Launching into the first year of a new five-year strategic plan can be somewhat daunting, especially when the central theme of the plan is proving the possible. That’s a tall order, and it can take on so many different forms. Fortunately, at Ecotrust Canada, we thrive on creating the kind of specific, tangible change that people can feel and experience. By that measure, we have a great deal of progress to report on in 2023. This annual report and its accompanying appendix — our 2023 Impact Report — detail how we’ve turned our day-to-day actions working with communities into shared outcomes that collectively bring us closer to a future where all economies provide for life. I’d like to highlight just a few of these examples from across our five strategic priorities, which include Community Fisheries, Climate Innovation, Food Systems, Indigenous Homelands, and Community Energy.
- Food Systems – On the Regenerative Ocean Farm led by Metlakatla First Nation, we took part in supporting three commercial scallop harvests, bringing 1,200 scallops to local markets and distributing scallops to over 300 Metlakatla members who were offered a food-handling workshop.
- Community Energy – Our team managed and coordinated the installation of 86 heat pumps across four Indigenous community projects. These installations will lower energy bills by $7.3 million and reduced 943 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over the project’s lifetime.
- Community Fisheries – We co-facilitated the third Fisheries for Communities Gathering, engaging over 160 people committed to achieving resilient fisheries systems on all coasts.
- Climate Innovation – With the BC Assembly of First Nations, we co-developed the First Nations Carbon Toolkit. In November, we launched the toolkit for high-quality forest carbon projects in a virtual presentation to over 120 people. This digital resource garnered over 1.3K visits by the end of the year.
- Indigenous Homelands – At the Yänonhchia’ Gathering in Quebec, our team presented the Indigenous Housing and Homelands Governance Toolkit to over 40 national Indigenous financial institutions. By the end of the year, five First Nations and approximately 40 community members had engaged with the toolkit to establish decolonized governance models.
These examples from our partnerships over the year are just a subset of the larger work communities are undertaking under their own strategic efforts to create thriving, just, and sustainable futures for the people who call these communities home. Thanks to these relationships, it’s been a full and rewarding year for Ecotrust Canada, making for an amazing start to this five-year journey.
Chuck Rumsey, President and CEO
