A year ago, I took the step to establish a sole proprietorship and seek out work that is both meaningful and advances sustainable solutions for Indigenous governance and reconciliation, and utilizes my skills and experience in an effort to contribute to the greater good. It was a risky and slightly scary decision to leave the security of a full-time position, especially as a single parent of two beautiful children.

My goal was to maintain the nourishing relationship with my employer and home nation of Gitanyow (Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs), while expanding my network, building new relationships, and responding to the overwhelming demand for the type of work that I do. As many Indigenous people know, working for your people can be one of the most uplifting and rewarding, yet taxing responsibilities to uphold. Burnout is common, and lateral violence often results in well-intentioned and qualified individuals looking for other opportunities that put less strain on our well-being.

Rather than leave the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs completely, I chose to maintain the relationship in a newly defined way as an independent contractor. This allows me to work on things that I am best suited for and inspire me, and to share the learnings and teachings with other clients in government, environmental or land-based philanthropy, other Indigenous nations, and collaborative stewardship initiatives.

My uncertainty about the volume of work available was definitely unfounded, as my first year has been remarkable in terms of opportunities, and I am so grateful and honoured for the clients I have worked for and with in 2021. Here are some of the projects from Hlimoo Sustainable Solutions inaugural year:

-Development of a suite of Cultural Indicators to assess the health of moose, grizzly bear, wetlands, medicinal plants, and fish and fish habitat on behalf 10 First Nations in collaboration with the provincial government as a part of the Skeena Sustainability Assessment Forum. This included convening and coordinating a small Working Group, research and analysis of existing documents and works, drafting of Cultural Indicators, verification of Indicators and report with Working Group, the Science and Technical Committee and the Project Team.

-Also for the Skeena Sustainability Assessment Forum, development of a 5-Year Plan for the Tier 1 group of First Nations to help inform discussions and collaboration with their provincial government partner.

-Co-authoring a case study titled Ayookxw Responding to Climate Change for the Canadian Institute of Climate Choices to share the work of the Gitanyow in developing a water policy in response to unprecedented droughts, glacial recession and reduced snowpack in combination with existing cumulative impacts from industrial development.

-Participation in a coding panel and external reviewer for the Real Estate Foundation of BC’s Impact Assessment 2020 Report which explores the measurement of positive impacts across the Foundation’s 5 Interest Areas: Land Use, Built Environments, Fresh Water, Food Lands, and Real Estate.

-External support for the Real Estate Foundation of BC team for the intake of 61 projects for the Healthy Watersheds Initiative, including workplan and intake document review, drafting of deliverables, communications with project proponents, hiring of staff and convening of the Indigenous Leaders Advisory Circle for the Healthy Watersheds Initiative. This contract work led to a part-time term position as Senior Indigenous Advisor.

-Community expert review and input on the draft report titled Mining and Consent Discussion Paper by the First Nations Energy & Mining Council.

-Writing and drafting support for Four Directions Management Services for the report titled First Nations Engagement Summary Report in Support of the Organizational Review by Lands and Natural Resource Operations Secretariat. The report documents summary and analysis of 14 engagement sessions between the provincial government and First Nations and Indigenous organizations across BC in support of restructuring the current provincial Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

-Expert reviewer for exploratory Water Objectives Workshop hosted by POLIS and Northern Confluence. The workshop offered a space for leaders in regional land use planning and water governance initiatives to explore, discuss, and workshop ideas about Water Sustainability Act Water Objectives. Participants drafted sample Water Objectives in breakout sessions, which were then sent to external reviewers for feedback. 

-Participant in expert advisors workshop series for the Tahltan Nation as they begin to develop their Stewardship Plan Methodology, expected later in 2022 to be publicly available.

-Supporting Wilp Wii Litsxw (Gitanyow) in establishing the Meziadin Indigenous Protected Area with the organization of a ceremonial event, drafting of a Management Plan, and support for the launch of a documentary film to help raise awareness.

-Drafting and facilitation support for the BC provincial government Environmental Stewardship Initiative and Collaborative Stewardship Framework Forums as new directions for the programs are proposed and contemplated. Hopeful to be able to share something publicly in 2022.

-Reviewer and contributor to the Real Estate Foundation of BC‘s Indigenous Grants Stream Pilot, expected to be launched later in 2022.

-Participation in the Sustainable Funding Working Group efforts to advance the establishment of a BC Watershed Security Fund, including presenting findings at key webinars.

-Advisor and coordinator for Nature United on Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.

-Numerous speaking engagements, guest lectures for post-secondary institutions such as BCIT, UBC Allard School of Law, and UVIC. One highlight was the webinar for the Festival of What Works, talking about the Gitanyow Land Use Plan and Indigenous Land Use Planning supporting salmon ecosystems.

-For smaller contributions, I have been honoured to be invited to advise or review materials and strategies, research and other products for organizations including: Metlakatla Stewardship, Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, and the BC First Nations Fisheries Council.