Category Archives: Indigenous Nations

Energy, Indigenous Nations

Canada’s first 700-bar commercial heavy-duty hydrogen fuelling station opens in South Delta, BC

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By Radha Agarwal, Delta Optimist, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

HTEC officially opened Canada’s first commercial heavy-duty hydrogen refuelling station at the Chevron Commercial Cardlock on Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) land in Delta Thursday morning (June 18).

“This station is an important step in bringing hydrogen into heavy-duty transportation. It gives fleets the confidence to operate fuel cell trucks in day-to-day logistics,” said Colin Armstrong, President and CEO, HTEC.

The CEO noted that the commercial freight industry remains one of Canada’s most challenging sectors to decarbonize.

Continue reading Canada’s first 700-bar commercial heavy-duty hydrogen fuelling station opens in South Delta, BC →
Indigenous Nations

‘Everybody will benefit’: What the K’omoks Treaty means for economic development in the Comox Valley

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By Dave Flawse, The Discourse,  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

At the end of May, the B.C. government gave a third and final reading of the K’omoks Treaty Act, which will now go to the federal legislature to be ratified, a moment that has been over thirty years in the making. If passed, the treaty will give K’ómoks First Nation the ability to self-govern and bring economic development to newly acquired lands in the Comox Valley.

“The economic opportunities are huge,” says K’omoks First Nation Chief Nicole Rempel in an interview with The Discourse, adding that “it’s all about working together.”

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Indigenous Nations, Politics

Vancouver sets new standard for urban Indigenous engagement

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By Nicolas Crier, Megaphone Magazine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The City of Vancouver is known for being progressive in many ways. One of those ways is through the development and implementation of a new Urban Indigenous Engagement Framework.

The guidelines are the first of their kind adopted by a municipality, establishing a formal and mandatory process for the city to engage on issues with urban Indigenous communities — including First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

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Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

First Nation says federal government is absent after major spill settlement

By Sonal Gupta, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Nearly a decade after a tug spilled diesel into the territorial waters of a BC First Nation and shut down key harvesting grounds, the Heiltsuk Nation says a new settlement is only one step toward recovery.

The Heiltsuk have reached a settlement with Kirby Corporation, the Texas-based marine transportation company that owns the Nathan E. Stewart tug. The tug hit a reef near Bella Bella, BC in 2016 and spilled 110,000 litres of diesel and lubricants, fouling more than 350 kilometres of shoreline and shutting down a key clam harvesting area. 

But Heiltsuk leaders say the federal government — and Canada’s compensation fund for ship spills — are still “nowhere to be found.” 

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Indigenous Nations, Water

Indigenous-led watershed protection effort lacking crucial municipal support in Okanagan

By Aaron Hemens, IndigiNews, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Nearly every municipality, regional district, and First Nation across the Okanagan and Similkameen watersheds has signed on to a syilx-led initiative to restore and protect the region’s waters for the next seven generations. 

But the multi-government effort is missing two key players: the cities of Kelowna (kiʔláwnaʔ) and West Kelowna, representing a combined population of nearly 210,000 people, according to B.C. Stats.

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