The spirit of co-operation

Marion Eunson is soft-spoken but a strong voice for the Ktunaxa Nation. As their First Nation liaison on the Waneta Expansion Project, she personally orchestrated and created opportunities to increase the presence of and for the Ktunaxa Nation and their culture throughout the project.

Because the Ktunaxa Nation had no set program to foster the development of intercultural relationships, they hired Eunson in that capacity.

“They decided they wanted someone on-site to make some magic happen,” said Eunson, whose heritage is Mikisew Cree First Nation.

Very special things did happen.

Eunson led the effort to leverage opportunities for Ktunaxa workers throughout the project. As a result, there was over five per cent Aboriginal employment over the life of the project, with a total of 31 Ktunaxa workers realizing direct employment throughout the construction of the Waneta Expansion Project.

“(Also,) seeing Ktunaxa apprentices working on the project was definitely a highlight,” said Eunson. The apprentices were in the carpentry and electrical trades.

Increasing participation of procurement opportunities within the Ktunaxa Nation was also a component of Eunson’s focus. One such success was Nupqu, a natural resource management consulting company owned by the Ktunaxa Nation member communities, secured the contract for the right-of-way clearing for the new 10-kilometre transmission line. Twelve of the 30 workers were Ktunaxa members.

Future workers were not forgotten. An on-the-job career exploration was offered at the expansion site for Ktunaxa members to experience a week in industrial construction.

The presence of First Nation workers at the project went way beyond the work zone and into the areas of culture and education.

“Any successful project must set the stage,” said Eunson. Early in the planning stage, she explained how the Ktunaxa Nation and others began the process of getting to know each other and develop relationships. Then the cultural awareness training kicked in.

“A big step was ‘Ktunaxa 101,’ “ said Eunson. Facilitated by Gwen Phillips, the session was offered to project managers, supervisors and foremen as a way of establishing and maintaining positive employer/employee relationships from the perspective of the Ktunaxa Nation. In later stages, the program was offered on a quarterly basis. It included history of the Ktunaxa Nation.

The half-day session was so popular that outsiders not affiliated with the project wanted to fill vacant seats if they were available. Comments of participants included a lot of “I never knew” and “I was always afraid to ask and this was a chance to ask.”

Eunson also attended the Community Impact Management Committee meetings and the Construction Co-ordination meetings.

“This provided an opportunity to make a brief update on Ktunaxa initiatives, updates on Ktunaxa workers on-site and/or contractors and share a Ktunaxa word (or phrase) of the day,” said Eunson. “A brilliant moment was when at the last Construction Co-ordination meeting (that I attended), the chairperson of the meeting opened the meeting with ‘kisuk kyukyit’! ” Eunson said this is a Ktunaxa greeting that means "Good day!"

June 23, 2013 was Community Day, and it was estimated that 1,500 people from the region came to tour the project. To commemorate the event, Lower Kootenay Band Chief Jason Louie offered a Ktunaxa traditional welcome, Ktunaxa drummers and dancers provided entertainment, and an interactive booth drew in crowds of interested people.

By far, the biggest challenge for some of the workers was working away from home. Eunson again demonstrated her skills by assisting in diverse ways with issues such as transportation, housing and money management.

The future was not ignored either.

“I wanted to keep a presence on-site,” she said. So she obtained a replica of an art project that was made by students after listening to an elder present the Ktunaxa creation story. Each panel represents a different part of the story.

The art panels are on display at the on-site office of SNC-Lavalin but the office is temporary until the project is completed. Eunson wants the panels moved to the new powerhouse for permanent display.

Audrey Repin, spokesperson for the Waneta Expansion Project and the director of stakeholder and external relations for Columbia Power Corporation, saw the involvement of First Nation workers as a win-win situation.

“We’re really proud of our involvement with the First Nations community,” she said. “It has been a great opportunity for all local workers who worked together with First Nations people.”