First Nations leaders push back as province opens for travel
Indigenous communities request resources to prevent virus spread
As the province presses forward with its next phase of reopening for local tourism, many First Nations are keeping their territories closed to outsiders to avoid contagion.
“I’m getting 30, 40, 50 emails and phone calls asking me ‘Can I come?’ ‘Will there be blockades?’ and I just can’t keep up with them,” said Judith Sayers, president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. “If you plan to travel within a First Nation’s territory, call and ask them if they are open to visitors.”
The Nuu-chah-nulth announced plans to restrict entry to much of the west coast of Vancouver Island until certain safety conditions are met.
“Things change, and if we get a whole lot more cases on Vancouver Island, we will batten down the hatches for sure,” said Sayers.
The provincial government had been asking people to refrain from unnecessary travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although this week said it will allow British Columbians to travel for pleasure.
But many First Nations will remain closed to tourism.
Heiltsuk Nation territory will remain closed to non-residents while leaders work out safety protocols with their tourism operators, said
Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett.
“We have a 10-bed hospital and it’s already at capacity with nonCOVID-19 cases,” she said. “We have more than 200 elders, our last fluent speakers and knowledge keepers, and we are going to do everything we can to protect them.”
The Council of the Haida Nation confirmed that Haida Gwaii remains off limits to non-residents and that leisure travel is being discouraged.
“We will not be looking to open up ... in the next three weeks, and Haida Gwaii will continue to take a cautious and careful approach and observe what is happening in B.C., Canada and around the world,” said President Gaagwiis Jason Alsop.
A consortium of First Nations joined forces to push back on the government’s declaration this week.
The Nuu-chah-nulth and Heiltsuk First Nations on the coast and Tsilhqot’in First Nation in the northern Interior have asked for resources to screen non-residents before giving them permission to travel within their territories, rapid testing kits, and access to culturally safe contact tracing teams.
“We want be able to ask visitors the four (COVID-19 screening) questions and this has to be done for boats and on the highway,” said Sayers. “You can’t get on B.C. Ferries without answering these questions, so I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
Nuu-chah-nulth communities at Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousat blocked non-residents from their territories earlier this year and staged a brief blockade on Highway 4, which is the only road access to Tofino.
The highway is currently open, but tourists should not wander freely in the area.
The Tla-o-qui-aht community Esowista, located within Long Beach National Park, is closed to visitors, according to Tourism Tofino.
Nuu-chah-nulth communities are sprinkled over 300 kilometres of the west coast of Vancouver Island, from Tofino to north of Zeballos, and most of them have
restricted visitor access since the pandemic was declared. While some of those communities have nurses, most remote villages have no medical personnel at all, Sayers noted.
“We’ve worked really hard to stop the virus coming in, so it’s alarming to see this increasing risk without having our issues addressed,” she said.
The world-renowned Wickaninnish Inn at Tofino reopens today to residents of Canada.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says she is working with the First Nations Health Authority to ensure they have test kits and that the province can implement rapid testing where required.
“And I do understand that many First Nations communities are not ready to have visitors,” she said. “I absolutely support them in those decisions.”
“We don’t anticipate any problems with access because two of the First Nations-owned hotels, one in Tofino and one in Ucluelet, are already open,” said inn spokeswoman Shawna Gardham.
Indigenous Tourism B.C. notes that many operators are taking strict emergency response measures, and some will remain closed for the balance of the year. Their website indigenousbc.com maintains a list of tourism experiences that are open to visitors. Destinations on the Sunshine Coast and in the Gulf Islands that reacted strongly against visitors in recent months are now open to tourism.
Easter weekend travellers were greeted with protests by local residents informing them that they were not wanted due to the threat of contagion, but tensions have cooled of late and accommodations are available. rshore@postmedia.com
We have more than 200 elders, our last fluent speakers and knowledge keepers and we’re going to do everything we can to protect them.