Building relationships is a process, one that calls for commitment and respectful communication. Marine Harvest and area First Nations are prime examples of how to do this right.
On June 27th, close to 50 company employees and Kwakwak’wakw Elders boarded the vessel Naiad Explorer at the Alert Bay dock for a day-long tour of some of the traditional territories where Marine Harvest operates in the Broughton.
The purpose of the event was to show respect for the Kwakwak’wakw Elders, provide them with an opportunity to return to places they hadn’t seen in many years, and to explain to Marine Harvest employees why First Nations are so protective of their areas by sharing their stories of living off the land, said Kelly Osborne, Broughton Production Manager.
“There was so much interest, we unfortunately couldn’t include everyone because the boat wasn’t large enough,” said Kelly.
Trish Nolie, who works at Arrow Pass, was proud to be involved. “We visited Turnour Island as well as other villages. There was singing and drumming and I couldn’t have asked for anything better for my Elders or my company”.
Upper Retreat employee Dean Nelson was another of the 11 Marine Harvest employees who enjoyed the day. “The older people from Alert Bay had a really good day and talked about where they remembered hunting and digging for clams,” he said.
Jamie Gaskill, Production Director, and Clare Backman, Sustainability Director, were part of the group.
By Gina Forsyth