WLC

This time of year is traditionally known as PENÁW̱EṈ - but depending on how many moons the year has (12 or 13) -  it can also be known as ĆENHENEN. This month, we wanted to share both.  PENÁWEṈ TES E EṮ PENÁW̱EṈ ȻNIȽs YÁs TŦEN QEȽ W̱ILṈEW̱TOL OX̱E TŦE ṮEṮÁĆES. OLEXETES TŦE ḰȽOEL U SXÁĆEȽ TŦE Ć,ȻÁ, E TŦE ḰȽOEL LÁE TŦE Á,ŦȻEȽ. EWEs U MEQ SÁN Ć,ȻÁ, MEQ EXIN E TŦE ÁLEṈENEȻ ŚW̱LÁEs Ȼs ISTs TŦE QEȽ W̱ILṈEW̱ȽTE. ṮAḴT TŦE SȻÁĆEL ṮWE EWEs ENÁN SȽEMW̱TW̱E ÍY QÁLES. NI E TŦE EN QEȽ W̱ILṈEW̱TŦE Ć,ȻÁ, E SWÁLET: 1) [...]

Share Your Vision For The Saanich Peninsula with the Municipalities in a Virtual Planning Forum The municipalities of Central Saanich, North Saanich and the Town of Sidney are holding an Indigenous-only Official Community Planning Engagement Session this coming June 22nd. When: June 22nd 6-8pm Where: Zoom or call in Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81553574125?pwd=bGNrMjFzZ3dTejhHUDhhRHQ3RlJpUT09 Meeting ID: 815 4347 4125 Passcode: 545835 Dial-in Option: 1-778-907-2071 This virtual forum is being held to solicit W̱SÁNEĆ perspectives and vision for the future of the Saanich peninsula.  The feedback gathered during this Official Community Planning session is used to inform Community Planning within the districts [...]

Last week, staff from the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, teachers from the ȽÁU,WEL,ṈEW̱ Tribal School and the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership School, and The Land Conservancy of British Columbia (TLC) toured SISȻENEM (Halibut Island) in one of many planned visits to assess the ecology and clean up debris left from the previous owner. Since February’s landmark purchase and upcoming transfer of the island from TLC to the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, there have been multiple visits by elders, scientists and cleanup crews.  These visits are an important part of the creation of the conservation covenant and co-management plan the TLC and W̱SÁNEĆ [...]

The WLC is pleased to welcome David Dick to the team! Learn more about David Dick and how he will help fulfill the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council's mandate. Click play to view the short interview, or read the transcript below. https://youtu.be/WPZTtKBKb3w David: My name is David Dick. Also known as SUMÉ,t I'm from the Songhees first nation. My father is Baptiste (Skip) Dick- LEXIXELEK  from Songhees. My mom is Linda Dick. She is of Swiss Norwegian descent.  I have four other siblings and I have three daughters and a son and three grandchildren. Interviewer: Would you be able to [...]

The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (WLC) grieves with the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc, and with all of the families of the children lost to the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Children's shoes are placed on the staircase outside Vancouver Art Gallery to remember the 215 Tk’emlups te Secwépemc children lost to the residential school system. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua) Gord Elliott, Director of Operations stated: “There are no words to express the deep loss that we feel as W̱SÁNEĆ people, and as survivors when we hear an announcement like this. While we knew many children in our communities that did not [...]

Interested in a career at sea? Camosun College in partnership with BCIT is offering FREE training to Indigenous students through their Bridge Watch Program.   In this info session we chatted with: Shauna Johnson, WLC's Marine Use Planner who shared about upcoming career opportunities for people with this training, as well as her experience attending Camosun. Richard Watts, the most recent Indigenous graduate of the Bridge Watch Program who shared his experience applying, in the classroom and out looking for a job with his new Bridge Watch Certification. Cindy Drover-Davidson, the Bridge Watch Rating Program Coordinator at Camosun [...]