The Lax Kw’alaams Band and members of the Nine Allied Tsimshian Tribes were in Vancouver this week for a five-day federal court hearing over their concerns with the Liberal governments plans to implement a Marine Protected Area off B.C.’s coast, which they say will negatively impact their nation’s ability to fish and build their local economy.

According to a statement, Lax Kw’alaams is requesting a judicial review of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans’ decision to endorse the network due to a lack of meaningful consultation and implementation of fishing restrictions throughout the Northern Shelf Bioregion, an area of 102,000 square kilometers stretching from North Vancouver Island to the Alaskan Canadian border, where the Lax Kw’alaams commercial fleet regularly fish.

Today we speak with Lax Kw’alaams Mayor Garry Reece about why his community and the Nine Allied Tribes are pushing back on the proposed MPA network and why this is a last stand for one of the few remaining fishing fleets on B.C.’s north coast.

Tomorrow, June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. Here in Smithers, a grandiose project has been underway for nearly a year and tomorrow it will be revealed at the Dze L Kant Friendship Centre.

This project features Wet’suwet’en drummers Diana and Virginia, local hip hop royalty Travis Heibert, Lisa Conway, a music producer and performer from Montreal, educator and The infirmary’s front man Brennan McKinnon, local producer Elijah Quinn, and Telkwa Elementary Music teacher Brenna Anderson and three choirs of students from Telkwa Elementary and Muheim Elementary.
 

Teaching about reconciliation in school district 54 is a main value of the district. Assistant superintendent Jana Fox said that this collaborative effort of people with diverse backgrounds to teach about reconciliation is a powerful message.

The power of this project lies in the collaborative stories of Indigenous experiences including banned pot latches and having to find the trail back to their celebrations and song.

The artists, educators and students each have been working tirelessly to bring their perspectives on board to drive the message home through song. The following are interviews with Jana Fox, some of the students involved in the choral portion of Trail of Song, and musician Brennan McKinnon about the making of this song and the power of art to change minds.