Gathering Native Plant Knowledge Across BC | WFCA 2026

Native Plant Production and Planting 

Melanie Platt

WFCA 2026 Native Plant Knowledge Sharing

Physio for Endurance | WFCA 2026

 The Athletic Profile of a Tree Planter

 Physiotherapy Maps the Risks of 'the Season'

Canada's Salmon Industry in Crisis

 

Key Stats:

CRC Trades Instruction Available in BC & Canada

Energy, Risk, and Invisible Human Architecture

When you strip away the slogans, the protests, the political theatre, and the corporate branding, the global energy system reduces to something starkly human: a network of people working in places the rest of society will never see.

Could the U.S. Northwest Unlock Alberta Bitumen's Full Potential?

Alberta's Pacific Pivot:

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made headlines this week by floating a new energy export contingency, which has the remarkable tenor of viability: if domestic hurdles block a new pipeline through British Columbia, she's open to routing Alberta oil southward through Montana, Idaho, and into Washington or Oregon ports for export to Asia.

B.C. Kills EV Mandate – And the Rest of the Dream . . .

. . .  Is Dying With It

This week, just days ago, on November 18, 2025, B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix stood up and did something nobody in Victoria thought they’d ever see an NDP government do: he admitted the province’s Zero-Emission Vehicle mandate was “no longer realistic” and announced they’re scrapping the 90% by 2030 and 100% by 2035 targets. Dead. Gone. They’re writing new legislation in 2026 that will basically copy whatever weaker rules Ottawa comes up with after its own ongoing retreat.

A mega project to make Egypt the continent's largest fish producer

World aquaculture is expanding, except in Canada

 https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/how-this-mega-project-will-make-egypt-the-continent-s-largest-fish-producer/vi-AA1MBGbt?ocid=socialshare

Stephen Harper’s Trade Expansion with China: Necessity, Policy, and Fallout

 Canada-China trade impacted by restrictions 

Trudeau's Oil Tanker Moratorium landlocks expansion

Brown's Bay Packing Co. Ltd Processes Farm-Fresh Salmon in B.C.

Value and Vision in Food Processing on Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island native Stephen Hall is Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Brown's Bay Packing of Campbell River, B.C..  

"The only way out is to fight for your freedom"

It was Sep 2, this year (yesterday), when I came upon an exchange between Elon Musk  @elonmusk and Rupert Lowe, MP @rupertlowe10
·
First, Rupert Lowe MP, says, "I’ve never been more concerned about the state of our country. We really are in a deep, dark hole."

Elon Musk replied, candidly, "Only way out is to fight for your freedom."

I say, to Rupert Lowe, too bad it took so long to figure it out. Now have you figured it out?

The Agriculture of Farmed Salmon

As a matter of fact, the science of agriculture is humanity's first science, after first aid, one presumes. It would be humanity's move toward civilization. 

The agriculture of fish is no less of a move toward living in civilization than agriculture of wheat, or canola. This is a move toward food security and better health, considering the scientific standards applied to the production of these animals.

If there wasn't a hidden agenda, somewhere, this reality would not be in dispute.

How much more destruction of the ocean environment results from overfishing? Entire ecosystems will collapse if humanity over fishes the oceans.

In relation to the true nature of issues, the world's environment as impacted by agriculture is nothing compared to the plunder of resources.

FireWise Consulting survey on wildfire readiness

The end of ICE will be catastrophe in Canada

The estimates of economic ruin are inescapable

Kris Eriksen, in Canada @KEriksenV2 says, "So, now can we ALL agree that Canadians are in very, very, VERY DEEP trouble?"

"Hold my beer." says Prime Minister Carney:  

Salmon Growers on B.C. side of Canada want to continue

If you're going to vote Liberal be sure to do it TWICE!

 

Canadians do $600 billion a year in trade with the U.S.

We do $600 billion a year in trade with the U.S..

It's stuff they don't need, or they own it here already.

Carpenter Skills Ingrained from 30 Years Building Experience

BURWASH LANDING -- This part of the Yukon Territory is home to about 120 people, "Not large," says Chief Bob Dickson, "Our Kluane First Nation is about 250 members." Burwash Landing holds a good share of Kluane's people, "Burwash Landing is on land set aside for the Kluane First Nation as part of a Yukon First Nation Final Agreement," with Kluane's agreement established in 2003.

The community lies about 300 km west of the capital, Whitehorse, "We are busy in the summer. The Kluane First Nation is the big employer in Burwash Landing. We have a relationship with a mining company, Nickel Creek Platinum."

The mine is located 25 km from Burwash Landing within traditional territory in Kluane First Nation. "The Nickel Shäw project (named with the local Southern Tuchone word Shäw, meaning Big, by Kluane First Nation Elders) is host to over 2 billion pounds of nickel and other valuable minerals, and aspires towards becoming a world-class nickel sulphide mine." (Kluane Community Development Corporation LP http://kluanekcdc.ca/nickel-shaw/)

"At one point 40 of our people were working up there on the mining project, and we are hoping it comes back to that level of activity." Dickson says Kluane Community Development Corporation LP has agreements in place with Nickel Creek Platinum involving tasks like catering, maintenance, equipment leasing, and, of course, other jobs in mining.

"It's in the developmental stage and the project has not been determined as to which way they're going to go, open pit or underground, but they have been working for the past 10 years on a site which has been around since the 1950s. There was a mill operating in the 1970s and it went dormant, and was torn down."

Nickel Creek Platinum is working with Kluane First Nation, "in coming to some kind of comprehensive agreement before they go ahead." The Kluane are doing hands-on groundwork, "We want training for technical and management and executive positions," and Kluane wants business opportunities, "We are a small First Nation but we want to know what the impact is going to be on the land and we want to bring benefits to the community from the mine."

Kluane people are not going anywhere, "For us it's about building capacity." Which brings us to the matter of the capacity Chief Dickson has built for himself, for he is a Red Seal carpenter, "I started in construction back in the days when I got out of school, but first I went into heavy equipment operator training, then I saw a program called Skookum Jim R-2000 for First Nations to enter the trades."

Dickson says, "Skookum Jim R-2000 was designed for First Nations to participate in building and renovating at a time when funding came through for houses, renovations, and construction of a friendship centre in Whitehorse. There was other infrastructure being built around the Yukon, and we worked in many communities around the Territory. I ultimately zeroed in on carpentry."

Dickson worked with a lot of people he describes as well intentioned, but, "The problem with the apprenticeship of the building trades is that we had so many skilled people working on a crew and nobody getting credit for the hours. In a First Nation community without anybody with a Red Seal qualification, people are missing credit for knowing their trades, and they don't get valuable certification."

Dickson, now in his mid-50s, intended to follow through on Red Seal carpenter certification in the early 1990s. "I signed up to a 6-week course to challenge the Red Seal exam at Yukon Advanced Education in Whitehorse. But I got elected chief of Kluane First Nation in the 1990s and I was occupied with the business of politics."

A few years later, "I saw an ad in the paper called a Red Seal Challenge (provided by Richard Dickenson's Integrated Carpentry Tutorials), so I called Jeff Sloychuk representing the BC Regional Council of Carpenters/United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Yukon, Local 2499, Whitehorse. They were sponsoring the course in Whitehorse. I wanted to sign up, and I was told, 'Whoever comes in with money gets signed up,' and Sloychuk at the carpenters union assured me there would be space."

After driving three hours from Burwash Landing to Whitehorse, he arrived to find there wasn't space in the course. Dickson perservered, "I persisted with Jeff Sloychuk with daily phone calls and finally I got my chance because Jeff made room and I paid for the course, but because of the distance and other challenges, I missed the first couple of classes, still, I went to Whitehorse every weekend and played catch-up with tutorials from Richard Dickenson." Dickson is grateful to the union for making the effort to get him there and for hosting Dickenson's ICT Red Seal Course.

He says, "Dickenson knew that a lot of carpentry skill was ingrained from 30 years of building experience, plus I was always reading and playing on my strengths." Dickson having been in construction as a builder and contractor over the years had taken various courses in plumbing, heating, electrical, courses related to building trades.

It has been a long road of experience. "The main thing in the Yukon is we don't build skyscrapers, we build houses, we work with permafrost, and we use materials like Permanent Wood Foundation (PWF) pads, a lot of cribbing and blocking. The construction is practically all carpentry, and here in the Yukon it's expensive to build, more than $220 per sq. ft.."

Having had kept his eye on the ball all those years and put Dickenson's training to practical use, "I think the Red Seal is high value. I was always reading a lot, always trying to find the mechanism to get the Red Seal certification done, but I wasn't ready to go to Yukon College where they want you to start from square one.

"When it first appeared to me in the 90s I missed the opportunity, but I finally got connected and dropped everything and went straight to Whitehorse. Dickenson prepares you for the challenge, which is an exam lasting 4 hours to answer 100 questions. It's about two minutes per question, you have to deal with math questions and not defeat yourself. I was good at math, but you must be prepared. If you're prepared, put it this way, I wrote the test once."

Dickenson, the teacher, notes that Bob Dickson is in the top rung of scorers on the Red Seal exam (and Dickenson has taught the course right across the country).

Dickson says, "In the building trades I worked with a lot of good people." He has had two stints as Chief of Kluane First Nation. The first was a long 14 year stretch, then he was out of politics for a while and recently he re-entered politics. "I am not currently apprenticing anyone since I went back to the chief's office, but I got my daughter started in the carpentry trade." Alanna Dickson is a registered carpenter's apprentice. "In fact she worked for me for a number of years doing jobs in siding, house building, and renovations."

A lot of work in housing in the Yukon is maintenance and renovation. "Alanna is also an Emergency Medical Technician and currently she is working as an EMT for an organization on road projects." There are, however, building opportunities on the horizon because Burwash Landing has obtained badly needed funding for housing. Dickson's goal in apprenticing carpenters is straight forward, "Part of what I do is teach people to do things the right way from the start."

Dickson says, "I spent a lot years working with people who really took the time to do it right. I am passing this on to the next generation. We've had meetings with Yukon College to get skilled people recognized, and get them into apprenticeship with the goal of Red Seal certification. Outside contractors come in and we will have people working, training and having hours recognized and recorded. There are fewer toss aways." A lot of good people work hard and deserve the recognition.

Burwash Landing is a community that stays busy on a year-round basis, but is remote, "We have Kluane National Park next door, there are fishing, guiding, and outfitting companies, we have big game hunting. We sell a hunting permit on a Dall sheep. The proceeds go toward conservation. We plan the hunt, scout it, my cousin guides on it, and we do it in July before the rest of the Territory's hunting season begins in August."

Most of the hunting in the area is for moose and cariboo, "Mostly it's subsistance, and we have a bison and elk specialty draw. We get a bison permit every year for Woodland Buffalo, which is a bigger bison than those of the prairies, 2000 lbs."

The community gets a lot of hunted carcasses donated, "Usually the outfitters bring them to the community and we prepare the meat for lunches and distribution to Elders and others who are non-hunters. Outfitters in the territory bring meat because usually hunters are here for the horns."

The northern winter is dark for long hours, "We have tough winters but a lot can happen in the winter with renovation. It always depends on funding and the funding comes late in the fall. When we get our funding, we start, and we always have houses that need the work done."

Freelance Writing by Mack McColl

Westbank First Nation's Leap of Faith

Economic development of Westbank

Chris Derickson spoke on behalf of the Westbank First Nation (WFN) at the First Nations Safety Conference in Nanaimo, mid-October, 2018, Derickson, a WFN elected councilor, lawyer, and community planner

"Building WFN has been done through trial and error," he says. The path toward First Nation self-sufficiency could be made no other way, considering Westbank First Nation's progress has been ground-breaking within Canada.

"At first we over-built, and there wasn't 'horizon' planning. We were learning about moving away from government under the Indian Act. There is a way out. For us it was a leap of faith."

He knows the WFN way surely isn't for everybody, he says, "Lateral violence, nobody is above it. It happens despite other challenges. It is our reality that in 1963 our members wanted something different." Derickson says WFN is one of the seven Okanagan Nations, "five reserves, three on the west side of Okanagan Lake."

Today there are 10,000 non-member residents on Westbank property. WFN's 800-plus members have built roads, businesses, malls, "Our youth are accustomed to paved roads and street lights," something those youth often need to explain to kids from other First Nation communities.

"We are looked at as an economic success, and the question is, what drives the success? It is a system of government that undergirds our development, a 5-member council and 200 employees. We have 35 laws to guide development, plus policies and procedures to implement those laws, and a budget of $45 million per year."

The WFN separated from Okanagan Indian Band with 40 members to form their own Band out of entrepreneurial spirit, willingness to try something new, Derickson says, "By 1980s several businesses were operating," and in the late 1980s the Hall Inquiry had been called to sort out an extraordinary amount of in-house turmoil. There was in-fighting, and division, even lawsuits.

"Lateral violence is a learned behavior, it's got a history. Hall said there would be no criminal proceedings, but also said the WFN of the 1980s and 1990s was laboring under an inept form of government."

Derickson says it would be 15 more years of tumultuous meetings between members, lawyers, the federal government and membership votes. By 2004 they had achieved a bilateral agreement with Canada that protected the reserve properties and released WFN from the Indian Act to self-government and a particularly impressive economic development path.

"We are the fastest growing community in B.C., we have a $2 billion assessed value, and a healthy, prosperous future."

Andrea Alexander took to the podium, and said, "The community commits resources to all, newborns to Elders, Westbank has a great growth curve for these programs. We have an Early Years Program, developmental and parenting skills for WFN families. We are putting resources back into the membership.

"Then we have adolescent and young adult programs that include hunting, trapping, sports (snowboarding and others), golf, and a youth council that helps in guiding programs. The council is composed of 4 boys and 4 girls, ages 15 to 25."

The WFN is dedicated to caring for community members, "We have fun, and influence, we offer our members food programs, travel events, Elder programs, vehicle transportation."

Derickson says, "Decolonization and Reconciliation is a complex issue. In our case, so many parts of the community work together to move forward."  The Leap of Faith is a successful work that continues to progress.

Working with First Nations to increase worker safety

Lisa Houle gave a presentation on behalf of WorksafeBC at the First Nations Safety Conference Oct, 22, 2018, at the Nanaimo Convention Centre. WorksafeBC is the injury insurance program for employers and employees on worksites in all industries across the province. "We work at the industry-level with partnerships in collaboration with the employers and the workforce," says Houle.

In the past few years, "We have developed a history of visiting First Nations schools to provide education resources to non-graduated students. We've been working together with First Nations to create greater awareness of safety on the job," no matter where the work is found, in the commercial fisheries, Indigenous agriculture, First Nations forestry, these are a few examples.

Houle describes a few of the many WorksafeBC initiatives and provides links to the WorksafeBC website for further information: "We have a Young Worker Campaign because work can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to the job or don’t have a lot of experience in the industry. You want to make a good first impression by showing your co-workers and your boss that you know what you’re doing.

"That’s why, while talking about safety at work, asking for training, or bringing up concerns can be hard, it’s important. Employers are responsible for providing adequate training before you start work. Proper training and orientation helps to ensure that everyone stays safe on the job.

"If you get a gut feeling that something isn’t safe, or you don’t know how to do your job safely, listen to your instincts and talk to your manager about it. It could save your life or the life of your co-worker." https://worksafebclistentoyourgut.com/

Houle says WorksafeBC runs a First Responders Mental Health Committee that provides an effective website interface for initiating contact and services like Self-Assessment "Sometimes it’s helpful to take a personal mental health check, to see how you’re managing with the stress and pressure of work (and life!)."

The website supplies a contact reference on "Ways To Help": "Is someone you work with struggling with their mental health? Do they seem stressed? Are they acting differently—or is there something a little “off” in the way they’re behaving? Here are things you can do to offer support." Learn more about valuable mental health resources http://BCFirstrespondersmentalhealth.com

Houle explains, "At WorksafeBC we have 3000-plus resources with an industry-related focus covering the entire spectrum of job-related safety." She rolled a film about one of the higher-risk careers in B.C., the commercial fishery, "There have been 26 work-related deaths from 2007 to 2017 in the commercial fishery." The injuries come every year and FishSafeBC was an organization launched in order to reduce the risk associated with employment in this valuable workplace sector.

lisa.houle@worksafebc.com