Prep work begins on Bamfi eld road

Province hires 85 more paramedics, but some worry the scheduling shift could put isolated se lements at risk

By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The province is strengthening its ambulance system through its largest hiring push in B.C.’s history in rural and remote areas. Health Minister Adrian Dix said 24 ambulance stations will move from on-call staffi ng to 24-7 service. An additional 26 smaller stations will be getting more “permanent, regular paramedics” beginning Nov. 1. Some of the communities listed to benefi t from these improvements include: Lake Cowichan, Tofi no, Tahsis and Zeballos, all of which Nuu-chah-nulth nations rely on. “When we call 911 for help, British Columbians need to feel confi dent that help is on the way and that it will arrive quickly,” Dix said in a release. “The signifi cant progress made by BC Emergency Health Services over the summer will ensure a more eff ective ambulance service for patients and families who depend on it. Better support for paramedics and dispatchers will help them do the vital work we count on every day.” Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) Vice-President Mariah Charleson said she is happy to see “a push for essential services to reach our rural and remote communities.” “People who live in these rural and remote communities often suff er in silence,” she said. “These are communities that are removed from services like the ambulance, services like the hospital, a dentist, a grocery store or a post offi ce.” Ehattesaht First Nation’s village of Ehatis is located next to Zeballos, which sits at the end of a 42-kilometre unpaved active logging road. Residents who require basic needs, such as hospital services or groceries, must travel to the nearest commercial centre in Port McNeill, which is 84 kilometres away, or Campbell River. Ehattesaht First Nation Councillor Ernie Smith said that a lack of access to emergency services could mean the diff erence between life and death. “If somebody has a heart attack or a stroke you can’t be waiting an hour and a half for an ambulance to come [from Port McNeill],” he said. In May, Zeballos Mayor Julie Colborne expressed her concern about the “sustainability of BC Ambulance services in the Zeballos area” in a letter addressed to minister Dix. When the BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) proposed a new paramedic staffi ng model in rural and remote communities called Scheduled On-Call, it raised alarm bells. “I see this move as a catastrophic collapse of a service,” wrote Colborne. Under the new model, Colborne said Zeballos would have one regular parttime paid paramedic, and the remaining hours would be covered by on-call paramedics that would receive a stipend of $2 per hour until their pager goes off . If on duty, they’d receive regular pay for a minimum of four hours. The community had been previously operating under the “kilo guarantee” model, which provided on-call staff with a minimum of four hours pay regardless of whether they were called-out or not. “This [shift] is concerning to a small community for several reasons, including availability of paramedics in community; issues with recruitment and retention, coverage for the area; and safety of our community, the area, its visitors, and workers,” Colborne wrote. NTC echoed Colborne’s concern in a separate letter addressed to Dix in June. “Changing [or] diminishing the current service model will undoubtedly have lasting eff ects and some of those could potentially be fatal,” it read. “The risks are too big.” The province’s latest move to convert rural stations to full-time staffi ng is being called Alpha. “We’re happy to see that there has been a stronger push for understanding the risks that are associated with having that lack of access to essential services,” said Charleson. According to the Ministry of Health, the hiring of the 85 new paramedics and 30 new dispatchers is currently underway. “We are on track with fi lling new paramedic and dispatch positions, and I know this is going to create more stability in our staffi ng and improve our emergency medical response and our community paramedic services in rural and remote B.C. in particular,” said Leanne Heppell, BCEHS interim chief ambulance offi cer, in a release. Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Elmer Frank said his nation is looking forward to seeing a growth in services. “We know with our participation in our regional COVID-19 response teams that there’s a high demand for ambulance services,” he said. The provincial government developed the Rural, Remote, First Nations and Indigenous COVID-19 Response Framework in May to help ensure people living in remote Indigenous communities “have access to critical health care they can count on.” Remote Nuu-chah-nulth nations were among the fi rst in B.C. to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in January. For Charleson, it stood as an example of Indigenous peoples’ needs being met. As the winter season approaches and safety risks associated with traveling inand-out of remote communities increases, Charleson said she’s relieved that change is coming. “It’s something that we’ve been fi ghting for,” she said. “Ensuring that our rural and remote communities’ needs are being met.”

Mariah Charleson

Leaders look to implementation of UNDRIP Act

Continued from Page 1. “None of us wanted this election, and at the same time we’ve got lots of work to do,” added Johns. When MPs do return to the House this fall a critical item for reconciliation with First Nations will be going forward with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act. This legislation, which received Royal assent in June, has been called a framework to guide Canada’s implementation of the UN declaration in consultation with Aboriginal peoples. But what entails proper consultation is a critical matter, cautions Sayers. For the government to just gather input from the Assembly of First Nations is not good enough. “AFN is not the rights holder,” she said of the national advocacy organization. It will be up to the NDP and other parties to ensure that the Liberals are “respecting the spirit and intent of that law,” stressed MacGregor. “In trying to make sure that our federal laws are in harmony with the UN declaration, I think it’s going to be up to each individual critic in the opposition side,” he said. “Reconciliation, defi ned and led by First Nations and Indigenous communities, has to be guided by the implementation of the UN declaration,” added Johns. “It needs an implementation timeline.” The Government of Canada’s language that accompanied the passing of Bill C-15 mentions seeking input from Indigenous peoples “in decision-making and management activities”, collaborating “in a manner that gives voice to the declaration.” But this will hit many Nuu-chah-nulthaht who rely on ocean resources with a bitter irony. After over a decade of stalled negotiations and multiple court decisions that affi rmed the rights of fi ve Nuu-chahnulth nations to catch and sell fi sh from their respective territorial waters, a message from hereditary chiefs authorized their people to disregard catch allocations set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The Aug. 4 message from Ahousaht, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, Tla-o-qui-aht and Ehattesaht Ha’wiih permitted their people to harvest according to the First Nations’ own fi shing plans. “The government needs to come to the table with a real mandate to address the court decision and ensure that Indigenous people aren’t back in court, that they’re out on the water fi shing,” said Johns. “I really believe that when the Nuu-chahnulth prosper, everybody prospers.”

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Reporter Melissa Renwick Maaqtusiis school The opening of Maaqtusiis Elementary and Secondary Schools has been delayed due to rising COVID-19 cases. Photo (416) 436-4277 Fax: (250) 723-0463 melissa.renwick@nuuchahnulth.org Cases delay school start in Ahousaht Elementary and high school closed for deep cleaning due to cases in community

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By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Ahousaht, BC – The opening of Ahousaht’s Maaqtusiis Elementary and Secondary Schools has been delayed due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the village. According to Rebecca Atleo, Ahousaht’s director of education, the school will hopefully open Sept. 27, 2021. “Unfortunately, the numbers of positive COVID cases in our departments warranted closing all the departments in our education system,” Atleo wrote in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa. She went to state that janitorial staff will do a deep sanitizing of all Ahousaht’s education buildings. “We have assured parents that the required number of hours will not be affected,” she added. The school will continue to supply hand sanitizers to its students for the remainder of the school year as a safety measure, not only for COVID-19, but also for general colds and fl u. Atleo indicated that there is concern about the families that traveled to Port Alberni during the Fall Fair weekend. “We shall see what happens after this Fall Fair weekend. Quite a few of our community members attended with their children,” she noted. In his Sept. 8, community update, Ahousaht elected chief Greg Louie confi rmed that his offi ce received news from provincial health authorities that another resident has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the number of cases in Ahousaht to six. Louie says the aff ected people are selfisolating at home, as recommended by provincial health authorities. “Please be supportive…don’t be angry and don’t be blaming,” Louie reminded membership. In light of this news, Louie says both Ahousaht elementary and secondary schools were closed for sanitizing. Louie reported that both schools were deep cleaned on Sept. 8. In addition, Louie stated that staff from both schools have been directed to stay home and self-monitor for symptoms. The Ahousaht education director could not be reached for school start times, but a principal posted on social media that Grade 8 would begin on Sept. 13 away from the school. A two-day orientation and culture camp was planned for eighth graders on an island away from the village, but that has since been cancelled due to the COVID cases in the community. Louie has been in touch with a pandemic nurse and relayed advice. If you have been exposed and fully vaccinated two weeks prior to exposure, you do not need to isolate. If you have not been vaccinated or are partially vaccinated and have been exposed, you should self-isolate and monitor yourself for symptoms – fever, chills, cough and chest pain. If you have symptoms, get tested. “The guidelines are always changing,” Louie told his audience. Some people, he noted, are becoming complacent. He reminded people to continue to be on guard. “Island Health does contact tracing and will contact you if you have been exposed,” said Louie. Upcoming vaccination clinics will be open to people ages 12 and over. Louie says visitors are allowed in the community on the condition that the people that they are staying with are comfortable having them. “If you do come visit, you must be well and not have any recent exposures…no symptoms,” said Louie.

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Availability crisis continues, as cost of three-bedroom rentals in Tofi no, Ucluelet up 51 per cent over fi ve years

By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tofi no, BC - Three Nuu-chah-nulth nations are participating in a housing survey to better understand their community’s needs. Tla-o-qui-aht, Toquaht and Ucluelet First Nations are collaborating with the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, the District of Tofi no and the District of Ucluelet to develop an accurate picture of the housing situation on the west coast. “These surveys will become an important part of our toolkit as a government,” said Spencer Touchie, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government assets manager. “We will be completing the same process every fi ve years so we can watch trends in our communities and use the data to strengthen our case for more housing.” Data collected by the Coastal Family Resource Coalition over the past fi ve years indicates that the cost of renting three-bedroom units in Tofi no and Ucluelet is up 51 per cent. Meanwhile, the average house in Tofi no costs nearly $800,000, and more than $600,000 in Ucluelet. From 2012 to 2018, the value of a single-family home rose 39 per cent in Tofi no, 32 per cent in Ucluelet and 38 per cent in Port Alberni, according to the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust’s 2018 vital signs report. “The cost of living has gone up and so has market rent,” said Sheila Seitcher, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation housing manager. “The survey is important because it helps us identify need and potential options outside of our community boundaries.” Tla-o-qui-aht is currently designing 90 mixed-residential housing lots for their community in Ty-Histanis. Around 20 lots will be reserved for members who want to build themselves, and the others will address community needs through the construction of various multi-family and single-family homes, said Seitcher. The nation is hoping to break ground within the next year or two, she added. Meanwhile, Tla-o-qui-aht members who applied for housing six years ago are still on the waitlist. “We just don’t have enough housing,” said Seitcher. “That also poses a problem when we have neighbouring communities like Ahousaht and Hot Springs looking for housing. It makes it really hard for them too. I’m hoping we can start to look at those issues as well.” Not only are Tla-o-qui-aht members struggling to secure housing, but they’re also fi nding it challenging to keep up with payments. To make ends meet, Seitcher said members are regularly having to use services, such as the food bank and housing assistance. The West Coast Housing Need and Demand Survey will help identify available services and off -reserve housing opportunities for members with unique needs, she said. Most of Tla-o-qui-aht’s houses are set-up for families. As a result, Seitcher said that young, single members are often forced to fi nd accommodation outside of the community. Up-to-date data will allow the nation to search for funding opportunities, develop pilot-projects and create partnerships with local businesses and organizations, said Seitcher. Tla-o-qui-aht is hoping to encourage its members to participate through door-todoor engagement, she said. Similarly, Touchie said he hopes to get as many participants from Ucluelet First Nation involved as possible. “Smaller sample sizes will only get us less accurate data,” he said. “We can’t only use data derived from tools like the census to get a better picture of the needs of our own people.” Through community input, M’akola Development Services Project Lead Sandy Mackay said that the survey will also capture a clearer picture of what community members envision for their future. “It’s really about understanding what the current situation is,” said Mackay. “Trying to understand how you, as a member of these communities or potential members of these communities, want your housing situation to evolve and grow. That will allow participating nations to design their development processes to focus on specifi c types of units.” While many are struggling to fi nd housing in the region, Seitcher said the situation is not unique to the west coast. “It’s happening everywhere in Canada at the moment,” she said. “Tofi no is a really small community, so we don’t have a lot of land to begin with.” Because of that, Seitcher said she hopes to see more apartment and condominiumstyle projects moving forward. “We have a greater need for diff erent types of housing,” she said.

Photo by Eric Plummer Tla-o-qui-aht is currently designing 90 mixed-residential housing lots for their community in Ty-Histanis. Around 20 lots will be reserved for members who want to build themselves, and the others will address community needs through the construction of various multi-family and single-family homes.

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