Indigenous guardians train to protect B.C.'s coastal ecosystems
The lands and waters of Vancouver Island and British Columbia's south coast will soon be better protected by a group of Indigenous stewards.
Vancouver Island University (VIU) signed an agreement Wednesday with the Nanwakolas Council to deliver an intensive environmental protection course, supported by provincial funding.
"You could really go anywhere with the training," said Candace Newman of the K’ómoks First Nation, who earned her Stewardship Technician Training Program (STTP) certificate in 2021.
The STTP started in 2017, preparing students for careers in the environmental sphere. Learning outcomes include field skills, habitat monitoring, cultural awareness, and marine first aid.
Graduates can move on to become Indigenous Guardians, who are hired by First Nations to monitor and protect fragile ecosystems.
"You are the eyes and ears of the land and sea," Newman said. "You’re out in your traditional territory and really learning how to be a steward of the land like we always were."
The 20-week training begins this month in Campbell River.
“The Nanwakolas member nations are taking on increased responsibilities for environmental governance and management as we exercise our rights and title in the territories,” Nanwakolas Council president Dallas Smith said.
Member nations include the K’ómoks, Mamalilikulla, Wei Wai Kai and Wei Wai Kum First Nations on Vancouver Island, along with the Tlowitsis and Da’naxda’xw Awaetlala Nations on the mainland.
"We need many more guardians actively engaged in monitoring forestry harvesting, hunting, protection of cultural sites, gathering data on key species, rehabilitation of damaged habitat, assessing resource development proposals, and ensuring compliance with land use plans and regulations," Smith said.
Moving forward, there's hope the guardians will earn enforcement status.
“We want to continue this program until we have full-blown equality between the B.C. Conservation Service, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans wardens, and our guardians,” Smith said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Large numbers of New York City police officers begin entering Columbia University campus
Large numbers of New York City police officers began entering the Columbia University late Tuesday as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters remained on the campus.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.