METLAKATLA
CEM PROGRAM
The Metlakatla CEM Program is a resource management system for monitoring the status of priority Metlakatla values and responding to cumulative change in Metlakatla Traditional Territory over time. The goal of the CEM Program is to manage and improve the condition of priority Metlakatla values.
The Metlakatla CEM Program includes many interconnected values. Trade-offs are an integral component of the CEM Program.
Download the latest edition of the Metlakatla CEM Synopsis report
METLAKATLA
FIRST NATION
Metlakatla is a progressive Tsimshian community located in a pristine environment near Prince Rupert, British Columbia. In 2014, the Metlakatla First Nation and the Metlakatla Stewardship Society initiated the Metlakatla CEM Program by organizing a team of staff, consultants, and university researchers to develop the program framework and methods.
What are cumulative effects?
CUMULATIVE
EFFECTS
are changes to the environment or human well-being from past, present, and future development projects and human activities.
CUMULATIVE EFFECTS
ASSESSMENT (CEA)
is an assessment of those changes. Focuses on projects and activities (sources of impact) to assess and understand impacts.
CUMULATIVE EFFECTS
MANAGEMENT (CEM)
links assessment information to decision making by outlining mitigation and management strategies designed to prevent undesirable impacts to values. Focuses on values (receiving environment) to manage the overall condition of values.
"MADE FOR
METLAKATLA"
FRAMEWORK
The Metlakatla CEM Program is an Indigenous-led resource management tool uniquely designed to support Metlakatla First Nation decision making and the needs of Metlakatla people. Metlakatla values, ethics and principles are taught by Metlakatla Elders and history and guide how the CEM Program is developed and conducted. Guidance on cumulative effects methods developed through research and various initiatives over the past 20 years also informed the Metlakatla CEM Program framework and its methods.
CEM
Decision
Context
GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE METLAKATLA CEM PROGRAM
The CEM Program must be
CULTURALLY RELEVANT.
The Metlakatla worldview is a unique expression of Metlakatla culture. A culturally relevant CEM Program will incorporate that worldview into methods to ensure a culturally appropriate outcome.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COLLABORATION is necessary to manage priority Metlakatla values.
Cooperation among Metlakatla departments results in more informed decision making. Collaboration with other orders of government and First Nations can help increase awareness of impacts and lead to better management. CEM will strive to pool resources among implementation partners to increase the long-term success of the program.
CEM is a PROGRAM
NOT A PROJECT.
There are many Metlakatla values, and those values can change over time, as can the development context. As a result, the CEM Program is designed to be long-term and iterative, with multiple opportunities for critical reflection and improvements.
CEM FRAMEWORK
CORNERSTONES
The CEM Program is VALUE-FOCUSED
Metlakatla values are the foundation of the CEM Program. Most project-level environmental assessments and cumulative effects frameworks focus on stressors, the sources of impacts, rather than values, the receiver of impacts. Knowing that the development context will change, a focus on values ensures that the CEM Program stays relevant and consistent. In addition, values, not stressors, are the most direct expression of Metlakatla priorities and concerns.
The CEM Program is IMPLEMENTABLE
To be useful as a resource management tool, CEM methods and outcomes have to be practical and within Metlakatla\'s ability to implement. Sources of implementation capacity can be internal (e.g., from within Metlakatla departments) or external (e.g., through partnerships).
The CEM Program is INTERDISCIPLINARY
Priority values will span cultural, environmental, social/health, economic, and governance pillars. The program will draw from a diverse body of resource management, planning, and policy guidance and experts and incorporate Metlakatla\'s traditional and local knowledge. The program will seek out ways to bridge gaps in knowledge and capacity across disciplines within and external to Metlakatla.
The CEM Program EMBRACES UNCERTAINTY
There is no blueprint for undertaking this work. There is often a lack of baseline data. The development context is always changing. Embracing uncertainty is a necessary attitude for overcoming obstacles and achieving practical outcomes. Whenever facing uncertainty, we refer back to core guidance for this program: how can we best inform decision making; how can we best align with Metlakatla\'s cultural values; how can we best be consistent with methods recognized by other CEM practitioners?
SUMMARY OF METHODS
2014 - 2015
What does Metlakatla care about and want to manage?
Phase 1 was led by Compass Resource Management as an expert resource to Metlakatla Stewardship Society with research support from SFU. Through community-based research on values and indicators, Metlakatla identified 10 priority values and chose 4 as pilot values: Food, Social, and Ceremonial (FSC) Activity, Housing, Butter Clams, and Employment.
2018 - ONGOING
How does Metlakatla take action to manage values?
Several initiatives are currently underway to monitor, manage, and mitigate cumulative effects for pilot values. A governance component has also been initiated that examines how CEM results can be extended to environmental assessment, land/marine use planning, and the Metlakatla treaty process.
2015 - ONGOING
What is the condition of Metlakatla values?
SFU increased its role by building on previous work to design and administer the Metlakatla Membership Census to collect much-needed baseline data on socio-economic values. SFU researchers consulted with clam experts to design and implement a monitoring protocol for butter clams, which involved interviews with clam harvesters and Elders to better understand the longterm trend of clam populations.
2017 - 2018
When do we start getting worried about values and decide to act?
Management triggers are a series of markers that reflect increasing levels of concern about the condition of a value. The triggers mark the points at which new or more intensive management actions are taken to restore or improve the condition of the value. We decided to use the structured decision-making process with a Metlakatla member-based working group to set management triggers for 3 pilot values.
SUMMARY OF METHODS
2014 - 2015
What does Metlakatla care about and want to manage?
Phase 1 was led by Compass Resource Management as an expert resource to Metlakatla Stewardship Society with research support from SFU. Through community-based research on values and indicators, Metlakatla identified 10 priority values and chose 4 as pilot values: Food, Social, and Ceremonial (FSC) Activity, Housing, Butter Clams, and Employment.
2018 - ONGOING
How does Metlakatla take action to manage values?
Several initiatives are currently underway to monitor, manage, and mitigate cumulative effects for pilot values. A governance component has also been initiated that examines how CEM results can be extended to environmental assessment, land/marine use planning, and the Metlakatla treaty process.
2015 - ONGOING
What is the condition of Metlakatla values?
SFU increased its role by building on previous work to design and administer the Metlakatla Membership Census to collect much-needed baseline data on socio-economic values. SFU researchers consulted with clam experts to design and implement a monitoring protocol for butter clams, which involved interviews with clam harvesters and Elders to better understand the longterm trend of clam populations.
2017 - 2018
When do we start getting worried about values and decide to act?
Management triggers are a series of markers that reflect increasing levels of concern about the condition of a value. The triggers mark the points at which new or more intensive management actions are taken to restore or improve the condition of the value. We decided to use the structured decision-making process with a Metlakatla member-based working group to set management triggers for 3 pilot values.
CEM Values Foundation
Through an extensive community engagement process, Metlakatla identified 20 candidate values and selected 10 priority values, 4 of which became the focus of a pilot project
CULTURAL IDENTITY
Łooda Goo Wilaaym
SOCIAL/HEALTH
Yugyetk
ENVIRONMENT
La̱x Yuubm
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
sagayt gat lledm
GOVERNANCE
Int Ałbag̱an Kwduunm
CEM Values Foundation
Through an extensive community engagement process, Metlakatla identified 20 candidate values and selected 10 priority values, 4 of which became the focus of a pilot project
CULTURAL IDENTITY
Łooda Goo Wilaaym
SOCIAL/HEALTH
Yugyetk
ENVIRONMENT
La̱x Yuubm
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
sagayt gat lledm
GOVERNANCE
Int Ałbag̱an Kwduunm
METLAKATLA PROJECT
TIMELINE
CURRENT PROJECTS
Off-reserve Housing Needs Assessment for Metlakatla Renters in the City of Prince Rupert
Redefining Economic Prosperity Values and Indicators in the Metlakatla CEM Program
Restoring Participation in Harvesting Activities: Adaptive Management Approach for Cultural Values in the Metlakatla CEM Program
CEM Communications and Governance Initiative
Developing a Protocol for Restoring Intertidal Clam Beaches using Traditional Clam Garden Practices
2019 Intertidal Clam Surveys in Metlakatla Territory
Engaging with External Stakeholders to Implement a CEM Strategy for Housing in Prince Rupert
Assessing Energy Values and Management Options for Metlakatla Village
CEM PROGRAM
UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
RECENT NEWS
December 20, 2019
UPDATE
The current project timeline has been updated. Please look forward
to additional information that will be announced throughout the month…
December 20, 2019
ANNOUNCEMENT
The current project timeline has been updated. Please look forward
to additional information that will be announced.
December 20, 2019
UPDATE
The current project timeline has been updated. Please look forward
to additional information that will be announced.