On June 27 – July 1 2022, Treaty, Lands and Resources (TLR) staff Carleen Thomas, Hillary Hyland and Jessica Steele attended the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. The Governments of Kenya and Portugal co-hosted the conference whose theme was: Scaling up Ocean Action Based on Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development Goal 14: Stocktaking, Partnerships and Solutions.

On June 17, there was a beautiful celebration in this beautiful city that is home to Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish people, explains Gabriel George, Director of Treaty Lands and Resources. In the colonisation of these lands we were erased, and today some of the erasure was undone. Our collective Nations came together and put a name on this beautiful park. The names are: sθәqәlxenәm in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language and ts’exwts’áxwi7 in the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh language.

The xʔəl̓.lwətaʔɬ/Indian River Watershed is located approximately 30 kilometres northeast of Vancouver and is the southernmost fjord on the west coast of North America. It is surrounded by the Seymour, Stawamus, Mamquam, Pitt, and Coquitlam Watersheds.