Clean fresh air is one of the most important components of physical health. In Canada, where much of the population spends the bulk of its time indoors, indoor air quality is critical to public health. If you can smell a musty odour in the house then there is probably mould, and there are many varieties of mould that you do not want to live with. If you see mould in your home then you have a serious health problem. READ IT HERE
Mould Resistance for First Nation Housing
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
MITT YOUTHBUILD
Immerse Yourself in Comfort
at Quaaout Lodge and Spa
Frank Busch Book Review"...The strong narrative voice of Painted Turtle Man peels the layers of society off in small but explosive revelations.
Reprinted courtesy of Marine Harvest Canada
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. Overstuffed bureaucrats in Saskatchewan deploy particularly low-brow methodologies to obstruct and ostracize Indigenous students out of writing coveted Red Seal Certification exams. READ IT HERE
Lincoln Heaney is the Indigenous Relations Advisor for Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) in the Duncan location, meanwhile WCMRC operates out of three bases on the west coast, the main one in Burnaby, one in Duncan, and one in Prince Rupert, B.C.. "Equipment depends on the base, but includes booms, skimming equipment, sorbent pads, boats on trailers, and on Vancouver Island our larger vessels are moored in Victoria and Nanaimo," says Heaney. READ IT HERE
All Images Courtesy BCSFA
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.
Expansion of Oil Spill Response Preparations at WCMRC
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
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
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
BCSFA Announces Expanded Public Salmon Farm Tour Offerings for 2017
CAMPBELL RIVER, BC – The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) is inviting members of the public to join one of its popular tours being offered during the spring/summer of 2017. This year’s public tour offerings will include dates in June, July and August. Tour participants will have the opportunity to visit a farm and learn more about how our vibrant industry works, all the while enjoying a boat ride across the Johnstone Strait – taking in the beautiful scenery and the chance to see marine wildlife. Celebrating Seafood Month in June, BCSFA will be hosting tours. READ IT HERE
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
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..
Outfielder loses track of fly ball, punches it over the fence for a homer: https://t.co/043zQs1xSj
— Digg (@digg) July 26, 2017
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
Strengthening Commercial Fishing Safety in Canada Through Fish Safe BC
Rising ocean temperatures require plankton mitigation
GABRIOLA ISLAND SUMMER 2017
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.
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.
Sustainability is a Choice
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
Brain Drain Washes Out The Red Road
Cermaq Salmon Delights at BC Healthy Chefs Competition
Indigenous Business Canada Offers the Pathway to Progress for All Canadians
Marine Harvest Canada (MHC) is taking a three prong approach to dealing with harmful plankton (also known as algae) blooms as water temperatures continue to rise in the Pacific Ocean. British Columbia’s biggest aquaculture company is investing in new equipment, pursuing research and development, and changing its operating procedures to protect salmon from potentially lethal plankton. Plankton blooms occur naturally and have long been accepted as a risk for ocean aquaculture, however MHC believes that with a strategic approach the risk will be lowered significantly. The company has now fitted a majority of its salmon farms with state-of-the-art air compressor systems which supply a constant flow to diffusers at a depth of 15 to 20 metres. Rising air bubbles push cold, clean, oxygenated water to the surface where plankton generally accumulates. This dispersal of plankton allows salmon to survive and continue to eat during blooms.
No Secwepemc Consent
Stephanie Miller has been Manager of the YouthBuild program at Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) for the past year. She says the program intake for the fall of 2016, "went on for the previous few months. Classes began September 8 and run until mid June. YouthBuild enrolls 40 students, 20 in Level 1 Carpentry, and 20 in the Exploration to Trades," that provides hands on exposure to various building trades. READ IT HERE
framework for Cermaq’s annual sustainability report for 2016.
GROWING THE BUILDING TRADES IN MANITOBA'S INDIGENOUS YOUTH
A disturbing reality for too many women. @ATTN pic.twitter.com/4b0lEQ5tVx
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) July 16, 2017
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.)
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
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
Tsilhqot’in Nation Commends Government of Canada on the "10 Principles"
Principles must now lead to real change for Indigenous peoples
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
Robert Walker is the Chief Operating Officer of AgriMarine Holdings, operators of a Canadian-based aquaculture company that specializes in fish farming and