New! Realizing UNDRIP Initiative

How can Indigenous and non-Indigenous people work together in a good way? The Realizing UNDRIP Initiative educates and inspires non-Indigenous people working in government and in the private and not-for-profit sectors on positive ways forward. Through success stories, resources and learning events, the initiative brings insights on building strong Indigenous–non-Indigenous relationships that are essential to meaningful progress on reconciliation and sustainability.

Visit the new Realizing UNDRIP website to learn more and to register for a free March 29 webinar.

Juvenile wild salmon in restored Salmon-Safe stream on BC Transit site in View Royal

BC Transit’s handyDART facility in View Royal is now home to young salmon and trout. Biologists counted 27 fish in early February in a newly-constructed stream that runs through the handyDART site and connects with nearby salmon-bearing Craigflower Creek. 20 juvenile Coho salmon and seven cutthroat trout were found, confirming what the non-profit Fraser Basin Council had anticipated would happen when they certified the site under the Salmon-Safe program last fall.

The BC Transit handyDART centre is the first “Salmon-Safe” certified project on Vancouver Island and was recognized for excellence in water conservation, stormwater management and restoration of the stream. Certification of the site was announced September 26, 2022 by the Fraser Basin Council and its Salmon-Safe program, which recognizes progressive, environmentally friendly land and water management practices in BC.

Read more in our February 13 media release.

Water-SalmonSafe-BCTransitSite

Inviting Applications: Elizabeth Henry Scholarship

Applications open January 20 for the 2023 Elizabeth Henry Scholarship for Communities and Environmental Health.

The scholarship supports graduate students working on research projects in partnership with one or more Indigenous and/or non-Indigenous British Columbia communities that are addressing air quality, environmental health issues and/or promoting environmental sustainability through cooperative initiatives.

EPIC Network

The Energy Peers in Indigenous Communities (EPIC) Network is a program to build capacity, knowledge and skills related to renewable energy in Indigenous communities in British Columbia. Funding for the program was announced December 8 by Natural Resources Canada (see media release).

The EPIC Network program supports a cohort of participants (called Community Energy Champions) with a peer-to-peer cohort and peer mentorship approach to building and sharing knowledge, networking and engagement, skills development and training on renewable energy. BC First Nations communities are invited to reach out to learn about the Network.

Visit the EPIC page for more details.

Thanks to the partners in the initiative for their strategic guidance, oversight and support: New Relationships Trust; Natural Resources Canada’s Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program; Province of BC, Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation; BC Hydro and FortisBC

Uchucklesaht Clean Energy Transition

The Uchucklesaht Tribe Government —a Modern Treaty Nation and member of the Maa-nulth Treaty Society — has been working on interrelated projects to increase energy efficiency, improve the quality of housing in its communities, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The projects include new housing developments, planning for a hydropower project to replace diesel electricity generation, and development of a Community Energy and Emissions Plan.

Read about it in the latest First Nations Home EnergySave community story