Fish farmers committed to protecting the marine environment

Since 2001, Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. has raised Atlantic, Chinook and Coho salmon at locations on the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island, and near to Sechelt, north of Vancouver. Its total employment is around 120 persons including its head office in Campbell River, hatchery operations at Gold River, and 15 farm sites dotting coastal inlets. 

BC's aquaculture industry contributes 6,000 jobs to the regional economy and is valued at $800 million annually. "Grieg Seafood is committed to protecting the marine environment where our salmon farms are located, an environment that is so important to aboriginal communities for food gathering, canoe journeys and other cultural practices," says Managing Director Stewart Hawthorn.

Hawthorn, who joined Grieg Seafood in 2010 and relocated with his family from New Zealand, managed similar aquaculture operations and established productive relationships with Maori groups in support of their own economic activities. "Grieg has agreements with several First Nations around north Vancouver Island and the coast. “My discussions with chiefs and councils have included how we can develop aquaculture training programs which lead to employment at our farm sites and at our hatchery at Gold River.”

“For some, our support contributes to a community's economic plans to manage their own shellfish aquaculture operations. Grieg's long-term success is tied to working with our First Nation partners, and toward their efforts to develop skills and capacity amongst their own people, particularly young families."

The industry believes that partnerships with First Nations can respond to the need for jobs in more remote communities. Many of these jobs are on the fish farms, and also in the support industries such as trucking and processing. "We recognize the public interest in aquaculture and in managing our farming practices well," continued Hawthorn. 

"And that is why we invite our Aboriginal partners to meet with us, learn about our business, and tour our farms to see first-hand how we take care to raise our fish. We also acknowledge that our partners are stewards of the waters where we operate." Hawthorn states, "Grieg Seafood believes in continuous improvement." "Our relationships with First Nations has benefited us in so many ways, including how we plan for our business, and how our aboriginal partners can share in our success too."

Anti-aquaculture campaigners with the Living Oceans Society are wrong in their recent criticism of our Plover Point farm site application,” says Grant Warkentin, Communications Officer, Mainstream Canada. “They are missing the key point that our new site is a better environmental choice than the old one it will replace. Our old Cormorant site is in a location which is not optimal for growing fish to harvest size and is used for smolt entry only. “ (Once the smolts in Cormorant reach a suitable size, they must be transferred to other sites.)

The Plover Point site, located in Ahousaht First Nation territory, was identified as a suitable replacement site in the protocol agreement between Ahousaht and Mainstream Canada because it is located in deeper water and in a better location with less risk of environmental impacts. It is appropriate for growing fish from smolt size to harvest size, “and will allow us to increase fallow times at other sites in the region, lowering our overall environmental impact while still maintaining our current level of production.

"The Plover Point site we have applied for will, if approved, replace Mainstream’s Cormorant site in their production plans. The Cormorant site will be transferred to the Ahousaht First Nation, as per our protocol agreement with the Ahousaht government, for the Ahousaht to use for their own purposes.”

Nunavut Connections, Inuit-owned transportation services for the Arctic

“Business will run essentially from Churchill where we have an office. We transport anything that comes by rail and ship to communities in the Kvaliut region,” explains Elizabeth Copland, Nunavut Connections President, "communities including my own, Arviat (pop. 2,800), second largest Nunavut community. Shipping is of vehicles, groceries, building materials, and other goods and equipment,” delivering to companies like the Northern Store, or Arviat’s local Coop, and the Independent Eskimo Point Lumber store.

Nunavut is building capacity for new industry and the communities decided to get engaged in the process, “We hope to build a training program and expand operations. We want to grow the company and improve end-services with a fuel tank farm, port maintenance and railway and marine services, and eventually construction services. We have a big port that has been used for a number of years.”

The Churchill harbour facilities employ office workers and 12 stevedores that work cranes and heavy equipment. They are all from Churchill. “I have family there, so I am in Churchill on a number of occasions through the year. We could be soon developing programs to recruit and train. Things are going real well since the launch of the new enterprise. ” Meanwhile, she lives in Arviat, “Our temperatures are pretty much the same with Northern Manitoba the only difference is we do not have any trees.

July 2011 was the first sailing of a ship served by Nunavut Connections with the opening of the sea-lanes, and the shipping into these areas will run till October, weather permitting. Copland notes that, “In the north mining is booming and other companies and groups want to take part or get involved. Our shareholders decided to form a company to get a piece of the economic development action.”

She adds, “We are very familiar with Churchill,” Arviat lying due north on the shore of Hudson’s Bay, “and Nunavut needs these opportunities for the young people, jobs involving skills and service to their own communities.” 

Nunavut Connections brings together a broad base of shareholders from across the Baffin and Kivalliq regions. "We believe this is the opportune time for us to partner with a well-established company such as OmniTRAX Canada," said Simon Merkosak of Pond Inlet, a shareholder in the venture. "Nunavut needs these type of ventures to benefit not only the people of Nunavut but also our young Nunavut government."

Eitan Dehtiar of OmniTRAX Canada explains, “Several Kivalliq and Baffin business people approached us with a way to work together in the north about six months ago and the planning came together to build employment, ownership, and improved reliability of service,” giving Nunavut region communities better control over expedition of goods.

The new business initiative provides a better ability for economic developers to manoeuvre around political situations, as well as giving the region an entrepreneurial leg-up on business conducted by southern companies presently directing operations in the north. “This scenario is different in meeting service levels required, and we launched with twelve stevedore jobs in Churchill, when, in mid-May 2011, we took on local staff.”

Part of the plan is to expand employment and employ-ability of personnel around the sea-lift capability and further developing year-long project support infrastructure in Churchill planning cycles. “We are pleased with the launch cycle that occurred this spring and summer, and I estimate that things are going fairly well. Our launch was well-received and by the end of October 2011 we will see the progress that was made,” says Dehtiar.

“The major effort this year has been to introduce the shareholders behind Nunavut Connections as a company that will move goods and services in the Kivalliq and Baffin region, showing continued support for the growth of these remote communities. The economic potential in the north is becoming very significant,” impossible to ignore.

The new company improves service levels and creates more financial viability to investors in other areas of economic development, such as mining. “We will have a much better sense by end of year of how the company will deploy in future during the short shipping season. The first ship sailed to various communities,” visited by marine carriers.

The goal is to expand, “ideally, across the board, for we want Churchill to remain a competitive port from a price perspective and a Nunavut business services perspective, and the focus is a considerable expansion of service levels in material shipping,” which requires, furthermore, an evaluation of infrastructure as part of the plan. “Churchill has existing facilities, the province of Manitoba is supportive, and we the province has have a Memorandum of Understanding with Nunavut.”

This development is perceived as a boost to Province of Manitoba’s capacity for economic development in the north. “We see James Bay area and the eastern shores of Hudson’s Bay as a potential part of the expansion and definitely part of this model of business activity.” Planning continues around the seasonality of the port. “In addition, we will supply air support to communities and make this a year-round part of operations.”

Sustainable forestry departments in Fraser Valley First Nations

Photo credit: Jason Kemmler

Chief Clem Seymour’s Band, the Seabird Island First Nation in the Sto:lo Nation, has established a sustainable forestry department, “We have long term goals and forestry operations are making the Band money, and providing valuable jobs with long-term careers.” Tamihi Logging Ltd. has become a significant business operation that works in the Chilliwack-area forests on behalf of Seabird Island First Nation.

“It’s forestry operations in some deep valleys,” says Chief Seymour, “and we work wherever we have to in harvesting fir and cedar from second and third growth forests.” Fifteen to twenty employees are working in crews under Tamihi’s Gary Peters, falling trees and loading timber at the dump-sites. “We are managing these tenures in our fourth year, working in a partnership through Tamihi Logging and Dorman Lumber on the specialized form of logging that we do.”

The employment is going to Seabird Island members and other First Nation forestry personnel from around the Lower Mainland. Head office for Tamihi Logging Ltd. is about 20 kilometres outside Chilliwack, at Agassiz, B.C..

This arrangement is another example of First Nations finding innovative ways to work in the forests of traditional territories. Dorman Timber Limited and their subsidiaries, Tamahi Logging, and Fred Morris and Son Selective Logging are specialized in coastal forestry operations. "We have been working in the Fraser Valley with Seabird Island First Nation on their Forest Range Agreement," Brian Dorman explained last year, “including a 100,000 Cubic Metre (CM) annual allowable cut.”

Dorman also works with Scowlitz First Nation on a FRA of 32,000 CM per year. They work on Vancouver Island where they own and operate a couple of area-based timber licenses adding up to 400,000 CM. They cut contract logs for a couple of different forestry outfits including Timberwest, Island Timberlands, Western Forest Products, and First Nations in Sooke, Port McNeill, and elsewhere.

Dorman Timber has obviously established strong working relationships with First Nation foresters in the Fraser Valley and in coastal, island, and archipelago forests, and the company continues to build relationships that will see the forestry industry of B.C. evolve with a new set of important players.

Matt Wealick, RPF, of Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry, says, “A lot of preliminary work went into the recent logging with Alternative Forest Operations to make sure the value of the end product was going to make the bottom-line work . We paid for the more expensive single-stem logging operation.” The cedar was picked up by Helifor and delivered to the buyer, Gorman Brothers, “They bought  and marked poles on site,” said  Wealick.

“This was our first attempt at logging for a particular market in telephone poles. The market happened to allow for this type of operation   Poles were worth quite a bit more money. We plan cutblocks with all the options on the table and we go with best option. We own and manage the Tree Farm License and actively coordinate projects for the logging contractors, engineers, buyers, and operations conducted by AFO and Helifor.”

Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry operates from Chilliwack, B.C., and hired Alternative Forest Operations for a project that took two months to harvest  timber this summer, and a month prior to set up the job. The contract with Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry ensued from AFO’s commitment to alternative harvesting and  forestry practices, as Jason Kemmler explains, “The thing is, we have no real piece of technology that sets us apart.  It’s men, the training and care we put into work. It’s thinking outside the box.”
 

The job in the Lower Mainland involved up to 10 men, “The job was specifically designed to harvest cedar poles. Engineers go in and individually pick the trees that have the characteristics to make  telephone poles. These are straight, and uniform in length and size. We limb, top and jig the tree so there is no damage. The tree gets delivered to the drop pocket without touching the ground.”

This type of harvesting leaves no room for damage. “There’s a great market for these trees, a strong market for a limited resource. The biggest difference is we don’t fall the pole so there’s no potential for hidden breakage. It’s more time-consuming and costly. Single-stem harvesting makes the opportunity of harvesting cedar poles or other niche markets one tree at a time.”

Personnel are trained in identifying poles. Engineers mark the pole, the climber climbs.  The jigger jigs the tree, once the helicopter logs the stem a ground crew walks to the stump to confirm the single stem has been removed. The size of job that warrants something like this usually ranges from  300 to 3,000 trees.

“We create projects with our client,” says  Kemmler. “Our methods are more expensive and intense, involving a high level of professionalism/organization/ and communication. We are working with clients looking to maximize value and keep a sustainable forest. We do a few clear-cuts, where there is no retention, and steep drainage. Often we harvest without clear cuts, using no roads."
 

It’s investing, planning, communication and Integrity plus time taken to make a greater return for the clients. “Our operations require someone in the Timber-holder position to consider this. It's value-added forestry to sell logs into niche markets mixed with some conventional logging.”  Kemmler says, “We have few competitors. Our goal is to maximum value through recovery methods if the expense of additional harvesting methods warrant it.”

A timber sales company goes to log brokers to sell into the commodity market. “We are of the mind-frame that the commodity log market is part of it, but where there is the one red cedar that could be made into a totem pole, we want to find the niche markets to buy the log, to tap into the value-added side of forestry. Some trees double in value when the market is for transmission cedar poles.” It all depends on what the client has for trees to cut.

Kemmler says, "First Nations have a new resource in wood fibre baskets, but they may be missing important knowledge about how to manage it. It’s a matter of building trust. Without integrity nothing works. Being a part of the operation at Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry involved Matt Wealick, RPF. He’s a young RPF who has other First Nations calling him for advice. We work along side him to manage a timber harvest that incorporates alternative methods."
 

AFO has a staff complement of 30 to  40 full time personnel, working 10-12 months of the year. “Mostly our operations are on the coast of BC, harvesting fir and cedar. In Bamfield AFO is working with the Huu-ay-aht first nations, we are harvesting Highly valued red cedar logs and cedar trees picked for telephone poles the value or price of lumber that these species produce help the client harvest less valuable species such as Hemlock or Balsam with the helicopter which would normally be felled and left on the hill. “Huu ay aht is harvesting a community forest.”
 

They are taking a percentage of all species on the hill, sustainably logging the profile. There’s big wood and steep ground. We’ve been in there for a couple weeks. We’ll be in there another few weeks. The work is the same situation where we had a client who wanted to harvest in their community forest,  the sales value of the wood had the profitability of the project to small to warrant the risk. After re looking at the job we were able to apply the Single Stem method and create a win for all parties.  Kemmler has been impressed the Huu ay aht operations, “They have a well-rounded organization with lots of Band members working in their operations. 

Tsi Del Del Awards from Good works, great training bring awards and prosperity

Tsi Del Del is the name of our community in the Chilcotin language meaning Red Stone,” explains Chief Percy Guichon.“ The company started 19 years ago, “out of need to put our youth in the major forest industry that is operating around us, as a way of ensuring we had a company and meaningful way to manage Red Stone resources.” The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) announced that Percy, Chief of the Alexis Creek Indian Band, and Tsi Del Del Enterprises of Chilanko Forks, B.C., won the FPAC/AFN  Business Leadership Award. Chief Guichon was honoured on Jul 14, 2011, at the AFN General Assembly in Moncton.

“We have a forest license, which started out jointly with major licensee at Williams Lake, Jacobson’s Brothers, bought by Riverside, now owned by Tolko Industries. The goal has always been to keep generating employment for members,” says  Guichon. “We have probably about 30 loggers and we operate in traditional territory with everything from skidders to hand buckers. Today we are fully engaged in all forestry operations including processors and bunchers.”

Tsi Del Dell is a road- side logging operation, stump-to-dump. “We have our own in-house forestry planning branch conducting block layout at pre-harvest, and now, including post-harvest silviculture operations, we are A to Z in forestry, including timber cruisers. We operate competitively on timber bids, often beating others rates on the bids.” The operations occur in the West Chilcotin area of B.C., and personnel in the company includes a key man educated as a Registered Forestry Technician who does all our consulting. Depending on project, we will consult others.” 

The Tsi Del Dell success has spun off other Band-owned businesses, including logging truck owners and operators within the Band. The core of operations run from west of Williams Lake by about 2 hours. Percy explains, “The other major component to our winning the award is from a certain percentage of the profit income generated being incorporated into training and skills development in the company. “Fifty cents per Cubic Metre of harvest is put aside for training and schooling for Band members in post-secondary education and training.”

The program of further education has produced personnel with a forest technician diploma, while another Band member  went all the way to get his masters in forestry, and the education component continues to grow. The Band is building capacity and social capital to prepare for new opportunities, including, “getting our more of our own Forest License.”

Operating successfully under the B.C. Forest Range department programs and the Mountain Pine Beetle uplift of timber volumes, “We get to put money aside for housing, which is essential because housing funding is inadequate from INAC.” The Band has 650 on the list, and only 350  get to live on-reserve. “Some would like to move home.” Tsi Del Del operations go from spring to break-up, ten months of the year, and silviculture work is conducted annually. “We are working under existing forest licenses and the Band will have it’s own awarded, to which we will be the sub-contractor.”

Nupqu runs lean in growing forestry concern

Nupqu Development Corporation started on April 1, 2009, explains Norm Fraser, when Ktunaxa Kinbasket Development Corp was absorbed, “It became a new corporation and this was done for variety of reasons, when Nupqu took on the operations (of 13 years development) previously done by KKDC. Nupqu bought all the assets.”

In that context, history and experience of the company is much longer than the start date.  “The location is on St Mary’s Reservation outside Cranbrook, B.C., and the change in ownership was made to refit the corporation for new liability concerns. “We expanded, and the amount of business that was increasing is significant. “In 2006, under KKDC, we did $500,000 in sales. Last year we did $4.7 million in sales under Nupqu.” 

The expansion has been a boon to employment. “Last year we had 81 different individuals work  full-time or part-time, producing 81,000 hours worked,” the equivalent of 45 full-time jobs. It’s a work force that permits Nupqu to take on serious endeavors. “The bigger ones these past couple years? One is related to a BC Hydro transmission line, for which we’ve have had three different contracts. The centre-line slashing to start, then forestry consulting, marking boundary, road-planning, timber-cruising, assessing value of the forest as we did so, and thirdly, we are now clearing right-of-way and building access roads,” to a portion of the line. 

 

“The first two were whole contracts, all 115 km of line, the third contract is a partial road building contract on 6 KM section of the line.”  Another area of business activity for Nupqu is an annual contract with TransCanada Pipelines, “It varies from year to year. Last year it was 30-man contract for a month hand-excavating around the pipe, and doing other pipe maintenance jobs,” good paying jobs, “pipeline contracts pay well, and the contract is every year,” for the past 10 years.

 

“In other work we are more forestry-related, providing forestry consulting services for Tembec, doing all sorts of things, forest-planning work, locating cutblocks, road design work, forest health, danger-tree falling,” and this is an ongoing service agreement through the years since 2006, explains Norm. 

 

“In sliviculture, we are are contracted under the Forest for Tomorrow Program,” he says. “The idea is to reforest MPB areas or wild fires. What we do is some of the technical side,  surveys, and plotting, then danger-tree falling; we’ve done 5,000 hectares of danger-tree falling basically to clear the way for siliviculture workers.” That’s ongoing since 2007.

 

“Last year we had 45 different projects.” Nupqu runs lean, using a fleet of vehicles to move people to contract sites.” We don’t own of a lot of heavy equipment.” They subcontract and lease equipment in concert with demand. “We are working to develop the environmental side of our business. Teck Mining has five operating coal mines in our traditional territory, and in the past few years they have contracted the corporation to do revegetation, grass-seeding, noxious weed control, water quality sampling, and other duties,” in their fourth year working those contracts, “That’s seasonal.”

It’s the forestry opportunities that dominate, so, “Our winters are slow, We keep busy doing contracts on fuel reduction treatments around four reserves thinning underbrush, pruning trees, reducing the fire threat to communities,” by accessing provincial funding to make communities safer.

Four Ktunaxa communities own Nupqu, including St. Mary’s,  Lower Kooteney, Akisqnek and Tobacco Plains. “It all took place when one of the triggers was the provincial award of a Community Forest Agreement in 2005,” and suddenly they had capital. “What we had allowed us to develop the Tembec relationship. It allows for a lot of the job training and employment opportunities. We are moving people into positions, now having two Ktunaxa forest technologists on our staff,” and an education program continues on demand.