Annual Report 2021 / 2022
Section:
ta néwyap, síiy̓ám̓, síiyay̓, siiyúxwa iy ta s7ekw’í7tel-cht,
ta nímalh ta na wa Nexwsxwníw̓tm ta Úxwumixw wa chet k’ay̓áchtn iy wa kw’enmántm i7xw ta néwyap ta steltélmexw-cht kwis hanstúmulhyap ta a-skwálwen-yap. stl’i7cht kwis kw’enmántumiyap i7xw ta steltélmexw cht kwis wé7u estétey̓wilh tiná7 tl’a xlhan na7 tl’a k’ek’sín̓ ti siyát-shen. an ha7lh skwálwen-cht kwis mi halhí7 kwi ses ú7uys kwi hemi skwáyel-cht. an chet wanáxwstumiyap ta steltélmexw-cht kwis núkw’untm men wé7u chap kwis estétey̓wilh tiná7 tl’a xlhan. an chet wanáxwstumiyap ímen i7xw ta departments iy ta nexwsts’its’áp’tn tl’a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw kwis wé7u na wa ts’its’áp’shitumulhas ta steltélmexw-cht.
ta úxwumixw na wa p’í7ksim kw’in kwi esxwéxwkw’ sts’its’áp’ tl’a úxwumixw-cht nilh ti esxwéxwkw’ sts’its’áp’ na mi iy̓ímstumulh ti stsi7s iy kwi hemi syel’ánm. kiy̓át kw’in kwi esxwéxwkw’ sts’its’áp’ wa kw’u7t ta sts’its’áp’wit tl’a Yúusnew̓as kwi seswit estxwáy̓usem ta men t’ut skwul tl’a St. Paul’s iy ta sts’its’áp’ tl’a Úxwumixw 2050 nilh ti ts’its’áp’ wa i7xw tim̓á tkwétsi ti stsi7s iy ta kwi aw̓t stélmexw iy ta esxwéxwkw’ sts’its’áp’ tl’a Hiy̓ám̓ ta Sḵwx̱wú7mesh iy ta sts’its’áp’ tl’a Nch’ḵay̓.
chet kw’enmántumiyap kiy̓át kwis nes wa yúustenamut iy ta a-s7ekw’í7tel-yap.
To you all, respected leaders, friends, Elders, and relatives,
We, the Squamish Nation Council, raise our hands and give thanks to each and every Member for entrusting us to govern the affairs of the Nation as a whole for the next four years. We are honoured to be chosen to do this sacred work.
We thank you for continuing to keep safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are entering better days with the easing of restrictions as our people continue to do their part by getting vaccinated. We would like to acknowledge the Nation’s departments and their employees who continue to provide services to Members during these exceptional times.
Over the last year we started several initiatives to support and strengthen the Úxwumixw for present and future generations. Yúusneẁas, which is investigating the former St. Paul’s Indian Residential School site for unmarked burials, is challenging but necessary work as we seek to care for our survivors, their families, and our community.
The voices of our Members will be critical in creating the vision of where our people want to go in the future regarding housing, education, language, and culture. How we are going to get to that vision will be our Úxwumixw 2050 Generational Plan.
We would also like to acknowledge the work being done to continually increase reserve lands. This helps support the efforts of Hiỳáḿ Housing and Nch’ḵay̓ Development Corporation to bring our people home with affordable housing developments.
Once again, we raise our hands in gratitude and honour to each one of our Members for continuing to take care of yourselves and your families. We thank you.
Over the past year, we slowly started coming together again as our people got vaccinated and restrictions eased. The Nation continued to deliver services and programs to Members while making progress on the four visions of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw 2026, our Strategic Plan.
Our revenue comes from multiple sources. The largest portion last fiscal came from external funding sources such as Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). There was a 7 percent increase to 55 percent driven, in part, by COVID-19 funding.
The second largest source was Own Source Revenue (OSR), which means that the revenue is generated by the Nation through things like taxes or leases. In the last fiscal year this accounted for 32 percent of the Nation's revenue.
Total revenue was $125.1 million. This exceeded the original approved budget by $23.7 million while total costs were approximately $9.4 million below budget. While the Nation saw its operations begin to rebound from the impacts of COVID-19, disruptions at the beginning of the year as well as staffing challenges, resulted in a surplus of $37.4 million.
Overall, revenue has increased year over year due to higher government funding driven by COVID-19 response and one time program funding.
($ millions)
Total $67 million
Total $81.2 million
Over the past year, we slowly started coming together again and returning to our Sḵwx̱wú7mesh ways of being. Significant progress was made on many long-term initiatives to grow and strengthen the Úxwumixw including housing, addition to reserve, and exercising our inherent rights and title.
A hydroponic modular farm – The Growcer – was delivered in tem yetwán (May). This unit allows the Nation to grow fresh produce all year-round using nutrient-rich water and no soil. Produce is distributed to the community through the S7ílhen Food Pantry and monthly food package distribution, Mother Bear daycares, Capilano Littlest Ones School, cooking / life skills programming, and shared at community events.
On tem ḵw’élemexw (July) 28, Members voted yes in a referendum to designate the first three of six sites for affordable housing. The six sites represent the largest designation of lands for affordable rental housing in the Nation’s history. The projects will be developed and managed by Hiy̓ám̓ Housing.
In tem t’áḵa7 (August) the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw announced it was embarking on an Indigenous-led project to find answers about the children who attended the former St. Paul’s Indian Residential School but never made it home. The project is called Yúusnew̓as which means to take care of spirit, to take care of one another, and to take care of everything around us. The word was proposed by our Elders as a recognition that we must take care of survivors and all who have been impacted by intergenerational harm.
The newly elected Nexwsxwníw̓ntm ta Úxwumixw (Council) began its four-year term in tem ch’áatl’am (October). It is comprised of one Council Chairperson, seven Councillors (one North Shore, one Regional, one Squamish Valley, and four General), and one Band Manager. They raise their hands to every Member for entrusting them to govern the affairs of the Nation and build upon the good work done by previous Councils.
The addition to reserve (ATR) for Cheakamus IR No. 11 was approved, increasing it by 415.57 acres. The land transfer process will be completed later this year. ATR increases the Nation’s land base and safeguards it for future generations. Several other plots of land are in varying stages of the ATR process.
Today, with nearly 4100 Members, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw is one of the largest First Nations in British Columbia. The majority of our people live on the North Shore of Vancouver in three communities in West Vancouver and North Vancouver while approximately 10 percent of our population live in communities along the Squamish River.
We are the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh – descendants of the original Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking villages throughout the watersheds of the Squamish River, Mamquam River, Howe Sound, English Bay, False Creek, and Burrard Inlet.
Our people’s history spans many millennia of living on and governing our territory. Sḵwx̱wú7mesh culture has been created from our lands, waters, and people over generations. Our people continue to practice and pass on many of the traditions, customs, and ways of our ancestors. ha7lh stélmexw kwelh tiná7 chet (we come from good people). We are Squamish strong.
The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw is s7eḵwí7tel, úxwumixw, and stélmexw. We honour our ancestors by continuing their work for Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Stélmexw to have a better quality of life than the previous generation. We use, create, and borrow the tools we need for our people to care for themselves and their loved ones. We offer knowledge of our ancestors to create ha7lh sḵwálwen and nexwniw̓ that can be passed on to our descendants.
Our government excels at performing our governance responsibilities. We deliver services now and into the future while maintaining Sḵwx̱wú7mesh values and ways of being. We continue to assert our rightful place as decision-makers with the power to influence and control what happens on our lands, waters and in the delivery of quality services for our Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Stélmexw.
What we do on our lands and waters define who we are. We protect, take care of, and respect our land and waters. We fulfill our responsibilities to our lands and waters so that future generations can have a healthy relationship with each other and our territory.
We seek to work with external relations who respect our Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw values and our inherent rights as Indigenous People. We value relationships initiated in good faith and maintained through collaboration, meaningful engagement, and accountability. We cherish our relations with Indigenous neighbours.
