Heiltsuk - Inside an Indigenous Environmental Impact Asses

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When the Nathan E. Stewart ran aground in Gale Pass in October, 2016, the resulting diesel and lubricant spill devastated the area, and put a stop to harvesting practices in the area.

As part of their ‘world class oil spill response”, the federal government left it up to the polluter - Kirby - to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The company was permitted to define the scope of the EIA, which was done within a western framework and limited by the lack of Heiltsuk participation, Indigenous knowledge and Gvi’las (law).

“Kirby’s environmental impact assessment was going to take just the information that had been gathered during the spill, and in the few weeks and months afterwards. The majority of that information gathering involved chemical testing. That means that they weren't planning on going out into the water, into the territory, to actually look and see what those impacts were, six months, a year, two years later. And they were going to rely almost exclusively on laboratory testing of contaminant levels, plugged into a computer model, to tell Heiltsuk what those impacts were. We can't rely just on models and something happening entirely in a laboratory to tell us what's really going on. It's important to build on the knowledge of people who have human experience with an ecosystem spanning generations and spanning millennia.” — Diana Chan, Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department

Now, Heiltsuk have engaged Firelight to conduct a proper, thorough EIA grounded in Gvi’las, integrating Heiltsuk knowledge and western science. Firelight is an Indigenous-owned consultancy with extensive experience working with Indigenous nations to develop community- led impact assessments. They employ Indigenous knowledge-based approaches to monitor impacts and ecosystem recovery.

Heiltsuk’s Environmental Impact Assessment is based on on-the-ground knowledge, involving knowledge keepers who have spent decades out harvesting in the territory and who have learned from their parents, grandparents, and ancestors.

Donate to support this important evidence-collection process, as part of RAVEN's Step Up for Coast Heroes campaign: raventrust.com/campaigns/heiltsuk

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