Westcoast Stewardship Corridor launched

T’Souke First Nation Chief, Gordon Planes, met with Steven Guilbeault, the Minister of Environment & Climate Change today, June 28th, as a $525,000 Parks Canada commitment to improve ecological and cultural connectivity along the west coast of Vancouver Island led by First Nations was announced.

“We know we have disrupted the forest, the house of the wildlife, and we would like to be part of restoring ‘the house’,” indicated Chief Planes. “We need to be able to have all living beings living in a healthy way and we can learn from our ancestors how to restore the land. That is our birthright.”

The goal of the funding is to preserve the biodiversity of Vancouver Island, ensuring its longevity for future generations. The Indigenous-led Westcoast Stewardship Corridor is a collaborative initiative among local First Nations on Vancouver Island and is grounded in the Nuu-chah-nulth guiding principles of Hishuk’ish tsawalk (interconnectedness), Uu-a-thluk (the responsibility to take care of), Łisaak (respect for all things living and non-living), and the Coast Salish principle of Naut’sa mawt (together as one).
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T’Sou-ke Nation: Member since 2021