First Nations Archives

Real-Time Virtual Support

Relational Work Is the Work: Virtual Healthcare Transformation for Rural, Remote, and First Nations Communities in British Columbia The healthcare crisis across unceded First Nations territories in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in British Columbia (BC) is marked by persistent barriers to accessing care and support close to home. This commentary describes an exceptional story…

Agritech in BC receives $2 million investment

13 new projects will address challenges that affect food security in BC By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer Agricultural innovation is taking root in British Columbia as 13 new projects to address food production challenges were announced at the Pacific Agriculture Show on January 26. Agritech — shorthand for agriculture technology — is the industry focus on innovations and advancements to promote…

Indigenous food sovereignty is key to resilient farms, gardens and communitie

Communities are working toward food sovereignty one morsel at a time. Meet the experts bringing food to people’s plates and pushing for societal change… Gitxaała farmer Jacob Beaton says his Tea Creek project is more than just a farm: it’s a hub of programs and supports designed to propel the Indigenous food sovereignty movement. This…

Framework for Creating a Smart Growth Economic Development Strategy

A Tool for Small Cities and Towns Many small and mid-sized cities around the United States are struggling because their economies were built largely on a single economic sector that has changed significantly. For example, jobs might once have been heavily concentrated in industries like logging, mining, or manufacturing, but technology and market forces have…

Canoe journey crosses colonial border, upholding syilx sovereignty: ‘this is still our territory’

For the 22nd year in a row, the Sukʷnaqin July 4th Canoe Journey made the trip from nk’mip into the ‘United States’ and back For the 22nd year in a row, syilx Okanagan people took a canoe journey across the invisible border between “Canada” and the “United States” that divides their territory — challenging a…

HA NII TOKXW: OUR FOOD TABLE

The story of the indigenous Gitanyow people and their struggle to protect their traditional lands and “food table” in the face of climate change, industrialization and colonization in Northern British Columbia. SIGN THE PETITION TO PROTECT THIS SACRED PLACE: https://chng.it/h5rzcPgkXZ Featuring: Dr. David Suzuki Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs www.gitanyowchiefs.com A film by Farhan Umedaly VoVo Productions 2021 @vovoproductions Director’s Statement: Beyond its majestic beauty and nature hidden threats are pushing the delicate ecosystem of the Meziadin Lake watershed to the brink. Ha Nii Tokxw, takes audiences on a visually stunning adventure through Wilp Wii Litsxw territory to uncover its ecological significance both…

Agricultural Land Reserve Settles Treaty 8 Claims

First Nations will receive approximately 27,000 acres of protected agricultural land in BC’s Peace Region as a result of settlement agreements addressing their land entitlements claims under Treaty 8, signed in 1899. “For more than 100 years, the First Nations were deprived of the use and benefit of thousands of acres of land owed to…

Drug Use Study Conducted in qathet Region

A study of people who use drugs conducted in the qathet region found a variety of negative consequences, likening the situation for drug users to living in a goldfish bowl. Dr. Geoff Bardwell, the study’s lead, who is affiliated with BC Centre on Substance Use, and is also an assistant professor in the school of…

Territory Acknowledgment: A Guide

Acknowledging traditional territory is, for many First Nations, a long-standing practice and a regular aspect of governance relationships and ceremony. In recent years, territory acknowledgments have become common across Canada as an act of respect and reconciliation at formal meetings, conferences, or public events. Fundamentally, a territory acknowledgment is a relational process, which means that…

Net Zero Energy Duplex at Williams Lake First Nation Completed

A new net zero energy duplex at Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) in the Cariboo is one of six demonstration projects by builders across Canada. Zirnhelt Timber Frames near Williams Lake and five other companies are working with the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) to advance the net zero home industry. For the new duplex’s…