Chief Brown, says, "No federal money is being used to build these structures. We are trying to get away from the dependency on INAC for our own community development." The chief wants to break the cycle of easy-come-easy-go federal transfer payments, a dependency cycle that grew in part from the wreckage left by Residential School system.
The chief says, "We are looking at what delivers results to our members, and we continue to promote the process of healing within our community," regarding these issues and the Chief who grew up in the nearby Comox Valley because Klahoose people stood in exile for many years in their history, exile by poverty that is.
The Nations being cut-off from their territory and left with a patchwork of the Indian Reserve properties, most of which became deserted by the people, for a complexity of reasons most of which are really bad news for Indian people, including that system that ran stolen children through a tortuous gauntlet that destroyed national aspirations and personal well-being in countless numbers of lives.
Construction of an 8-plex housing project starts now. This will create community restoration. The 11 or so Klahoose Indian Reserves may be largely deserted, but a couple hundred people with growing families can look to the future of a place in the Cortes Island community that survived the onsluaht and now begins to thrive again.
It is job-one with the chief to make skill development a priority that neatly follows healing. The chief envisions the future where his able people return and reconstitute their former ways of industrious activity. It stems from healing, indeed, and the chief says, "We believe in the whole idea of Residential School healing. Workshops must continue to promote well-being and encourage our people to reach higher to a better future for themselves and the generations to come."
He also needs healthy and well adjusted people to steer the course, "We have a lot of balls in the air, juggling a host of opportunities to set an independent course for our community." A solid start is the Klahoose First Nation involvement with run-of-river hydro developments underway with Plutonic Power. The power projects are important, a steady stream of economic output flowing through Klahoose First Nation entities.
Forestry in the Toba Valley is a further keystone in their planning. "That is one source of investment and management and employment opportunities we are putting together for the members of Klahoose. We are changing the approach we take to the future as a community," says Brown.
The Klahoose economic development activities include growing mussels, a mariculture industry in their native waters. It is the modern reality of First Nation communities, says Brown, "that the welfare culture has to be broken and thrown on the scrap heap. It has thrown all First Nation communities for a loop."
Klahoose is a village of 80 people on Cortes Island. There does exist no less than another 200-plus members elsewhere and they would like to return to their traditional territory, still in their possession and tribal members. The community making opportunity possible by drawing people into Klahoose reserve on Cortes, beginning with new housing in the form of a six-plex housing development.
This will be followed by a series of building schedules on new housing. The other reserves may remain deserted for awhile, but new things are going under construction this spring and summer of 2010, and lasting into the autumn. In fact this month saw Slegg Lumber's Richard Maris delivering loads of lumber to get the process of construction started this month.
Brown says, "With our economic base we are bringing the blood back into the village. Klahoose has a number of uninhabited Reserve properties but the Cortes property has always contained the village." The economic foundations are laid so now there is a demand of labour and an opportunity for skill development, but it doesn't stop there. "We have big forestry development opportunities as well, including forestry that will ensue from the power developments in Toba Inlet," says the chief.
Klahoose are Coast Salish with close ties to Sliammon First Nation in the vicinity of Powell River. A lot of work gets done in Powell River on the forestry side in Klahoose. Late Autumn of 2009, "Chief Ken Brown signed the documents to complete the conversion of Tree Farm License 10 to Community Forest Agreement (CFA) K4C. The official licensee remains Klahoose Forestry Limited Partnership, which is operating for the sole benefit of Klahoose First Nation," says a leading forestry article on the Klahoose website (see 'Klahoose Converts Tree Farm License').
Editor James Delorme continues, "This was a key piece of the Incremental Treaty Agreement signed in March and a big step forward for us ensuring sustainable management of the valley and economic success for this business venture. This conversion is a first in the province and Klahoose now owns one of the largest CFAs in the province. In terms of re-branding, we may want to start referring to ourselves as Klahoose Community Forest (in Toba River valley)."
Chris Roddan of Qathen Xwegus Management Corporation, and a partner in Theechim Forest Management says, "In our approved CFA Management Plan, we have committed to undertaking a timber supply review process and new AAC calculation before September 2011." The community forest planners engaged by Klahoose First Nation are proceeding after the First Nation obtained Forest Investment Account funding to begin the planning process.
"Along with long term timber supply planning, we have to develop strategic plans for conservation of old growth and wildlife habitat," says F. Oathen Xwegus and Theechim Management Group are the forestry management and engineering companies owned by Klahoose First Nation. A & A Trading of Vancouver is moving a lot of the timber into market for Klahoose.
