a sense of normalcy around life. As much as kids like a day off now and then, by and large I think kids like to be at school. Lots of smiling faces,” he said. “It’s been a tough couple of years, but hopefully things get even more normal going forward.” Last year did see a surge in cases as people began spending more time inside as temperatures cooled off , but offi cials say that with the further increase in vaccination rates among other prevention tactics taking place, province-wide mandates are set to be a last resort.
Ha-Shilth-Sa newspaper is published by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council for distribution to the members of the NTC-member First Nations, as well as other interested groups and individuals. Information and original work contained in this newspaper is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without written permission from:
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Issues delay tiny houses for homeless
Municipal code requirements, site planning delay bringing homes to ‘The Ghe o’
By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter
Port Alberni, BC – Plans to build a tiny house village on lower 4th Avenue have been delayed due to planning and approval processes, according to Port Alberni Friendship Center Executive Director Cyndi Stevens. There have also been unforeseen cost overruns that are concerning to the PAFC executive director. The City of Port Alberni announced that it is moving ahead with plans to provide better homes to people living in run-down trailers on 4th Avenue, known locally as “The Ghetto”. They partnered with BC Housing and the Port Alberni Friendship Centre to provide a safer housing alternative. The illegal trailer park on lower 4th Avenue spung up after one of the two Wintergreen apartment buildings burnt down in the summer of 2013. Randy Brown subsequently purchased the property and began moving old recreational vehicles onto the vacant property, creating a RV park for the city’s hard to house population. Since 2018 Brown has been repeatedly ticketed by the city to the tune of $120,000 for building and fi re code infractions. He was slapped with a remediation order in 2020 and ordered to remove the trailers but he refuses to pay the fi nes and hasn’t removed the RVs. He has said that he charges $500 per month for a single person renting a dilapidated trailer or $375 per person if there are more people renting a single unit. He has argued that these trailers provide a roof over the heads of people that would otherwise be sleeping on park benches or in the streets. The City of Port Alberni purchased three vacant lots adjacent to the Wintergreen Apartment property to be leased to the Port Alberni Friendship Center at a nominal cost of $1. In partnership with BC Housing, the city and PAFC plan to build a tiny home village complete with security and support systems for marginalized people. The Housing Task Force, which includes Tseshaht, Hupacasath, the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and other local agencies, are also involved in the project. In June 2022, the PAFC issued a statement saying, “The creation of this temporary housing development has been a combination of eff orts in response to providing safe, alternative housing to several individuals unable to access safe, aff ordable housing who are currently residing in unsafe conditions and or living rough.” The tiny homes, although small, would deliver secure, dry sleeping pods with electricity, a mini fridge, desk and chair. The tenants will have access to restrooms, showers, food, Wi-Fi and support services, including recovery referrals. Earlier this summer the PAFC reported that they secured funding for 13 tiny house units and hoped to fi nd funds for up to 30 units. They had hoped to begin moving tenants in by the end of summer or early fall, but there have been bumps in the road. “We had hoped to have it done by Oct. 1 but that’s not happening,” Stevens reported. She said there’s been some unforeseen costs having to do with code requirements and site planning. “We didn’t anticipate some of the lease requirements and are working with the city to come to an agreement,” she added. The original plan was to build 30 tiny homes but added expenses, according to Stevens, may raise the price tag of each unit by $5,000. She is not sure there will be enough to cover the 15 houses the PAFC committed to - let alone the 15 other units they had hoped to fi nd funding partners for. “The Friendship Center has no money to pay for those extra expenses,” said Stevens. “Costs have gone up and there’s nobody else coming to the table with funding,” she said, adding that they are seeking contributions. Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions stated that the city will contribute $140,000 to the project for utilities, fencing and security. PAFC had been prepping the lot for construction and have begun purchasing supplies needed for the tiny homes. The tiny houses will be pre-built on the mainland, according to PAFC specs. They will be assembled on site once city hall approves drawings for the tiny house village. “The tiny house panels were to be here Aug. 29 but we had to hire an architect to draw a site plan, that caused delays,” Stevens said. There will be a meeting with the city on Sept. 26, where Stevens will fi nd out whether the new plans will be approved by the local government. “Ideally, the village could open midOctober, but more likely it will be Nov. 1, 2022,” said Stevens.
Photo by Denise Titian Port Alberni Friendship Center Executive Director Cyndi Stevens stands by land purchased by City of Port Alberni on lower 4th Avenue to provide the housing.
Ha-Shilth-Sa belongs to every Nuu-chah-nulth person including those who have passed on, and those who are not yet born. A community newspaper cannot exist without community involvement. If you have any great pictures you’ve taken, stories or poems you’ve written, or artwork you have done, please let us know so we can include it in your newspaper. E-mail holly.stocking@nuuchahnulth.org. This year is Ha-Shilth-Sa’s 48th year of serving the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. We look forward to your continued input and support. Kleco! Kleco!
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NTC is working with Simon Fraser University on an initiative designed to extend from conception to adulthood
By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor
Port Alberni, BC - Researchers and Nuu-chah-nulth communities are in the early stages of a longitudinal study designed to paint a picture of the complex factors that determine a person’s wellbeing – from conception into adulthood. The Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative proposes to be “Canada’s fi rst long-term study following a large cohort of young children and their families over time,” according to an update by the project team. The study has completed two preliminary two-year phases, with funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Now a more extensive proposal has been submitted to the funder, totaling $14 million to support six years of study involving 14 Nuu-chahnulth nations as well as First Nations in Alberta that include the Cree Nations of Maskwacîs, and the Cree and Dene nations of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buff alo. With Lynette Lucas, director of health for the Nuu-chah-chah Tribal Council, as the principal investigator, the project update stated that “health and wellbeing are the result of long-term access to physical, spiritual, emotional, nutritional and social resources”. Topics of interest have been identifi ed by the communities involved, with attention to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and mental health. If approved, the next phase of the study
entails women of child-bearing age volunteering to participate, answering to invitations sent across Nuu-chah-nulth communities as well as the First Nations in Alberta. “The main goal for the project is to identify the factors that provide resilience to children to face life challenges, so that they can develop strong and be ready for all the challenges in life,” said Pablo Nepomnaschy, a professor of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, which is working with the NTC on the long-term project. “Our fi ndings will not only help Nuu-chah-nulth children, Cree children and Maskwacis children, but eventually be applied to other Indigenous children.” “For the women who do give birth, we evaluate them in a number of ways during the pregnancy,” explained Jeff Reading, an SFU professor in Health Sciences. “When they give birth, their children are enrolled into a study where we look at the long-term impacts of optimizing their health and wellbeing. We call it developmental trajectories; it goes through life stages.” The intention is to gain a closer look into the various factors aff ecting pregnant mothers and their children. The latest proposal extends six years, covering pregnancy and the fi rst fi ve of a child’s life, but researchers and the First Nations involved hope that the longitudinal study can eventually extend into adulthood. “It’s more than just the mother’s activities, it’s the mother’s environment. Does the mother have the right nutrition? Does the mother have enough social support?” added Nepomnaschy. “Early exposures during development, even from conception onward, have huge eff ects on the health and wellbeing of the child. The earlier the exposure, the stronger the effect and the more eff ects there are.” The initiative follows other health studies that have usually painted a grim picture of Indigenous people’s wellbeing. Presented by the First Nations Health Authority and the Provincial Health Offi cer in 2018, the Indigenous Health and Well Being report presented an average life expectancy of 75 among B.C.’s Aboriginal people, eight years younger than other residents in the province. That report also cited a suicide rate among First Nations youth that was triple that of others in B.C., with double the incidence of infant mortality and higher rates of diabetes. For over two decades, Reading has worked to get a more extensive study off the ground that better involves and benefi ts First Nations. “A lot of research done on Indigenous
Photos by Eric Plummer Residential school survivors (above) were honored at the Alberni Athletic Hall on Sept. 16, for their contributions to the early stages of a longitudinal study on the determinants of health. Researchers and participants held an information session on the study (below), which has just submitted a multi-million-dollar proposal that would extend for six years.
Pablo Nepomnaschy people is a snapshot that talks about how unhealthy people are,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is a longitudinal study, which is sort of a video looking at how to model wellbeing, rather than modelling pathology.” Reading referenced the damage done by what is commonly known as the “bad blood” scandal, in which over 800 samples were taken from Nuu-chah-nulth-aht in the 1980s with a promise to fi nd better treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. But without the participants’ permission or knowledge, it was later discovered that these samples were taken to the United States and elsewhere for genetic anthropology studies and other experiments. “Now it’s a question of how we can do research led by Nuu-chah-nulth,” said Reading. “There’s no misuse of the data and the samples, so it’s under a very strong ethical framework.” “We are here to do this because the community chose these goals. Everybody is invited to participate to the extent that they are interested in the study,” noted Nepomnaschy. “They can even decide that they don’t want their data used anymore, or their samples are to be destroyed, and that is absolutely revolutionary. It’s a type of research that has not been done so far.” Since the study began planning and consultations in 2017 Geraldine Tom has served as a Nuu-chah-nulth advisor. She hopes that the long-term project will help to break a cycle of shame among First Nations that was instilled in residential schools, but continues to be perpetuated by authorities and service providers. “It is a big issue still,” she said. “Some caregivers, police, shame us. We want to break that cycle of that.” “The elders have a central role in advising us of what kinds of interventions are going to be reclaiming health, because a lot of times, well-meaning people who are doctors and nurses, they’re focused on disease, treatment and care,” said Reading. “What we’re focused on is trying to understand the mechanisms. What causes diabetes in middle age or in your 30s? Part of that is what happens in very early life.” Tom hopes that within fi ve years the study will help to give service providers a better understanding of Nuu-chah-nulth ways so that they can more eff ectively help communities with their issues. “We cannot move in reconciliation without understanding along the way,” she said. More information about the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative can be obtained from Laurel White, the NTC’s project coordinator, at laurel.white@ nuuchahnulth.org or 1-250-724-0202.
Sproat Lake School is being cleared 19 years after closing, with hopes for residential development in its place
By James Paracy Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor
Port Alberni, BC - Since September of 2003, Sproat Lake Elementary School has been closed to the public. Now, in September of 2022, progress is offi cially being made to remove the rapidly deteriorating and graffi ti-covered building from the land it sits on. Through the benefi t of federal funding, Tseshaht First Nation Chief Councillor Ken Watts is fairly excited for the opportunity that comes with this major step in his community. Tearing down the decrepit building opens up the opportunity to use the land for residential or commercial use. Watts says the decision is closer to being made on the matter after conducting a study. “We’ve received federal funding to explore economic opportunities there and done a ton of various studies, feasibility studies and other matters on the land with the intent of doing some type of residential development there - whether it be for community members or out-of-market housing,” he explained. Off ering Tseshaht members housing on the land would have one obstacle to get around fi rst: getting the property rezoned. The land Sproat Lake School sits on is currently part of the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District. Watts and the Tseshaht First Nation have reached out to the Regional District to see if rezoning the land to reserve land would be possible, and they’ve been receptive so far. However, that presents a further obstacle to overcome according to Watts. “The city doesn’t usually service off reserve property out of the city limits, and that’s what that is, that’s not in the city limits [or] within the regional district limits,” outlined Watts. “So, we’re worried now that we can’t run water and sewer there. We’re now discussing looking at adding it to reserve and still proceeding with some type of housing development there, and it’s clear housing is needed everywhere.” Although a city-serviced sewer system may not be an option for the site at this point, other options are still possible. The former school’s land sits just past the Tseshaht reserve’s water and sewer limits,
Photo by James Paracy The demolition of the Sproat Lake School, located on Highway 4 west of Port Alberni, commenced on Sept. 12, and is expected to last until the end of the year.
but even though it isn’t something that’s usually done, the nearby Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Hall was connected to water and sewer years ago. Some nearby residential areas closer to Sproat Lake run their sewer systems off of well-based water; it has yet to be seen if resident developments could follow suit. Obstacles aside, Watts is ready to make something happen on the Sproat Lake School site. “I’m pretty certain that we’ll be doing some type of housing development and then we’ll kind of go from there,” he added. The project itself provides a major benefi t to the Tseshaht First Nation after over 20 years of owning the property. The major issue holding back the demolition of Sproat Lake School for this long has been funding. The building is full of asbestos and lead paint, which makes for an increasingly more expensive removal and demolition job, one that wasn’t easily aff ordable until the federal funding mentioned by Chief Councillor Watts was granted. The federal government’s funding comes with a training program through the project. According to Watts, the training program will lead to several jobs for Tseshaht members, who will gain skills to use going forward. “I think there’s eight Nuu-Chah-Nulth or Indigenous people that are involved in the training program right now,” said Watts. “We’re able to tap into that and some economic funding and other areas to really make it a reality. We had to be creative and work with the government to fi nd ways to make it a reality. So, I’m really excited to be seeing the members, both Tseshaht and not, being trained and knowing there’s great employment opportunities for them after this. It’s exciting. It’s a new industry, but at the same time we’re tearing down a building that’s been an eyesore for a decade.” Demolition of Sproat Lake School began on September 12. The project is run by Pro Pacifi c Hazmat in collaboration with an array of other companies and contractors. The demolition is expected to carry on Monday through Friday until the end of 2022.
Looking for......
Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services are looking for individual/s or families who are interested in caregiving for teens with high-risk behaviors. The Caregiver(s) would provide 24-hour care in a culturally safe and suppor! ve environment, responding eff ec! vely to challenging behaviours. Compensa! on would be built around the specifi c needs of the youth and the Caregiver, and could include both direct services and fi nancial support to allow Caregivers to meet the needs of the youth.
