Sustainable Communities | Kanaka Bar Indian Band (T’eqt”aqtn’mux)

With a continuously changing world due to the direct impact of the actions of the people living within it, it is our responsibility to act today with our future in mind. We need to be continuously mindful that the steps we take today will leave imprints lasting for many generations. The Kanaka Bar Indian Band prides itself on carrying out its community's mandate and building with this mindfulness at the forefront of everything they do.

“... The future of humanity and indeed, all life on earth, depend on us.”

— David Attenborough

Fraser River, Taken by @snsusbjwnsk

The Kanaka Bar Indian Band, also known as “T’eqt”aqtn’mux” or “the crossing place people,” is located 18 kilometers South of Lytton in the Fraser Canyon region, on the western border of the Thompson Okanagan. They are one of fifteen Indigenous communities that make up the Nlaka’pamux Nation. Kanaka Bar’s ancestors knew that to survive, one needs air, water, food, shelter, energy, and community certainty. With these elements in mind and connecting today's science with traditional knowledge, Kanaka Bar has developed programs, plans, projects, and initiatives to ensure that they will be self-sustaining and resilient, and thus able to maintain all foundational physiological elements for generations to come.

As temperatures rise, air quality diminishes, and weather patterns become more unpredictable, Kanaka members are observing the effects of global collective actions on the local environment. In short, Kanaka membership is of the view we are all approaching, if we have not already, a point of no return regarding climate change’s adverse impacts. Changes to our day to day life, big or small go a long way. Businesses and communities who share a similar awareness have a unique opportunity to learn, adapt, and then teach environmentally sustainable habits.

Changes to your business that allow you to become self-sustaining and resilient are not only good for the environment, but for your business as well. For example, imagine not having to worry about a power outage shutting down your computer and payment systems, because your power comes from solar power and battery storage!

Aerial of Kanaka Reserve

Making sustainable and resilient changes can be a long road, but these changes will have a lasting and positive impact. While some communities and businesses may have overlooked these initiatives, the community of Kanaka Bar time and time again have been leaders in environmentally sustainable practices that have truly made a difference for their community and our planet. Some of their incredible initiatives consist of weather stations, water gauging stations, solar projects, hydro projects, wind energy with battery storage, and currently in the design phase of a Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) project, to produce fresh fruits and vegetables year-round to phase out field crops and greenhouses over time.

2020-09-02 Excavating the Restaurant lands Parcel 1

Bee Keeping at Kanaka Bar Band

Energy bills constitute a significant portion of everyone's business and community expenses these days. Thanks to Mother Nature’s generous availability of sun, water, wind, and a few low-cost and no-cost strategies implemented at Kanaka, most residential units are now paying year round approximately $60.00 per month and the administration facilities are paying approximately $20.00 per month to BC Hydro, says Chief Patrick Michell.

These energy conservation initiatives are great evidence for cost-saving opportunities that any business or community can incorporate in the same capacity.

To reduce the energy consumption of Kanaka residences, administration, and businesses, the band follows a holistic proactive 5 pillar approach to manage their energy and costs:

1. Energy Monitoring

2. Demand Side Management

3.  Renovating existing infrastructure

4. New Construction

5. Energy Production

Solar at the Band Office, 2020

Community celebrating around Solar Panel

They use an interactive hardware system installed behind their BC Hydro meter at the Band Office and health office, to monitor solar production and minute by minute consumption. This is to inform them about their energy usage trends and “power hogs” so that they can take control of their bills. All Kanaka buildings were inspected for construction deficiencies such as insulation and air leaks. Seventeen of the buildings were upgraded which resulted in a 40%-70% reduction of daily energy use.

With the vision to become self-sufficient, sustainable, and vibrant, the Kanaka community will continue to be one of the first to research and successfully try new sustainable technologies with the end goal of overall community resilience in mind. They have a myriad of renewable energy projects to generate their electricity, which includes at this time twelve separate Solar systems, a run-off river hydro project, and two vertical axis wind turbines. The life span of the Solar Panel projects is easily fifty years and the payback period is around seventeen years. Though the payback period seems long, the benefits that these solar projects generate after the initial seventeen years is worth the wait. Kanaka has learned that payback periods are now less due to the cost decreases in both solar panels and batteries.

Food Forest Aerial Image Sept 21 2020

““It is not a loss to Kanaka today when we invest in our children and grandchildren’s future. We invest in the long term at the expense of the short term by proactively installing legacy assets… We have rebranded our thinking.””

— Chief Patrick Michell

For any community, resilient food sufficiency can be defined as finding alternatives to retail and trade by utilizing local land and resources to produce what you need to live. New permaculture initiatives and the coming of the pilot Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) project at Kanaka will provide ideal conditions for any kind of fruit or vegetable to be able to grow all year round. Transferrable anywhere, Kanaka learnings will allow for farmers to develop control over variables normally unavoidable and uncertain, for example, bugs, rain, excessive heat, drought, wind events, humidity, and growth lighting. Kanaka Bar plans to transition from working field crops and greenhouses into new, or used shipping containers and to produce, process, and distribute fresh and preserved foods throughout Kanaka, sell the food at their future visitor center, The Must Stop Rest Stop (for people passing through), and incorporate an e-commerce market for organic wind/sun-dried products. By using repurposed shipping containers they will take up less land and can be moved to wherever and whenever.

Current Raised Garden Beds

Pilot Project potential Design

Current Greenhouse, July 2020

The tipping point for our environment is nearing. Kanaka believes it will be sooner than later, which is why the Kanaka community does their best to create strategies with an extensive long term vision. If we do not get ahead of climate change now, the world will be 2 degrees Celsius higher and then 4 degrees Celsius by 2100, millions of people will suffer from dehydration and starvation, and millions of people will be displaced.

Taken by @snsusbjwnsk

Businesses and communities have a unique opportunity to set the stage and then educate other people on how they can make a difference to themselves and the environment. Taking on environmentally sustainable endeavors is not always an easy thing to do, but in the end, the short term pain will be worth the long term gain. What we do today impacts tomorrow, so let's start making a difference today to ensure our tomorrow.

“What affects one affects all – we are part of a greater whole – the body of the planet.”

— Bernard Campbell

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About the Author

Born and raised in Kelowna, Jenna Labossiere loves to learn about and experience new places. She feels so lucky to live in such a beautiful place with so much to explore. As a Brand Ambassador for the Thompson Okanagan region, she hopes to be able to showcase the region’s local businesses and natural attractions to encourage others to come and enjoy them in a safe and sustainable way.

About the Author

Thivya Viswanathan is TOTA’s Energy Analyst. She is passionate about energy efficiency & renewable energy and works with the tourism businesses in the Thompson Okanagan to help them understand their energy consumption. She manages TOTA’s energy assessments for small businesses and a few areas of the Eco Efficiency Program.