Presentation
Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) Nation RETOS Workshop: Advancing Indigenous Leadership in Oil Spill Planning and Preparedness
DescriptionCanada’s system of marine safety operates with Transport Canada as the maritime administration responsible for legislation, regulations and policy while the Canadian Coast Guard provides operational services such as marine pollution response. Extensive work currently is being undertaken in Canada to establish a formal role for Indigenous governments and increase community resiliency to marine pollution incidents in alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In this context, Canada and the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) First Nation are undertaking collaborative work to increase spill preparedness and response capabilities on the central coast of British Columbia. The Readiness Evaluation Tool for Oil Spills (RETOSTM) was used to assess the Heiltsuk Nation Marine Pollution Preparedness and Response Plan with a focus on incorporating Heiltsuk perspectives. The assessment process involved the development of alternative assessment criteria that recognized the importance of Indigenous knowledge and values in responding to oil spills, in addition to the standard evaluation criteria used by RETOSTM.
The assessment was conducted in a workshop format that included participation from both hereditary and elected leadership from the Heiltsuk First Nation as well as technical staff from Heiltsuk, Transport Canada, and the Canadian Coast Guard. The workshop provided an opportunity in which the Heiltsuk leadership shared their perspectives and knowledge of the territory. This process allowed the integration of Heiltsuk values, perspectives, traditional knowledge, and lived experience into the response plan's structure and content, which were not captured by the standard RETOSTM criteria.
The RETOSTM evaluation identified opportunities for improvement, including the need for mutual aid agreements with external agencies and improvement of communication strategies. Incorporation of Heiltsuk-informed evaluation criteria augmented the RETOS tool and ensured that plan elements informed by Heiltsuk values and priorities were evaluated as part of the process. The workshop demonstrates the flexibility of the RETOSTM tool and how it can be used to integrate Indigenous knowledge and values into oil spill response planning and ensure that response plans are co-developed to be culturally sensitive and responsive to the needs of the communities involved.
The assessment was conducted in a workshop format that included participation from both hereditary and elected leadership from the Heiltsuk First Nation as well as technical staff from Heiltsuk, Transport Canada, and the Canadian Coast Guard. The workshop provided an opportunity in which the Heiltsuk leadership shared their perspectives and knowledge of the territory. This process allowed the integration of Heiltsuk values, perspectives, traditional knowledge, and lived experience into the response plan's structure and content, which were not captured by the standard RETOSTM criteria.
The RETOSTM evaluation identified opportunities for improvement, including the need for mutual aid agreements with external agencies and improvement of communication strategies. Incorporation of Heiltsuk-informed evaluation criteria augmented the RETOS tool and ensured that plan elements informed by Heiltsuk values and priorities were evaluated as part of the process. The workshop demonstrates the flexibility of the RETOSTM tool and how it can be used to integrate Indigenous knowledge and values into oil spill response planning and ensure that response plans are co-developed to be culturally sensitive and responsive to the needs of the communities involved.
Authors
Manager, Regional Environmental Preparedness and Response ProgramNatural Resource Manager
Event Type
Paper
TimeWednesday, May 15th3:30pm - 3:50pm CDT
Location275-277
Preparedness