Moses Martin and Lewis George

Tofino, BC — Sitting side-by-side, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation elder Moses Martin and Ahousaht Ha’wilth Maquinna (Lewis George) gazed thoughtfully at the scene unfolding at Tofino’s Village Green on June 21, as young dancers welcomed family and guests to a celebration that’s been a long time coming. Forty-years after declaring Meares Island a tribal park under Nuu-chah-nulth law, the provincial government is finally recognizing Indigenous authority of the so-called Crown lands that were colloquially known as Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 54. On June 18, the province announced 76,000 hectares of conservancies in Clayoquot Sound. When these protected areas come into effect on June 26, they will comprise almost 60 per cent of what is currently under a forestry tenure tied to TFL 54. “It feels really, really good,” said Maquinna of the new conservancies, reflecting on the Meares Island standoff of 40 years ago.

An agreement has been reached, for the cooperation of the Nakusp and Area Community Forest and the Sinixt Confederacy and the Coleville Confederate Tribes. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the parties June 19, on the Nakusp waterfront walkway. The goal is to strengthen ties between NACFOR and explore shared success. The overall goals of the MOA are to facilitate collaboration, strengthen community based and sustainable land management, share information on management techniques, and grow relationships, according to a press release. The chairman of the Colville Confederated Tribes, Jarred-Michael Erickson stated: “The Sinixt people were once declared extinct in Canada, but now we return home to assist with shaping the future of our traditional lands. “The Colville Tribes (have) a long history of successful forest and land management south of the Canadian border, and we are thrilled to bring our resources and expertise to care for the land occupied by our ancestors since time immemorial.”

For decades, scientists have known that allowing the timber industry to store logs in estuaries kills marine life. So why does British Columbia still permit it? …From a distance, the log boom presents a familiar, almost nostalgic image of British Columbia’s working coast. Up close, it is an intimidating, two-to-three-meter-high tangle of dead trees resting upon the dark ooze. …Timber companies store log booms all along the BC coast, says Jamieson Atkinson, a fish biologist and program manager for the Aquatic Research and Restoration Centre at the British Columbia Conservation Foundation (BCCF). And while estuaries make up less than three percent of British Columbia’s coast, they provide rich habitat for 80 percent of the province’s coastal wildlife. The Fraser River estuary, near Vancouver on the BC mainland, supports more than 300 species of birds and 80 species of fish and shellfish for at least part of their life cycles.

The complexities of recruiting, retaining, and managing a diverse workforce were at the center stage during the 2024 Council of Forest Industries (COFI) annual convention – the largest gathering of the forest sector in Western Canada. An insightful presentation on building workforce resilience through inclusion was delivered by Louise Bender, vice-president of people and administration at Mosaic Forest Management, and Jason Krips, president and CEO of the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA). “Think about the workforce – have we provided a welcoming environment so they would want to work at our mills?” Bender asked the attendees. The pair emphasized the importance of fostering diversity and inclusion from the boardroom through the production chain, and all the way to the forest floor, while also unveiling an emerging alliance dedicated to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across Canada’s forest industry. This marked a significant step towards a more inclusive future for the sector.

VANCOUVER, BC – Coastal First Nations – Great Bear Initiative, Na̲nwak̲olas Council, and Coast Funds, along with the federal and provincial governments and philanthropic investors, are celebrating the closing of the Great Bear Sea Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative. The Great Bear Sea PFP, led by 17 participating First Nations, launches a new era of collaborative governance in marine conservation and stewardship. A total of $335 million for the PFP —$200 million from the Government of Canada, $60 million from the Province of BC, and $75 million from philanthropic investors — ensures our communities will now have access to durable, long-term funding to care for our marine territories and support sustainable economic development on the coast.

Additional coverage in the Vancouver Sun, by Canadian Press Brieanna Charlebois: First Nations, Ottawa, B.C. announce $335 million for protection off Great Bear coast