Beau Dick, Canadian artist of the Northwest Pacific Coast tradition, was a leading proponent of the collective experience of builders and artisans cooperating on big projects, a shared burden strongly reflecting the traditional way of life in the Indigenous communities of the Northwest Pacific Coast. “The time-line in the experience is all shared,” he explained, about working on cultural projects. Beau was a man with strong connections to the coastal past, born in 1955 and raised in Kingcome Inlet, B.C. (an inlet flowing deep into the mainland coast) there to grow up with a lot of culturally-grounded individuals.
Beau lived his first 10 years surrounded by extended family including Elders, uncles and aunts, and others who maintained the society of Big House Potlatch culture rooted in history. They lived in personal contact with pristine surroundings of Kingcome Inlet, sustained by hard work and thriving culture in manufacturing various forms of arts and crafts. His early years were spent fully immersed in Kwakwala, the language of the nation. Beau sat amongst carvers, father, grandfather, and uncles, and listened to histories, legends, laws, jurisdiction, in Kwakwala, and learned the way things came to pass and what is to come. Beau was vigilant about maintaining and passing along that knowledge for the rest of his life. READ IT HERE
AgriMarine Holdings / West Coast Fishculture (Lois Lake) Ltd
Brain Drain Washes Out The Red Road
Principles must now lead to real change for Indigenous peoples
Immerse Yourself in Comfort
at Quaaout Lodge and Spa
BCSFA Statement Responds to Sea Shepherd Society Operation Virus Hunter II
Ksan Historical Village and Museum an Indigenous Peoples Showcase
Grieg Seafood commends work of Ocean Legacy Foundation
Aquaculture Experience and Innovation from Canadian Growers
TORONTO, ON - Jun. 29, 2017 - “On July 1st, 2017, Canadians will be gathering across the country to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the formation of both Canada and the Province of Ontario. This call for celebration presents First Nations with a poignant moment. First Nations were the First Peoples to govern this land, now known as Canada, and were present for thousands of years prior to Confederation as self-determining Nations with distinct cultures, languages, laws, traditions, and a unique understanding of the land and environment. While we acknowledge the formation of Canada and Ontario 150 years past, our true and shared history goes much further, to a time when we First Nations were the economic driving force and held the balance of power prior to the creation of what is now known as Canada.
READ IT HERE
Unique Culture, Rich Heritage and Breathtaking Attractions on the Secwepemc Landscape
Goodbye, My Friend, Beau Dick
Hon. Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, announced funding from Ottawa for Fish Safe BC to support an education and awareness initiative in January of 2016, that promotes safe boating practices on board small commercial fishing vessels across the country. Fish Safe BC is receiving up to $900,000 over three years to expand a successful safety education program based in B.C., the "Safest Catch" program. This program uses fishermen to train other fishermen about relevant regulatory requirements and how to make safety an integral part of their commercial fishing business. READ IT HERE
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form a central part of the
Badinotti Net Services Canada Ltd. (Badinotti Net Services) in Campbell River, B.C., took possession of a 40' catamaran, in January 2017, designed specifically to clean nets on the open sea. The Bravo II is the result of two years of research and planning based off of Badinotti Net Services three-plus years of experience with on-site net washing operations. READ IT HERE
TORONTO, ON – March 22 was World Water Day. Since 1993, the United Nations has made this a day of to bring awareness to issues related to the future of water around the globe. Ontario alone has over one-fifth of the world’s fresh water. “Water Day reminds us that water is life,” said Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day, Mar. 21, 2017, “First Nations have never given up our rights to water. It is our sacred duty to preserve and protect our water sources, so our children and future generations will continue to experience that gift.” READ IT HERE
Meetings are being held throughout many Secwepemc Nation communities to discuss the Kinder Morgan pipeline, which courses directly across their unceded, unsurrendered territory, "Our greatest concern is that the pipeline will travel all along the North Thompson River Valley
in developing sustainable technologies for commercial aquaculture applications. The Company operates its farming division through West Coast Fishculture (Lois Lake) Ltd., and its technology division through AgriMarine Technologies Inc..
Solar Eclipse 2017 Pacific Coast Canada 10 :40 am
Lioness Hugging her Cub!
— Tom Hall ☘ (@TomHall) August 10, 2017
Mother's Love ❤️
🦁 🦁 🦁 🦁 🦁#ThursdayThoughts #Lion #WorldLionDay #NationalLazyDaypic.twitter.com/7IcJhGyVtD
Chief Day Says 'World Water Day Means Meeting Basic Human Rights'
impact. "Our sustainability report this year is centered on five concrete focus areas which are aligned with the SDGs, and through our reporting we present Cermaq’s approach to contribute to the realization of the SDGs, says Wenche Grønbrekk, head of Sustainability and Risk in Cermaq Group. READ IT HERE
Bravo II a State-of-the-Art On-Site Net Washing Vessel
Strengthening Commercial Fishing Safety in Canada Through Fish Safe BC
Tribal Journeys Standing Together 2017
CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. – The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) responded on Jul. 27, 2017, to the latest activist campaign ‘Operation Virus Hunter II’, organized by the U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Society. This follows last summer’s ‘Operation Virus Hunter’ campaign, that has yet to publish or indicate any scientific findings at all. The experience with Sea Shepherd’s 2016 campaign was challenging and stressful for farm workers. They regularly dealt with low flying drones, activists with cameras taking images of their living quarters, and frequent breaches of important biosecurity protocols that protect fish health. Farmers ask that activists remain a respectful distance from their farms and obtain all necessary permits, and permissions, before carrying out their activities. “We’re disappointed that this latest American funded and organized activist campaign is attempting to paint a misleading picture of an industry that provides a healthy, sustainable product,” says BCSFA Executive Director Jeremy Dunn. READ IT HERE
As I learned from a trip to the museum located in the small tranquil town of Courtenay, on Vancouver Island, a short ride up the Coast-hugging Island Highway, the Comox Valley was once mainly a saltlake lagoon home to gigantic reptiles as well as other diverse and exciting marine creatures.
One 80 million year old fossil at the museum looked ferocious as it spanned metres of a circular display, frozen in time, hunting its prey. Another creature in the downtown museum, is living, looks more like a giant newt or salamander than a Loch Ness Monster. Her name is Pam, my friend informed me, as she pressed her strange distorted face to the glass of the tank and observed us.
Sustainability is a Choice
When Desire Munyaneza was sent to jail in October 2009, it was because he was found guilty of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in connection with the 1994 Rwandan genocide. At one time, the question was aired: what prompted genocide to erupt in Rwanda in 1994? The question rose especially after the courts heard the testimony in trials about this genocide of recent history. The explanation was that some kind of political vacuum was left by departing colonial Belgians. But what explains the incessant radio broadcasts calling day and night for Hutus to take every corpuscle out of the Tutsis? “Kill Tutsi ‘cockroaches!’” the radio cried, endlessly, ceaselessly. This broadcasting dehumanization of Tutsis facillitated the inexplicable slaughter of nearly a million people in less than 80 days.
Dugout Canoe demonstration project at Quaaout Lodge & Spa
Quaaout Lodge and Spa has been established for over 25 years on the shores of Little Shuswap Lake. The 70-room facility has grown from inception to include spa and conference halls, not to mention an 18-hole golf course ranked in the top 10 in B.C., and cultural awareness features such as a re-created kekuli on the property beside the lake, and pictography in the facility's walks and walls that recall the ancient connection of the Little Shuswap Indian Band with their traditional territory in the Secwepemc Nation. READ IT HERE
150 years of assimilation, genocide, neglect and marginalization
REGINA, SK - July 25, 2017 – As First Nations leaders, Elders, women and youth from across Canada gathered in Regina, SK today for the opening of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Annual General Assembly, AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde and federal Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, announced that First Nations will have more control of financial resources from one year to the next. READ IT HERE
No Secwepemc Consent
GROWING THE BUILDING TRADES IN MANITOBA'S INDIGENOUS YOUTH
At least 13 have been killed in Barcelona terrorist attack, El Mundo reports https://t.co/62S2q8esTn pic.twitter.com/iWQUR1oze5
— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) August 17, 2017
Bellegarde Announces Changes Giving First Nations Greater Financial Control
Jane Ash Poitras, C.M.
Edmonton, Alberta
Jane Ash Poitras’s unique artistic vision encompasses many diverse topics and themes and helps give voice to Indigenous people in Canada. An internationally-celebrated visual artist of Cree descent, she has created contemporary mixed-media collages that are infused with powerful social and cultural meaning. Her work has been showcased in solo and group exhibitions, and in numerous public and private collections, both nationally and internationally. Affiliated with the University of Alberta, she also speaks regularly at universities and galleries across North America and abroad.
Jane Ash Poitras CM, RCA
B.Sc., B.F.A., M.F.A., B.A. (Hon.), LLD (Hon.), DLitt (Hon.)
Approximately 100 canoes participating in the ocean voyages originated from as far away as Washington State and outer coast of Vancouver Island as they were paddling through the Inside Passage to meet in Campbell River, B.C.. This is the site of a large five-day summer festival of Indigenous traditional customs and modern gatherings, to which the wider community of publics was welcome In fact there will be 1,000 canoes expected on the shores at Campbell River beginning on the arrival date of Aug 5, with the event lasting until Aug. 10. War Canoe paddlers have been spending their days moving across the ocean toward their destination since about July 25. READ IT HERE
To find a unique cultural experience at the centre of the Secwepemc Nation in the centre of B.C., go directly to Quaaout Lodge & Spa at Little Shuswap Lake, near Chase, B.C., and ask at the front desk for the cultural coordinator's office. Then prepare for an illuminating afternoon. Frank Antoine and Tanner Francois run a vigorous culture program at the Quaaout Lodge & Spa. They offer a variety of cultural outings with different levels of teaching and exploring. This spring Tanner supervised the building of a dugout canoe with participation of school children and youth from the area. The Little Shuswap Indian Band supplied a cottonwood log and experienced carver who went to work with Tanner and company to produce a dugout that will be tested on the lakes and rivers this summer. READ IT HERE
Robert Walker is the Chief Operating Officer of AgriMarine Holdings, operators of a Canadian-based aquaculture company that specializes in fish farming and
Bring on the summer
Jane Ash Poitras Awarded the Order of Canada
Tsilhqot’in Commend Federal Intervention to Permanently Stop Taseko Mines Limited’s Drilling Program at Teztan Biny
Wildfire Protection Planning in B.C.'s Devastated Forests
Frank Busch Book Review"...The strong narrative voice of Painted Turtle Man peels the layers of society off in small but explosive revelations.
According to the recent experience of Richard Dickenson, you can apprentice for carpentry in Saskatchewan to the level of a fourth year journeyman, at which point the bureaucracy (in Saskatchewan, Bumbledom) of apprenticeship opens the flat earth and swallows aspiring Indigenous applicants (fourth-year fully apprenticed journeyman carpenters) before they obtain Red Seal Certification. Bureaucrats deploy methodologies to obstruct Indigenous students from writing exams. READ IT HERE
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - Aug. 15, 2017 – The Ts^ilhqot’in Nation welcomes news that the Federal Government has commenced its own court action to permanently prohibit Taseko Mines Limited (“Taseko”) from carrying out its drilling program at Teztan Biny (Fish Lake). As a result of the Federal Government’s intervention, and a commitment from Taseko that it will not proceed with the drilling program at this time, the BC Supreme Court has withheld its decision on the interlocutory injunction application argued by the Tsilhqot’in two weeks ago. The Federal Government filed a petition in the BC Supreme Court on August 10, asserting that Taseko’s drilling program would violate the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, and seeking a permanent injunction to prohibit Taseko from undertaking this work. READ IT HERE
This spring of 2017 "YouthBuild had seven graduates in our exploration to trades class and 16 graduates in our Carpentry class," says Stephanie Miller, YouthBuild Program Manager at Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT). The reason for success is based on the hands-on approach, "the work practicum and the culture incorporated into the program." In the upcoming school year of 2017/2018, "Fifteen students have enrolled for the exploration to trades and 25 for the Carpentry program." Miller has been Manager of the YouthBuild program at MITT for two years. READ IT HERE
As the fires continue burning across B.C. and folks in far away places like USA are complaining about the excessive smoke, it's time to consider what the hell happened this summer to make this province go up in flames. As of August 8, 2017, "Wildfires are continuing READ IT HERE
The Gitaanmax Band Council supports the Ksan Historical Village site at the confluence of Skeena and Bulkley Rivers. A world-class collection of artifacts is housed in one of the village buildings, and cultural interpreters run guided tours of this impressive property comprised of seven Long Houses, including the museum, a gift shop, and a strong educational focus in the presentation of Gitxsan culture. There is a seasonal aspect to the gift shop and other buildings with features like local carvers and artisans at work. The Indigenous community employs the facilities for the purpose of education. The staff and directors of the heritage site are educators and curators, while the treasures of antiquity are enthralling and facilities, begun in 1958 by Gitxsan Elders, rival any museum in the world for quality of collections and presentation of culture. The fact is, Elders intended Ksan Historical Village to be the site of a cultural demonstration showing the roots of their living culture. READ IT HERE
The guests couldn't get enough of the delicious salmon creations by Vancouver Island University student chefs at the competition in Vancouver March 22. For the first time in its 18-year history, the Healthy Chef Competition[http://www.bcproducebc.ca/] welcomed a team from Vancouver Island to compete against nine other teams from the Metro Vancouver area on March 22, 2017. This annual competition – presented by the BC Produce Marketing Association and the BC Chefs Association – was a fun evening of gourmet dining.
Twitter feeds and embeds
Tsilhqot’in Nation Commends Government of Canada on the "10 Principles"
Cermaq Salmon Delights at BC Healthy Chefs Competition
Indigenous Business Canada Offers the Pathway to Progress for All Canadians
framework for Cermaq’s annual sustainability report for 2016.
A Primer on Modern Day Genocide: The Rwandan Genocide
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were integrated into Cermaq’s strategy in 2016, and form a central part of the framework for Cermaq’s annual sustainability report. From this year forward, the company’s performance on five focus areas are reported, where each area is linked to a specific SDG that Cermaq can significantly
MCCOLL MAGAZINE Native Articles
NEWS RELEASE FROM TSILHQOT’IN TERRITORY, B.C. - July 24, 2017 - The Tsilhqot’in Nation commends Minister Wilson-Raybould and the Federal Government for its announcement of the "Principles respecting the Government relationship with Indigenous Peoples". The "10 Principles" reset Canada’s approach to nation-to-nation relationships and call for respect and recognition for Indigenous self-determination and our systems of law and governance. Particularly important are the Federal commitments to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and to abandon its long-standing policy of requiring the extinguishment, modification or surrender of rights as a basis for negotiations.
On Saturday, October 1 and Sunday October 2 in Delta, members of the Vancouver Island Marine Debris Working Group including Ocean Legacy Foundation unloaded all the plastic and marine debris collected from Vancouver Island beaches during a recent clean-up campaign. READ IT HERE