By Cara McKenna

Tsleil-Waututh Nation has formed a new council that is taking responsibility for the environmental protection of the Burrard Inlet.

Ernie George… a mandate from the elders

The Burrard Inlet Stewardship Council will carry forward with work that was started in the nation’s recent scientific action plan to restore the pollution-ravaged area. That study, available on the nation’s website, identifies six priority actions to restore the Burrard Inlet by the year 2025. The actions include recovery of shellfish beds, identifying and reducing pollution and monitoring water quality.

The stewardship council – jointly formed with the Musqueam and Squamish nations – plans to put the completed scientific work into action by collaborating with all levels of government and experts to restore the health of the inlet.

Ernie George, Tsleil-Waututh director of treaty, lands and resources, said the work is urgently needed after 150 years of industrialization on the inlet. He said there is also a void to be filled after a former intergovernmental initiative to restore the inlet, the Burrard Inlet Environmental Action Program, was shuttered in 2013.

“Our elders have given us a mandate of bringing the health of the inlet back,” George said. “I tell my team it doesn’t matter if it takes 150 years for us to clean it up, we just need to get there and we need to get the ball rolling.”

The new council was announced on May 19, the same day that the National Energy Board recommended that Canada move forward with the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion that would substantially increase tanker traffic in the Burrard Inlet.

“Kinder Morgan and NEB is always in the forefront of our minds,” George said “It doesn’t mean that we stop doing what we’re doing.”

“Efficiency with those industry folks means more ships, more tankers, more barges, so we really have to understand where we’re going to go.”

Tsleil-Waututh Chief Maureen Thomas said in a statement that the new council is part of the nation’s plan for a sustainable future.