Tag Archives: Tla’amin First Nation

Food, Rivers & Oceans

Seafest – Coming to Squirrel Cove Saturday, May 18

Seafest will be returning to Squirrel Cove this Saturday, May 18, with delicious platefuls of locally grown and prepared seafood. with live music.  

“ I think the first one was back in 1990 or 92. It was down in Smelt Bay with Redonda Sea Farms  and the rest of the community and it was a huge event. I think they had walk-on overloads on the ferry. That was really when the Seafood Association was formed.  Its primary mandate being water quality and it was formed in response to new technology that could assess dioxin pollution from the pulp mills,” explained Dave Nikleva.

Julia Rendall added, “I think in the  late eighties, it was to fight the pulp mills.  ‘Water quality’ was our mandate. Then there was a time when some people were a little bit reluctant about  us oyster farmers. They thought maybe we were getting in the way of their pristine scenery. We decided to  show them that we did have a good product for everybody to enjoy and that it is a viable industry on the island and it is necessary.”

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Indigenous Nations, Politics

Legislative amendments would allow First Nations to own land

Editor’s Note: When British Columbia seized control of the traditional territories of the Homalco, Klahoose, Tla’amin, We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum and most of the other First Nations in the province, they were pushed onto tiny parcels whose title was held by the Crown (reserves). According to the Pulling Together: Foundations Guide (2018):

  • “First Nations people were not consulted when reserves were created. They did not give consent.
  • They were not compensated for the lands that were taken from them.
  • Since their creation, reserves have been moved and reduced and their resources have been taken – all without compensation for First Nations.
  • Until as recently as 1958, people living on reserve needed written permission from the Indian Agent in order to leave the reserve for any reason.”

A report prepared for the BC Assembly of First Nations in 2023 states 35% of BC’s Indigenous population currently live on reserves.

By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Victoria, BC – In early April the provincial government introduced legislative amendments to the B.C. Land Title and Property Law Act, that, if passed, will remove barriers for First Nation bands to acquire, hold and register land.

“Many people in Canada do not know that First Nations could not own land in the province of British Columbia,” said Hugh Braker of the First Nations Summit. “Many people don’t know that in British Columbia, other provinces and in the federal system there are still laws that discriminate against Indigenous people that are founded in racism.”

This year marks 150 years since the establishment of the B.C. Land Act which “explicitly forbid First Nation individuals from having interests in land,” said Murray Rankin, minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

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Indigenous Nations History

Tla’amin Nation set to reclaim village of tiskʷat 151 years after it was taken: ‘It’s like a long lost relative’

Indiginews, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

For the Tla’amin Nation, the loss of their village site tiskʷat has been like “a missing limb” for the community, according to Dillon Johnson.

Their home and salmon fishing site was stolen and sold by “British Columbia” 151 years ago at a time when the community’s population was decimated by disease.

For the next seven generations, Tla’amin people were separated from tiskʷat. People were moved onto reserves, salmon runs were all but wiped out by construction of a new dam, and a paper mill began operating on the site.

Continue reading Tla’amin Nation set to reclaim village of tiskʷat 151 years after it was taken: ‘It’s like a long lost relative’ →
Politics

Mark Vonesch’s First Year In Office: Things ‘Accomplished’ and ‘In Process’

Mark Vonesch is very passionate about Cortes Island and his activities as Regional Director. If this were a video, rather than a radio broadcast, you would see this it in his facial expressions. There is a hint of this passion in the words he chose and the tone of his voice. 

Cortes Currents asked him for a recap of this past year and what to expect going forward into 2024.  

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Transportation

qathet’s get-around gang: what works, what doesn’t

Editor’s Note: While Cortes and Quadra Islands discuss alternate forms of transportation, it is of interest to see what another community in our broadcast area is doing.

Originally published on qathet Living

BC Transit Powell River

Public service funded by fares, the Province of BC, the City, qathet Regional District, and Tla’amin Nation. Administered by BC Transit. 

Advantage: Cheap and consistent. You can go from Saltery Bay to Lund and everywhere in between for $2.25, and to Texada for $8, including the ferry fare. Kids 12 and under travel free. The HandiDART system, also $2.25 a ride, offers door to door service for people with mobility challenges. 

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