Chief Thomas Speaks Up

It Only Takes One Chief

Something profound has happened in our Valley regarding the fate of our Community Forest, and the relationship between the Quw’utsun Nation and North Cowichan citizens. A seed has been planted that will have far-reaching consequences, for good or ill, depending on what grows out of it. 

Since 2021, the Municipal Government and Quw’utsun have been in closed-door negotiations about the future of our Six Mountains. 

Whatever they’ve been talking about — conservation? logging? — is a mystery to us. Could be good, could be dreadful. We don’t know. We’ve been excluded from the process. We don’t know why. We’re deeply concerned about this.

Enter the Chief of the Halalt…

Watershed Restoration Plan

For over two decades Halalt Leadership has been raising the issues the watershed is facing and highlighting the need for a Watershed Restoration Plan. The impacts felt by the community in the last 5 years are a stark reminder that BIG ACTION is needed. The Chemainus Watershed Initiative includes a collaborative table with representatives from all levels of government, industry and citizens who have been working for the past 2 years at a technical level to identify opportunities for restoration.  

The second phase of work is now underway to focus on restoration action in the riverscape and to use indigenous indicators of watershed health to imagine a conservation and protection strategy for the watershed and to develop a watershed governance framework. These are stepping stones towards the long awaited Watershed Restoration Plan.