Addressing Cumulative Effects: Insights from Indigenous Efforts in the Salish Sea

Jun. 7, 2022 at 8:20 a.m. PDT

The panel features representatives of the Salish Sea Indigenous Guardians Association (SSIGA): President Sləqsit, Steven Stark, Treasurer & Secretary Spaləl̕and, Tumia Knott, and Vice-President Xwopokton, Chief Harley Chappell, in a conversation with SSIGA Executive Director Marian Ngo.

Sponsored by GCT Global Container Terminals.

Steven Stark serves on both the Legislature and the Executive Council for Tsawwassen First Nation. He is also a business owner and an avid fisherman and crabber that has been involved in various environmental studies along the Salish waterways. As a founding member of SSIGA, Steven seeks practical solutions that break the cycle of continual disadvantage faced by so many First Nations when it comes to development decisions and environmental assessments.

Tumia has served as a Council member for Kwantlen First Nation for over the past two decades and has been involved in leading a variety of government, land, economic, and resource self-determination initiatives and program development on behalf of Kwantlen during this time as a practicing lawyer. She is honoured to be a part of the establishment of SSIGA with neighbouring Nations and is excited for the important and needed work of SSIGA going forward to ensure the rightful place of Indigenous voice and perspective to decisions and processes impacting traditional territories and resources.

Harley Chappell is the elected chief of Semiahmoo First Nation in South Surrey, BC. He currently serves as a coastal Indigenous representative on the Fraser Basin Council, a Board Member of the Shared Water Alliance, and a Director for the Emergency Planning Secretariat. As a founding board member for the Salish Sea Indigenous Guardians Association (SSIGA) he is seeking to ensure that Indigenous voices have a key role in guiding industrial development and government processes and that First Nations are well equipped and resourced to properly engage in policymaking.

Marian specializes in innovative and progressive approaches in the field of government relations – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Honing in on rationales for processes– if the status quo does not allow for needs to be addressed, she works to develop partnerships and solutions that do. Marian has previously worked in both government and industry. With the latter, she was part of the core team at Woodfibre LNG that worked with Squamish Nation in the establishment and enforcement of the first-ever Indigenous-issued environmental certificate.

Subtitles available in: English

Share on

Downloads

View Comments