Hi, everybody.
I'm from the Cowichan Nation. I left home when I was 14 and moved to Vancouver. I came back to the island 20 years ago. I went to the Cowichan River and I noticed the water was very shallow, only about a foot deep. Every year that I went back, it was getting more and more shallow, so I asked somebody about that. They told me there was a mill in Crofton that was diverting the water for its use.
I went into the community and talked to some of the elders and asked them if they were getting salmon. They said no. I asked them a little bit more about the water and why it was so low. They told me that a lot of it had to do with the mill in Crofton diverting the water. That was having a drastic effect on the plants and animals around the river.
I am really concerned, because the salmon run has been getting lower every single year since 2002. Not only are the salmon not returning to the Cowichan River, but the plants are also becoming destroyed because the water is not getting there, and when the water does run, it's warm because it's too shallow.
I'm really concerned because my elders used the river as a source of food and medicines. Every year more and more of the plants are dying. More and more of the animals are not returning, especially the salmon. My ancestors thrived along the Cowichan River only because of the salmon.
I was talking to somebody about reconciliation, and I want to point out that reconciliation is not just about human relationships' it's also about reconciling with the land, having a relationship with the land. Right now, we are not getting that.
My people would like to be able to use some of the plants along the riverside, but that's not possible because the river is absolutely destroyed.
I was talking to somebody whose last name is Williams. He's one of the last few members of my nation who speak Hul’q’umi’num’ and he knows a lot about the medicine and the land. He told me if we don't do anything now, we're not going to be able to pass anything on to our children.
I do not want to be one of the last few people to celebrate life along the Cowichan River. I do not want to be one of the last ones to be able to enjoy having salmon for dinner, and I do not want to be the last one to be able to enjoy collecting and harvesting medicines along the riverside, but that may be the case, because as it is now, the whole riverside is absolutely destroyed. You can drive a car right up the river for half a mile.
I am just asking the government to please help us achieve reconciliation—not just human to human, but with the land as well. I do not want my own grandchildren to not be able to enjoy what my grandparents were able to enjoy along the river.
I'm getting very emotional talking about this, because the life along the river is absolutely destroyed. The trees are dying. The plants are dying. The salmon are not returning, and...it's absolutely terrible.