T'Sou-ke Nation

The T'Sou-ke Nation is represented by the Te'mexw Treaty Association along with four other Coast Salish First Nations. They entered the B.C. treaty process in 1995.

On 26 February 2013 T'Sou-ke Nation and the Province of British Columbia signed an Incremental Treaty Agreement (ITA).[9] An ITA is a legally-binding pre-treaty agreement negotiated between the Province of British Columbia and First Nations at a treaty negotiation table.[10] ITAs are intended to build trust among the parties, create incentives to reach further milestones and provide increased certainty over land and resources.[10] The province reports that "negotiations are making steady progress and have successfully resolved a number of difficult issues that include governance, land, resources and fiscal matters."[11] The negotiations are at stage 4, Agreement-in-Principle.[11]

The Te'mexw Treaty Association reports that the ITA is a multi-year agreement that includes the transfer of two side-by-side 60-hectare parcels of Crown land located at Broom Hill within the nation's traditional territory in the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area.[3] The land transfers are intended to provide the T'Sou-ke Nation with forestry and light industrial development opportunities that support employment and new sources of revenue.[3] The lands will be held in fee simple by the T'Sou-ke Nation, under a First Nation-designated company, and will be subject to the same federal and provincial laws and municipal bylaws and regulations as with any other privately held property.[3]

In 2008, "guided by the ancestral custom of looking ahead seven generations, the community prepared a vision with four goals: self-sufficiency in energy and food, economic independence – or as Chief Planes has said, 'No more living off the dole' – and a return to traditional ways and values."[14] Chief Planes stated: “We used to live sustainably, and only took what we needed from the land. We need to get back to that."[14]

The T'Sou-ke First Nation is working with Victoria-based MarineLabs, to collect real-time data about the ocean and areas such as the Sooke Basin. They are deploying smart buoys with sensors to record data about wind speed, wave size, marine traffic, water temperature and water salinity. This will enable them to better monitor the impacts of factors such as climate change, storms, pollution, and shipping, and to manage use of the area.[15]

The T'Sou-ke Nation Health Centre,[16] part of the Sooke Integrated Health Network, operates in cooperation with the Vancouver Island Health Authority and the Inter Tribal Health Authority.[17] Medical professionals visit the community regularly.[16] Special clinics are held regularly for matters such as mammograms and flu shots; and workshops on health and wellness are also held on issues such as nutrition, baby programs, and diabetes.[16]

Chief Gordon Planes states: "First Nations have lived for thousands of years on this continent without fossil fuels. It is appropriate that First Nations lead the way out of dependency and addiction to fossil fuels and to rely on the power of the elements, the sun, the wind and the sea once again."[18] The T'Sou-ke Nation has become a leader in green initiatives, including mentoring other communities.[19]

In 2009, the community built "a 400-panel solar photovoltaic system that generates 50 per cent more electricity than the next largest in the province."[14] Power bills at the three administrative offices dropped by 100 per cent.[14] In 2009 and 2010, hot-water solar panels were installed on the roofs of 42 of the 86 buildings on the reserve.[14] The energy savings are such that the T'Sou-ke Nation is able to sell its surplus to BC Hydro in the summer, and buy it back in the winter when needed, resulting in zero bills.[20]

In 2013, the T'Sou-ke Nation was the third Canadian community to be awarded official Solar City Designation by the Canadian Solar Cities Project.[21]

Energy-saving measures were also taken in the homes of community members, such as extra roof insulation, new appliances to replace obsolete ones, and energy-saving light bulbs.[14]

Plans are underway to "develop, build and operate $750-million in large-scale wind power projects on Vancouver Island."[20]

In 2014, the T'Sou-ke started a project that will harness wave power from the ocean to create energy.[20]

By 2013, the T'Sou-ke community was developing community greenhouses to grow peppers, tomatoes, and eventually a cash crop of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) for export.[14] The ultimate result hoped for is a "zero-mile diet".[14]

In 2014, 15,000 wasabi seedlings had been planted in three greenhouses, which would be harvested in 15 months' time.[20] Profits from the wasabi farm are planned to help expand an existing organic community garden and a 70-hectare oyster farm pilot project in the Sooke Basin.[20] The main market for wasabi is in its medicinal qualities, which is consistent with First Nations traditions of using plants to heal.[22]

In 2008, the Ladybug Garden and Greenhouse was started to harvest fresh produce and herbs for the community, as well as a means to preserve native plants and knowledge about how to find them.[19]