Latest news with #Tsleil-Waututh
Sunday Post
4 days ago
- Sunday Post
Salmon run and football calls in Canada's port city Vancouver
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up The Tsleil-Waututh indigenous leader watched the young boys hooking salmon from the river, the low morning sun casting layers of shadow on the smoky mountains. When the youths caught the fish, they whacked them on the head and cast them aside. Appalled, the leader spoke to the salmon in the river and told them to leave. It caused a crisis in the community, who relied on the fish for food. The leader put the blame on the boys, their actions putting their own people in danger. © Thomas Hawkins Chastened, the boys understood the message and returned the bones of the fish to the water as an offering. Satisfied, the leader called out to the salmon people and asked them to return – and return they did, in numbers so bountiful 'you could cross the river on their backs'. We are listening to this legend of the salmon on a Takaya Tours cultural canoe trip across Indian Arm, a wide fjord in North Vancouver, British Columbia. A deep melodic rumble reverberates between the mountains, the drum beat of our guide's traditional paddle song rippling over the glassy water and, no doubt, down to the fish and marine life below. Vancouver is a multi-cultural city with many languages, a place of great food, sport and history, but the most important conversations are (and always have been) the ones held with nature. Wildlife dominates city life, from the mountain grizzlies to the bald eagles and the orca swimming in the sea. © Thomas Hawkins Nature swims, soars and burrows into everything, like the rivers, fjords and seas that sweep through and around the city. There are few cities in the world so interconnected with nature than this Western Canada seaport. You can see it when you walk through downtown, where great blue herons nest in the tall trees of Stanley Park, or from the deck of a boat spotting humpback whales breaching. The best way to view the city and all its wildlife, however, is from the air. The engines turn over as we line up to the runway, which in the case of Harbour Air's fleet of sea planes is the smooth waters of Burrard Inlet. Our pilot, Craig, pushes the throttle forward and the plane slowly picks up speed. Before we know it, we are in the air. 'That was so smooth,' I tell him from my seat in the cockpit. 'You have to be a terrible pilot to screw up a take-off or landing in one of these things,' says Craig. The views are spectacular. We cruise over Stanley Park, a huge forest-covered track that stretches across the north end of the Burrard Peninsula on which downtown Vancouver sits. © Thomas Hawkins Craig sweeps the plane out towards the Howe Sound, where a chain of small archipelagos rise from the steel-grey water. Off to our right, dense forested hills stretch into the distance. We swing back around in a deep banking motion and watch as the city spreads out beneath us. From this vantage we can see BC Place stadium, home to the Vancouver Whitecaps Major League Soccer side. We fly on and over the high-rise buildings of downtown, which are framed on either side by the clear, wildlife-rich waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. © Thomas Hawkins We glide back over Stanley Park, where joggers enjoy their daily run alongside some 500 different species of animal, from raccoons to coyotes. 'After what I said earlier, I better not screw this up,' adds Craig as we come into land, displaying another trait of Vancouverites – their very British dry sense of humour. His landing is, of course, flawless. It is just under one year to go before the 54,500-capacity BC Place will welcome seven matches at the 2026 Fifa World Cup – Vancouver being one of 16 host cities across three North American countries. The city feels vibrant but relaxed, reminiscent of Sydney with its bustling harbour, and effortlessly cool in the way that many American cities can't quite manage. Downtown is combination of coffee shops, fashion brands and corporate buildings but shot through with nature, sport and food. Runners looping around the city parks, football pitches crowded with young kids, and mini offshoot avenues where foodies can find their culinary fix. One such place is Granville Island, a small gastronomic oasis that looks as if it has grown like a shiitake mushroom underneath Granville Bridge. The peninsula can be reached by car or boat (tiny boats ferrying people back and forth from downtown) and is home to an indoor food market. Inside, the passageways are packed with people, the air thick with the smells of sweet treats and hot drinks. Steam rises from behind stalls selling everything from artisan cheese and shellfish to cured meats and coffees. © Thomas Hawkins It is from Granville Island that you can also jump on a Prince of Whales whale watching tour. Within minutes of boarding, we watch two massive humpbacks breaching in front of us before we motor to a tree-dense island where a pair of bald eagles rest in the high branches. The onboard wildlife expert explains the fascinating behaviour of Vancouver's resident orca population. It is almost as if she is summoning the power of the mythic indigenous leader because no sooner has she started talking that we see the unmistakable shape of a giant dorsal fin break the surface of the dark water. © Thomas Hawkins We watch in awe as the pod of orcas power through the water, their silhouette contrasting sharply with the high-rises close behind. It is a bucket-list experience on a trip full of bucket-list experiences and again demonstrates Vancouver's symbiotic relationship with nature. That relationship can be felt most keenly in Capilano, a leafy district in North Vancouver. The warm, spicy scent of cedar suffuses the summer air at the Capilano Suspension Bridge, a traditional rope bridge that spans a yawning chasm to the crashing Capilano River. A visit to Capilano is the best way to spend time in nature in all its glory. And with its massive trees and deep valleys is an idealised vision of Canada many of us hold in our heads. Further along the river, we visit the Capilano Hatchery. The hatchery, which is free to visit, is a fascinating deep dive into the life cycle of the local salmon. We spend a long time in the shade of the brutalist building housing the salmon ladder, where fish jump from pool to pool as they return upstream to lay eggs. A young child in a Lionel Messi shirt stands transfixed as the salmon leap clear of the water. His innocent amazement reminds me of the mythic Tsleil-Waututh leader and his lesson for the youths. Is this kid in the football shirt accessing a deep ancestral memory about the importance of nature? Perhaps not, but one thing is certain, he is the perfect symbol of Vancouver ahead of its time to shine at next year's World Cup – a city where nature, sport and wonder meet. P.S. When visiting Vancouver, look no further than the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Downtown. It's just a five-minute walk to the harbour and 20 minutes to BC Place stadium, but the rooms are beautiful, modern and stylish. If you are into a little luxury, pamper yourself with a treatment at the luxe hotel spa. And to work off some calories, there is also a modern gym. And you will need it to work off the incredible food at the Mosaic Grille restaurant. Factfile Purely Travel ( 0844 80 444 80) offers a five-night trip to Vancouver from £999 per person, including return flights with British Airways from London Heathrow to Vancouver and five nights at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver (on a room only basis, based on two people sharing, For more information visit
Hamilton Spectator
24-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Upcoming pilot program opens accounting opportunities for Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations
Provincial organizations are helping boost accounting job opportunities for Indigenous communities with a new program. Last month, a memorandum of understanding was signed in Vancouver by the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC), Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of British Columbia, MST Education and Training Society and Humanity Financial Management Inc. to develop education, mentorship and employment opportunities for an Accounts Payable Program. The new program will help unemployed or underemployed Indigenous individuals receive hands-on training and exposure in entry-level accounting jobs and other paths. The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations will be the first to pilot the new initiative. 'I think there is a recognition that we need to do more to provide education and opportunities to Indigenous peoples, and this was seen as a great entry point where there was a need for more people with skills in accounts payable,' said Lori Mathison, president and CEO of the CPABC. 'So everyone kind of just pulled together to come up with an idea of a program that could really make a difference.' CPABC is the training, governing and regulatory body for over 40,000 certified public accountant members and 6,000 candidates and students. The organization's mission is protecting the public through enforcing high professional and ethical standards in the accounting industry and contributing to advancing public policy. The Accounts Payable Program aims to encourage more Indigenous people in the accounting industry, a field they're underrepresented in. In a CPABC Indigenous strategy update from 2022 , the organization found 286 members and 53 B.C. candidates from one of their educational programs had self-identified as Indigenous. The strategy noted the numbers represent just over 0.6 per cent of total membership and less than one per cent of B.C.'s total candidate population. Since then, Mathison said that number has grown to 331 CPABC members who self-identify as Indigenous, 285 of whom are B.C. residents. Squamish Nation councillor Sxwíxwtn (Wilson Williams) said having more Indigenous people in the finance field is a growing need. 'I think that this opportunity definitely broke some barriers and is creating pathways to collaborate,' Williams said. 'It's creating accessibility, it's strengthening our partnership, but also highlights our three nations' needs, and the openness to these entities willing to work together.' Williams said the Squamish Nation has a huge financial department, but only around 15 per cent are from the nation. That number is a 'glaring' capacity need Williams said in comparison to other departments, which have higher percentages of either Indigenous people or Squamish Nation members. 'We're hoping to carry that smoke signal home to our families, to share the story that this is an opportunity that you should endure, getting in the finance field,' he said. The program will also provide capacity development for First Nations governments, business entities and Indigenous organizations to support the needs of growing Indigenous economies, according to a press release. Former chief for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation Jen Thomas said the new hands-on training programs will open new pathways for potential employment in financial fields and provide new education opportunities. 'Investing in our next seven generations is a priority for our Nation, and we greatly appreciate the support,' Thomas said in a press release. Williams said the program is a meaningful step in investing in financial careers, but also looking forward. 'We're looking at financial careers and building that financial capacity within our nations, and [there's] no better way to invest in our people and their skills, but we're investing in our future,' he said. Mathison said the program's development is currently underway, with the pilot aiming to launch next winter with its first cohort of students. Based on the results of the pilot, she said they might be able to expand the program into other areas and Indigenous communities. Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Vancouver Sun
22-07-2025
- Science
- Vancouver Sun
Smallpox, overfishing, industrialization destroyed 88% of harvestable food sources in Burrard Inlet: Study
A first-of-its-kind study from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and the University of B.C. estimates that smallpox, overfishing and industrialization brought by settlers in the 18th century destroyed 88 per cent of harvestable food sources in the Burrard Inlet. The study used archeology, historical ecology, archival records, ecological data and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) knowledge to model the effects of colonial development on the amount of harvestable food in Burrard Inlet from 1750 to 1980. 'Burrard Inlet was a thriving ecosystem that had sustainable economics to feed the people, plus some, for thousands of years,' said Michelle George, cultural and technical specialist with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and co-author of the study. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'That has been pretty much devastated.' Two of the most dramatic impacts highlighted by the model were the impact of smallpox and commercial overfishing. The first wave of smallpox, which occurred in 1782, killed as much as 80 per cent of the Tsleil-Waututh community. Commercial fishing began around 1820, leading to severe overfishing that decimated many fish populations by the turn of the century. Before the initial smallpox outbreak, the study's model showed decades of stable food sources, from salmon and herring to waterfowl, seals and bivalves, among dozens of others. Shortly after smallpox killed an estimated 8,000 of the estimated 10,000 Tsleil-Waututh living in the area at the time, salmon, waterfowl and other animal populations began to swing wildly. 'Having one thing missing from the food chain or one thing taken out, and you sort of see this collapse or continuous ripple effect throughout the food chain ecosystem, throughout our territory,' George said. 'Predator populations exploded and prey plummeted' immediately after the first smallpox outbreak, suggesting not enough Tsleil-Waututh people survived to effectively steward the environment, said Meaghan Efford, a post-doctoral research fellow at UBC and lead author of the study. 'It shows how strong the relationship is between the Tsleil-Waututh and the ecosystem.' The second of the two major impacts was the introduction of commercial fishing in the 1880s, which decimated many species of fish and the predators that fed on them. 'My ancestors talk about walking on the backs of fish and having so much fish that boats couldn't pass,' George said. Efford said the archeological record from pre-colonial times suggests the inlet was an abundant food source. 'When you look at the archeological record, there are tens of thousands of salmon bones,' she said. And it wasn't just salmon. According to City of Vancouver Archives , Calvert Simson, who arrived at Burrard Inlet in 1884, told an interviewer in 1933 that herring in the inlet were so thick at the time that they could be caught with a rake. 'There were 'acres' of ducks in Coal Harbour, feeding on the herring,' he said. Herring populations were destroyed between 1880 and 1915, according to the study, which coincided with the rise of commercial fishing, including the opening of Spratt's Oilery in Coal Harbour in 1882. Spratt's processed herring oil for use as an industrial lubricant. Chum and pink salmon in the inlet fell by 40 to 50 per cent from 1750 to 1980, according to the study. Herring and salmon were pillars of traditional səl̓ilwətaɬ diets. Their loss from the Səl̓ilwət (Burrard Inlet) ecosystem is a loss to both səl̓ilwətaɬ lifestyles and food sovereignty, George said. 'There's a huge health gap and a huge health impact, because our people are not harvesting or eating traditional foods,' George said. 'The way that we went out and harvested foods, traditionally, there would have been cultural transmission' of traditional practices, stories and spiritual relevance to specific places and resources, George said. 'It's not just the environment and ecology, it's also the people,' she said. A recent project to restore elk, a traditional Tsleil-Waututh food source, to the Indian River Valley provides a striking example. 'Not too long ago, we brought elk back to the Indian River Valley, and then we started harvesting the elk and bringing it back to the community,' said Michael George, a cultural and technical specialist with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation — and also Michelle's father. 'Trying to get our caterers to cook with elk was difficult because they didn't know how to do it with such lean meat because they're accustomed to fattier beef,' he said. George said for her the study was scientific proof of 'what my ancestors and family have been saying for generations.' She hoped it would serve as a tool 'to prove that we know what we're doing' and ensure greater nation-to-nation consultation moving forward, especially in the face of the current push by provincial and federal governments to fast-track large-scale industrial projects. 'We've watched our inlets, our home be devastated for 150 years,' she said. 'And it's all been done without us. 'We're not anti-development,' George said. 'But how can you do this better? How can you do this greener? How can we do this so that there's something left for the future generations? 'We know what we're doing,' George said. 'We've known for generations.' ngriffiths@ @njgriffiths
Hamilton Spectator
09-07-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Museum of North Vancouver receives $400K to boost Coast Salish programming
The Museum of North Vancouver has received a hefty chunk of cash to continue its programming tied to local Coast Salish education and culture. BMO gifted $400,000 to the Museum and Archives of North Vancouver (MONOVA), which will go to education, hands-on activities and events related to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). 'We recognize the ethical responsibility that museums and archives have in deepening understanding and respect for Indigenous peoples,' said Zoe Mackoff de Miranda, director at MONOVA. 'Coast Salish programming and Indigenous storytelling are integral to the work we do towards truth and reconciliation.' The recent gift is a renewal of previous funding the museum received from the bank in 2021. Since then, the museum has been able to offer education through their school programming for elementary and secondary students. That has included Indigenous storytelling through exhibits, gallery tours and stories of local legends, learning about trees rooted in North Vancouver, and Coast Salish wool weaving workshops. The programs and activities are led by Indigenous cultural programmers through the museum, but also knowledge keepers, artists, storytellers and speakers with local Coast Salish ties. But BMO boosted the recent renewal by $50,000 after hearing the programming's impact. 'That's really how the majority of the funds are spent – creating space and then inviting in and working in collaboration with members of the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh communities in particular, to share their culture, knowledge, gifts, share their language,' Mackoff de Miranda said. While the programming at the museum supports education and history, it also uplifts the people who share them. Jordan Dawson, an Indigenous cultural programmer with the museum and a member of both the Squamish Nation and Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw (Musgamagw Tsawataineuk Tribe), said leading the programs builds meaningful relationships with the community. 'We're lifting the community as well as our people and our knowledge holders, and we're building those connections in a good way, which is the most important part of the work we do,' Dawson said. 'Whether that's through programming or just myself and the community, it makes a big difference and creates a space where they want to be, as opposed to a space where we're just checking off that box.' On top of the Coast Salish programming bringing stories to life, Dawson is figuring out ways to share the Skwxwú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish Language) in the museum. Dawson has recorded the pronunciation of place names, which can be played at MONOVA, and incorporates the language through tours for school groups and the public. 'A lot of the time, we have language posted, but we don't have an audio clip,' Dawson said. 'So it's really nice to be able to actually share audio of the language as well.' 'I know there's a big need out there for people who want to learn the language, but also just our community members ourselves in the Squamish Nation who still really want to learn but never had access to it their entire lives.' A private event was held at MONOVA celebrating the generous donation on June 19. Museum staff alongside members from the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan and District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little were in attendance sharing the appreciation of BMO's renewed investment. Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
B.C., Vancouver, First Nations sign deal to partner in planning, hosting World Cup
VANCOUVER - British Columbia's government, the City of Vancouver and three First Nations have signed an agreement to co-operate on hosting the seven World Cup games being played in the city next year. In a ceremony on Friday, Premier David Eby, Mayor Ken Sim, Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow, Squamish Nation councillor Wilson Williams and Tsleil-Waututh councillor Deanna George signed a memorandum of understanding to ensure 'interests of the nations are reflected throughout' the planning and hosting of the games. Sparrow said the location of the ceremony — a facility on Musqueam land used during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games — is symbolic of how local communities can benefit from events such as the World Cup. The B.C. government said the agreement is a framework on how the five parties will work together in planning, staging and hosting the World Cup games, as well as developing approaches to shared opportunities. Organizers are expecting the seven World Cup games in Vancouver to draw about 350,000 spectators to BC Place Stadium and to add more than a million out-of-province visitors between 2026 and 2031. They say that will generate direct and indirect provincial tax revenues of up to $224 million. The B.C. government issued a release this week saying the net core provincial cost of hosting the games is in the range of $85 million to $145 million. Organizers announced last year that the estimated cost of hosting the seven games more than doubled to between $483 million and $581 million, which includes costs for the city, the province and stadium upgrades. Eby said the agreement gives the province a unique opportunity to not only demonstrate the co-operation between governments and First Nations, but to also showcase Indigenous culture to the world. 'In this time of global turmoil and strife, it is a chance to demonstrate how we do things in British Columbia, how we work together to create something amazing,' Eby said. 'It is a huge opportunity for us culturally, economically, and yet another chance to demonstrate the British Columbia way of doing business.' Sparrow said the Musqueam community had relied on 'a small piece of grass' for its soccer needs before the 2010 Olympics, but the Games brought about the construction of the current facility, featuring a turf field, a grass field and a clubhouse. 'Where we stand today was how we came together in the 2010 Olympics and put our differences aside and came together as family and worked together,' Sparrow said at the ceremony site on Friday. 'Now that we have a place for our kids to play. And that shows how when we come together and our sport brings us together, that we have the opportunity now for our kids to have a place.' Williams, the Squamish chief, said the World Cup — with the First Nations acting as host partners — presents B.C. with an even greater opportunity to draw more major international sporting events. 'The experience when people come off those planes, come ashore, come and visit, the retention of the experience they're going to have is going to be so memorable and so strong, there's no way they're going to turn down a request that we're hosting the World Cup in the future — and any world international event for that matter.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
