KDC Newsletter - June 2022

A MESSAGE

FROM

MANAGEMENT

As we look back, we are pleased with the corporation’s performance over the last 2 years of this trying pandemic. It has been difficult on everyone, including our business operations and hopefully, we have all come through this challenging time, stronger and more resilient. We are proud of our strong start this year with improved community communications and consultation including several recent meetings as we are now able to gather and move towards a more normal life Our pledge is to keep the community well informed on the economic development activities and to support this we have hired Rebecca Benjamin-Carey as our new communications and capacity development coordinator.

With the dialogue and feedback from membership over the last several months, we have begun working on several initiatives including more consistent work at the smoker plant, the completion of the lodge expansion as we ready for guests in August, new forest harvesting opportunities in Surf Inlet and the preparation and construction (starting soon) on the new Band store.

We continue to look into our service operations and respond to feedback to ensure we are providing you with a quality service, better selection and an improved experience when shopping at the Band store

SPIRIT BEAR LODGE

COASTAL CLEAN UP INITIATIVE

Over the past two years, Spirit Bear Lodge has been providing employment via the coastal cleanup that saw over 200 tons of garbage removed from the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest, and a research project in partnership with KXSA and the University of Victoria

TOURISM PLANS FOR 2022

Finally, after two years without a tourism season, Spirit Bear Lodge is reopening to Canadians only from August 8th through October 15th The renovations to the lodge are nearly completed and the entire team is looking forward to getting back to doing what we love, with increased Covid-19 safety measures We are excited to once again share Kitasoo Xai'xais territory and culture with guests and host the Coastal Guardian Watchman gathering this fall

SBL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Over the last couple of years SBL has provided community workshops to teach traditional songs, stories, dance, and art, as well as territory trips and contributions to various other initiatives like Klemtu community wellness group programmes

photo by: Jack Plant

SMOKEHOUSE CELEBRATION IN KLEMTU

An opening ceremony for the new Klemtu Spirit Smokehouse took place on May 25th, marking Mowi Canada West’s long-standing partnership with the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation community.

After Francis Robinson, who represented the youth of the community, cut the ribbon to officially open the Smokehouse, a traditional blessing ceremony was performed by Hereditary Chief Harvey Robinson, Roxanne Robinson and Tiffany Mason The doors were then opened to the community where they had the chance to tour the processing plant and remote feeding station and sample Klemtu Spirit salmon. As you can see from the photos, the celebrations and salmon were well received!

Following the Smokehouse opening ceremony, Mowi was invited into the traditional Big House to host a community celebration with food, traditional dancing, drumming and speeches. It was a night to recognize and honour our special partnership, friendship and the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation’s right to prosperity and

Written by: Mowi Canada West

photo by: Justin Neasloss

photo by: Justin Neasloss

photo by: Justin Neasloss photo by: Justin Neasloss

The official opening of the Smokehouse follows a number of investments in Klemtu, including a new centralized feed station, located in the same building as the Smokehouse, and staff accommodation.

Mowi’s ongoing investment in Klemtu will contribute to its sustainability and provide employment opportunities for the Kitasoo/Xai’xais community, as Isaiah Robinson, General Manager of Kitasoo Development Corporation, says: “Over our 20-yea t hi M i C d W t h strived Mowi C they br and ec

“The vision and the realization of the smoke plant was only possible because of the strength of our relationship. I believe there will be more opportunities like this in our future. We can do wonderful and impactful things when we work together.” - Diane Morrison, Mowi Canada West managing director

photo by: Justin Neasloss

photo by: Justin Neasloss

photo by: Justin Neasloss

UPGRADES TO SALMON FARMS

REMOTE FEEDING STATION STAFF ACCOMODATION

Klemtu's new feeding station uses artificial intelligence to monitor fish activity levels and pellets on a screen located in the smokehouse If there are too many or not enough, an alert will be raised so staff can take action immediately.

Mowi has invested in a new, 28bedroom living barge to replace The Camp House. The new barge has bedrooms with TVs, a staff restaurant, a gym and office space for paperwork – a significant improvement for staff!

SALMON FARM LICENSE RENEWALS

For the past 20 years, Mowi has strived to invest in our people's future by bringing jobs, hope and prosperity to the community. On June 22, 2022, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced the reissuing of all salmon farm

licenses for a 2 year period, this decision now sets in motion a path forward for Canada, British Columbia and First Nation’s governments to discuss this issue and allow for proper consultation and dialogue with stakeholders. As a First Nation with a strong connection and stewardship responsibility to wild salmon in our territories, we have a vested interest in ensuring that wild salmon and salmon farming can co-exist while providing for a viable economy for our people.

KELP FARMING PILOT PROJECT

Kitasoo Seafoods is prepared to launch a new pilot project with financial support from Ocean Regenerative, a company that practices ocean-based seaweed farming.

WHY SEAWEED?

Seaweed is important to ocean life It helps absorb carbon and other nutrients, and it also produces oxygen that we breathe. The ocean is becoming more acidic as it absorbs CO2 from the air, which can have harmful effects on marine life

One hectare of seaweed forest can absorb about 15 tonnes of carbon per year. However, most of the carbon that it absorbs is reabsorbed into the water column. Harvesting seaweed disrupts this process by producing products that return carbon to soils, where it can be sequestered and help restore carbon balance.

KLEMTU SPIRIT - A SUCCESS STORY!

Kitasoo Xai'xais Nation launched its first retail product, Klemtu Spirit Hot Smoked Atlantic Salmon, with Walmart Canada in December 2021. Since it hit the shelves, Klemtu Spirit has seen very strong sales due to the great quality of the product and the support Walmart has provided in marketing and sales Klemtu Spirit is the culmination of a 30-year partnership between the Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nation and Mowi operating in our territory.

photo by MOWI

photo by: Ocean Regenerative

KITASOO FOREST COMPANY

Kitasoo Forest Company works with Kitasoo Xai'xais Stewardship Authority, the Band Council, and their business partners to ensure sustainable forestry practices are followed in our Territory Kitasoo Forest Company (KFC) held two community meetings (April 7 & May 18) so far this year following a long period of restrictions due to the pandemic. KFC is looking forward to continuing to engage with the community.

KDC General Manager Isaiah Robinson met with Western Forest Products and the Capacity Forest Management team in Campbell River in April 2022 The team discussed how forestry has been operating until now and how to improve going forward – especially in regard to how to improve community engagement.

CURRENT & UPCOMING FORESTRY PROJECTS

POOLEY HELI - KFC/WFP JOINT VENTURE

This project started in November 2021 and is now complete The project made considerable profits that will be available to Council soon to put towards community projects.

POOLEY CONVENTIONAL - KFC/WFP JOINT VENTURE

This project is waiting for approval If approved, it will provide many potential job and training opportunities and profits for the community. Potential jobs for community members include engineers, tree planters, silviculture surveyors, harvest inspectors, utility persons, chasers, bull cooks, landing buckers, swampers, salvage, and boat drivers. KFC and WFP are working together to put together career paths to ensure KXFN members are given proper training and access to forestry jobs

SURF INLET – KFC/GITGA'AT JOINT VENTURE

The Surf Inlet forestry project is being done jointly between Gitga’at Forestry Inc. (GFI) and Kitasoo Forest Company Ltd.

The project is a result of an agreement between Gitga’at Nation and Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation to have each Nation’s forestry business enter a joint venture contract to carry out planning and harvesting in Surf Inlet. The business venture will target 50,000m3 of heli logging with both companies contributing 25,000m3 each, and profits split equally. This joint project between GFI and KFC is the first joint project between the two Nations. Everyone involved is excited about the project and the potential to build this Pilot into a long-term relationship as there are plenty of opportunities to do more together in the future

Initial project projections show very healthy profits to be delivered to each Nation. Cedar markets continue to be at record highs and the planned project in Surf does have a high cedar percentage overall. There will also be some employment opportunities to be advertised Part of the discussion with VIH will be around jobs in all phases of the upcoming work and once those are identified, detailed ads will be sent out. We are certain that there will be a job posting for a two-person crew with a punt-style boat to assist with limb picking/water monitoring during the heliphase and any additional positions will be advertised once those needs are identified.

KITASOO FOREST COMPANY & WESTERN FOREST PRODUCTS JOINT VENTURE

The KFC/WFP forestry Joint Venture (JV)was created in 2012 in Nowish Inlet. Before that, WFP operated in the KX territory on Roderick Island.

HOW DOES THE JV WORK?

FUNDING

WFP pays for operation costs upfront to lower the risk of loss for KXFN When a project is complete, WFP is paid back from the profits.

APPROVALS

WFP and KFC submit Cutting Permit applications to the KX Council and Steward for recommendations and approval before logging.

FOREST MANAGEMENT

PROFIT SHARES

WFP and KFC combine licenses and split volume 50/50 but split profits 60/40 to benefit KX Nation.

Capacity Forest Management handles forest planning, logging operations, mapping, and visual resources for all KXFN forestry projects.

TIMBER SALES

Storey Creek Trading manages harvest planning, quality control, inventory and log sales to ensure KXFN gets the best price for the wood.

A MESSAGE FROM WESTERN FOREST PRODUCTS

We were excited to get back into the KXFN community in mid-May 2022 – it had been a few years delayed by Covid, and long overdue to engage with the passionate membership! We spent the afternoon with the Stewardship Committee discussing the learnings from our current project to apply moving forward. The visit allowed us to further understand the Nation’s stewardship priorities as they continue to support developments in KXFN’s working forests to deliver meaningful benefits for the KXFN people That evening we hosted a community dinner and were very pleased with the turnout We love to see the engagement of the KXFN community in our discussions, and we still have much to learn as we move forward in this ever-evolving partnership.

The biggest takeaway we took from our visit is the clear need to improve communications with the broader KXFN community We have healthy dialogue with Isaiah Robinson and his Economic Development team and the Nation’s Stewardship Office. We, however, need to expand our efforts beyond these forestry-focused arms of the Nation and communicate more clearly and consistently with the community at large. We have made some advances in this area, as evidenced by the appointment of Rebecca Benjamin-Carey as the communication liaison Working with Isaiah and Rebecca, we plan to use social media, the website, and regular newsletters to reach the broader membership and tell our story more effectively.

All of those welcomed to Klemtu by your gracious community were able to have some one-on-one conversations with many in the community and we all left inspired and motivated to continue contributing to the prosperity of Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation

Wildlife Habitat

Ecosytems

FORESTRY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY

CULTURAL AWARENESS IN THE WORKPLACE

Kitasoo Forest Company is committed to creating safe working environments for everyone. We are currently responding to feedback from the community that cultural awareness needs to be improved in forestry and all KDC workplaces.

The Devcorp is now working with indigenous author, storyteller, advocate and facilitator Elaine Alec to develop a cultural sensitivity program tailored specifically to the Kitasoo Xai'xais Nation

This is just the first step toward improving cultural awareness in the workplace. The KFC/WFP joint venture will be supporting the ongoing development of a Kitasoo Xai'xais cultural awareness training program that will be implemented into company policies and become a standard requirement for anyone working in the Kitasoo Xai'xais Territory

SUPPORTING COMMUNITY EVENTS & PROJECTS

$10,000 TO SPIRIT BEAR FOUNDATION $3000 TO KIDS SPORTS DAY

Every year, the KFC/WFP joint venture donates $10,000 to the Spirit Bear Foundation to support research and conservation in KX Territory

This year, the KFC/WFP JV donated $3000 and t-shirts for volunteers to the Kids Sports Day event to go towards prizes, food, and drinks.

COMMUNITY FIREWOOD PROJECT BUILDING A ROAD IN KLEMTU

The KFC/WFV JV is bringing approximately 25 cords of firewood to Klemtu by barge from the Pooley Island Heli project in early July.

YOUTH CENTER

The KFC/WFV JV is donating to help renovate the new youth center

If the Pooley Conventional project is approved, the JV will be able to use forestry project road builders to build a much-needed subdivision road in Klemtu

COMMUNITY CENTER

If the community decides that it wants a new Community Center then KFC/WFP and KDC will assist with funding.

JOBS & TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

JUL 1 &2 | CHAINSAW OPERATING COURSE

The KFC/WFP JV is sponsoring a Basic Chainsaw Operator Training course for interested community members The course will educate participants in safe work procedures and saw handling principles necessary to safely operate a chainsaw. Send an email to capdev@kitasoodevcorp ca if you would like to sign up for the course!

AUGUST 2022 | FUNDAMENTALS OF FOREST HARVESTING PRACTICES AT VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY

Tuition and accommodation are fully paid for! The VIU Program is designed to provide students with the foundation skills and knowledge required to work safely, productively and sustainably in a harvesting environment Send an email to capdev@kitaosodevcorp.ca for more info!

JUNE 2022 | JOB POSTING: LIMB PICKERS

Forestry will be taking applications for limb-picking immediately Forestry will also be hiring limb pickers for the Surf Island project with Gitga'at First Nation. Send an e-mail to hr@kitasoodevcorp.ca to apply now.

MEET OUR NEW COMMUNITY FORESTRY COORDINATOR!

Mercedes Robinson has just been hired as the new Community Forestry Coordinator for the Kitasoo Development Corporation. The Forestry Coordinator will act as a liaison between the forestry company and the community. The DevCorp will be supporting educational development and training for this role We are very excited to welcome Mercedes to the team!

KITASOO BAND STORE & FUELS

NEW BAND STORE COMING SOON!

Klemtu's community Store is getting a major makeover! The Northern Development Initiative Trust announced in May that they approved $300,000 funding for the construction and expansion of our new community store in Klemtu. This will be an 8500 sq ft facility with plenty of room for all your needs. This project will not only help our community keep up with modern needs, but will also come with a new cafe, healthier food options, and many other great additions

“The new community store is 40 percent larger than the previous facility and will provide us with the opportunity to supply more choices for the consumers and healthier eating options while increasing the Nation’s overall food security In addition, a modern store with greater supply will reduce our unit cost through higher sales volume and more efficient transportation resulting in less economic leakage from the community.” - Isaiah Robinson, General Manager, Kitasoo Development Corporation

KDC GENERAL NEWS

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

After two long years of isolating and living with a pandemic, we were happy to finally engage with the community during in-person meetings

We know some community members were unable to attend the AGM so we created a summary report. If you would like a copy, email comms@kitasoodevcorp.ca.

NEW CORPORATE STRUCTURE

MEET OUR NEW FINANCE CONTROL MANAGER!

Aruna Godwin has just been hired as KDC's new Finance Control Supervisor, he and his family will be in the community full-time

Until recently, Kitasoo Devcorp followed a trust system that was set up 15 years ago by an accounting firm (MNP). The trust system was made up of 2 groups: the Bare Trust and the Reversionary Trust (now known as the Investment Trust). Due to changes in legal structure, the Bare Trust is no longer needed.

HOW IT WORKS:

THE FIREWALL PROTECTS COUNCIL AND DEVCORP FROM BEING SUED IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT IN ORDER FOR IT TO WORK, THE DEVCORP CANNOT HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER HOW SURPLUS PROFITS ARE SPENT