MOUNTAIN LIFE - Coast Mountains | Summer 2018

40 MLCM SUMMER 2018 words :: Feet Banks As a nation, Canada has a huge amount of ground to cover on the road to reconciliation with the indigenous peoples of this country. And while change needs to start at the highest forms of government, the real work will happen on the ground at the community level. Members of Lil’wat Nation in Mount Currie are seeing some of that boots-on-ground action this summer, as the new Ts̓zil Learning Centre gets set to open its doors in August. Servicing the Lil’wat Nation in Mount Currie, for over 20 years, the original Ts̓zil was a collection of portable classroom trailers that, while functional, were not especially inspiring. The new 22,000-square foot facility will certainly fix that. “The main part of the structure is designed like an ishkin , a traditional pit house, with a nice big fire pit in the middle,” says Lil’wat Nation carpenter Shayne Peters, who has been working on the facility since it broke ground. Peters took a course at the old Ts̓zil before moving to Vancouver to attend the British Columbia Institute of Technology and believes the new facility will be integral for local students. “Kids that go to school here aren’t always ready to leave town and head straight into post-secondary,” Peters says. “This will be a good starting point for them to keep training and get ready for the next step. It’s a big deal.” Current enrollment at the Ts̓zil Learning Centre is about 60 people per year but Lisa Fisher, Manager of Advanced Education and Training, expects that number to jump with the new facility. “We offer Adult Basic Education so people can get their admission requirements to enter into post- secondary education programs,” Fisher says. “ We have trades training programs—industry training, janitorial training, cashier training, carpentry level one. We also offer University level courses, mostly certificate level, like business fundamentals, early childhood education or special education assistant. It’s important because people don’t have to leave the community to have access to post-secondary education.” The new Ts̓zil will also house the Lil’wat Nation Cultural Centre. “This is going to add so much to the programming here, because there are a lot of synergies between education and culture,” Fisher explains. “For our students, having access to Elders from the community is key–they are the holders of the Lil`wat7ul traditional knowledge.” The new Ts̓zil Learning Centre is a result of an $8.1 million funding initiative from the Canadian Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. It’s a positive example of how Federal investment and local communities can work together to create positive change. Future plans for the centre include a traditional garden, a platform for local artists to display their work and a nature/cultural walk to encourage tourists to stop and learn more about the Lil’wat Nation. “This is such an exciting facility because it’s more than an education centre. It’s a safe place and it can build bridges between communities and cultures,” Fisher says. “And most importantly it shows the Lil’wat Nation that they deserve a beautiful facility to learn in. We’ve been making due for a long time and have been successful, now with this new centre… there’s no telling the types of opportunities we’ll be able to provide to the community.” lilwat.ca THE NEXT STEP Mount Currie’s Ts̓zil Learning Centre Upgrades to a New Facility COMMUNITY Opening August 2018. NATALIE LANGMANN/MURPHY CONSTRUCTION.