Officials from Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation have some grandiose plans.
And thanks to some substantial funding from the First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund, they are a step closer to one of their goals.
It was announced on March 21 that the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation was one of 12 in British Columbia that will receive provincial funding to help support clean-energy initiatives.
Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation received a total of $357,715 in funding. With these funds reps from the First Nation will be able to move towards completing the designs for a renewable-energy microgrid.
“Our longer-term and a bigger vision that the nation has is (for members) to eventually have the opportunity to go back to where they come from, which is Friendly Cove,” said Azar Kamran, the CEO of Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation.
The Mowachaht and Muchalaht First Nations formally amalgamated in the 1950s, and made the ancient village of Yuquot (Friendly Cove) their home base. Due to Yuquot’s remote location on the southern tip of Nootka Island, the First Nation’s main reserve was moved from Yuquot to Gold River in the 1960s and then again, about 30 years later, in the 1990s to nearby Tsaxana.
Members of the First Nation return to Yuquot each summer to camp, and the desire has remained among many to eventually return to live in the ancient village site year-round. But this is not a simple task.
“Of course, you can't just go back because the way people live now is not what it used to be,” said Kamran. “So, to do it responsibly will require having a proper economy over there, having a form of life that will not have a burden on the ecosystems. In order to do that we need to have green-energy sources that can support the modern life of people, but not based on diesel and things like that.”
Kamran said the recently announced funding will only be enough to help create some detailed designs of what the infrastructure in Friendly Cove, or Yuquot, will look like.
“We are starting that as we speak,” Kamran said, adding he anticipates the designs to be completed within the next 6-12 months.
But it would be quite some time after that before members from the First Nation start returning to Yuquot.
Building the necessary infrastructure will require substantial funding and it is hoped that other grants will be obtained to assist with this process.
Kamran said building up Yuquot is expected to be done “in small steps.” A possible start would include constructing a couple of homes where people could live while assisting with the infrastructure operations.
The plan is to eventually have as many as 50 homes and several public buildings on the remote Nootka Island location.
Meanwhile, another Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation was also a recipient of the money provided by the First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund.
Hupačasath First Nation was awarded $150,000 in funding. The First Nation will use this money to install 27 heat pumps in homes. These heat pumps will replace the existing oil and natural gas furnaces which were in the houses.
This month’s funding announcement is collectively providing about $1.49 million in capacity and equity for the dozen First Nations to develop clean-energy projects.
These ventures will provide more affordable energy options that are also expected to reduce emissions, give a boost to local economies and protect the environment.
Adrian Dix, the minister of energy and climate solutions, spoke highly of the funding and the anticipated benefits.
“First Nations are leaders in the clean-energy sector with innovative and diverse projects, and we look forward to continued partnership together as we create a cleaner, greener future for all British Columbians,” Dix said.
The First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund was launched 14 years ago. More than $21 million in funding has been provided since its inception.
More than 150 First Nations communities have benefited from the funding, which has been utilized for clean-energy and energy-efficiency initiatives.
The fund also supports those projects which align with British Columbia’s CleanBC plan. This initiative is aimed at lowering climate-changing emissions by 40 per cent by the year 2030.
Projects under the CleanBC plan include community energy initiatives and clean-energy feasibility studies - projects such as heat-pump installations, improving insulation in homes and clean-energy generation projects.
A pair of other provincial politicians are also among those supportive of the various projects.
“Whether it's microgrid, solar power, run-of-river or planning for community energy efficiency and peak load management, First Nations around B.C. are taking action to reduce energy use and switch to cleaner energy options,” said Christine Boyle, the minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. “First Nations' community participation in the clean energy sector is vital as we work together on a low-carbon future.”
Tamara Davidson, the minister of Environment and Parks, said First Nations have long been land stewards and their leadership in the transition to clean energy is considered an extension of this.
“These projects will provide lasting benefits to communities and to our environment, and are another example of the progress we can make together to support a sustainable economic future,” Davidson added.
