A Northern moment: Minister Vandal chats with BC and Yukon First Nations leaders about their microgrid projects (video)

Transcript

Text on screen: Minister Vandal met with members of 3 Northern BC and Yukon First Nations to talk about their microgrid project.

Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs: I know how important it is to address combat climate change. It's occurring 3 times faster in the north than it is in the south. So that's why I'm pleased that we are having this discussion, 3 First Nations working together to make meaningful progress in the transition to clean energy.

Spokesperson John Ward, Taku River Tlingit First Nation: With various camps, and we utilize equipment that require electrical power, so we're able to see this opportunity to get support for reducing some of the fossil fuels in order to generate that power and, it turns out, find other benefits as well, but we look forward to looking at our other camps and their needs in trying to meet them in the same fashion.

MGrid Energy Chief Executive Officer John Jensen: So, MGrid, we are a First Nation owned company that was established to support northern communities to meet their electrical and heating needs through clean energy. We are now, currently working with the Carcross/Tagish First Nation in building 2 small district energy systems that use woodchips as the fuel source, and that's another really neat project that we're working on.

Honourable Dan Vandal: We've made the commitment to be emission, or net zero in terms of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But in order to reach that target, we are going to have to work at so many different levels to make the transition to clean energy. Solutions and innovations, have to be led from the local level.

President and CEO to Corporate Group of Companies for Taku River Tlingit Peter Kirby: We went live April 1, 2009. The revenues from that, own source revenues for the First Nation. And so, so far the citizens, through joint clan meetings, have mandated us to invest in what's called a Tlatsini fund, which helps Taku River Tlingit First Nation implement the land use plan negotiated with BC. Another thing that we got a joint clan meeting mandate to do was to invest $450,000 in this hydro expansion project which we've done, and more, is we developed a skills training employment program and with collaboration with Human Resources Development Canada and TRICORP, invested approximately $1.5 million over the last number of years in skills training. We've developed a program that meets them where they are, helps them overcome barriers, like childcare, transportation, you know, honestly even, you know, substance challenges, substance abuse challenges.

Chief Roberta Joseph, Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation: We received funding then from CanNor, about $700,000, and working partnership with our local Yukon College here to assist us with developing a module. We continue to provide support to the farm because we strongly feel that food security is important.

Last year, we received $500,000 from the federal government to put towards a 3-season greenhouse, about 10 months of the year, as well as we, they contributed, based on providing an equal amount to us winning the $500,000 Arctic Inspiration Prize.

Manager of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Teaching Farm Derek Hastings: Yeah, we're just trying to engage in very innovative solutions to food security, energy, you know, and also using this farm as a way to employ people that are generally marginalized and have limited opportunities to employment, and the youth, trying to inspire youth to develop good work ethic initially, as they start their career.

Senior Director of Operations with Carcross/Tagish First Nations James Smith: Part of what was so great about this project down there was that we've got to take some people that worked for CTFN and other people that were citizens and take them down there, and they could just spend some time healing on the land while working and sharing breakfast and dinner and just being together away from the hustle and bustle.

Haa Shaa du Hen (Chief) Lynda Dickson, Carcross/Tagish First Nation: Also, down at this camp that we have down the lake, the solar panels have a benefit to our citizens as we go down there because we use it also for our healing camp, we have a lot of our citizens that are going down there and they help set up the camp, and it was really nice for them to, you know, reconnect with the land. You know, we had our men coming of age, their first hunt, they would go down and hunt down at this camp and this is their, kind of, their base camp. And then we're also looking at providing 1 for the women so they could have their first hunt. And then they're learning how to set fish nets and how to prepare the fish and dry the fish. So, it's also reconnecting with your culture.

Chief Roberta Joseph: I want to just to express how much we appreciate the federal government making climate change a priority because here in the North, we do, we are impacted significantly. And the only way that we can make changes is continue to work on projects like these and hopefully that will bloom in the community as well.

Honourable Dan Vandal: Thank you so much. It's again a pleasure to see and to hear and everybody. You're doing fantastic work in your territories. I can tell you that the work that you're doing is wholeheartedly supported by our government. Thank you.

Text on screen: Canada wordmark