A Generational Investment: Haíɫzaqv Acquire Shearwater Resort and Marina – Coast Funds

Opportunity Through Eco-Cultural Tourism

With the purchase finalized, the Heiltsuk Tribal Council is adapting Shearwater’s business model, incorporating Haíɫzaqv traditions, stewardship values, and hospitality.

Jaimie Teagle, a Haíɫzaqv member, was recently hired as the Chief Operations Officer at Shearwater and is building on the work begun by Clifton, a council member who served as COO for the first year following the acquisition.

Drawing on her experience in business management and the support of her community, Teagle is working to create a new kind of tourism experience at Shearwater – one that highlights the strength of the Haíɫzaqv people and their intricate relationships with the lands, waters, and wildlife in their territory.

Through the summer and fall of 2022, Teagle and her team are working to launch new eco-cultural tourism packages, replacing the sport fishing offerings Shearwater was once known for, and attracting visitors who want a more authentic experience of the coast. In the short term, changing the way the resort conducts fishing is needed, as the community works to build a tourism model that can sustain the Haíɫzaqv way of life, and the ecosystems the community relies on.

We want to have visitors come to see us, be curious, have open minds, and talk to us about who we are as Haíɫzaqv.

“We’re sharing our story and welcoming visitors to our beautiful home on the central coast,” says Teagle. “And while they’re here, we’re making sure that every guest enjoys a good Haíɫzaqv hospitality experience.”

Through their eco-cultural tour packages, Shearwater guides will bring guests out on the water to view wildlife in a respectful way, and onto the land to learn about Haíɫzaqv history, hear from local storytellers, and see petroglyphs and pictographs in culturally-safe areas.

“[Clients are] interested in seeing whales, sea lions, killer whales, grizzly bears, and learning about the local areas,” says Brown. “There’s a lot of interest already [and we’re] making sure we find the people interested in that and making sure they come to us.”

Teagle and her team are working with BC Ferries, Indigenous Tourism BC, and other tourism agencies to attract visitors from British Columbia and Washington state, as well as travellers from further afield in North America and Europe.

“We want to have visitors come to see us, be curious, have open minds, and talk to us about who we are as Haíɫzaqv,” says Humchitt. “This place offers a connection that’s rooted in Haíɫzaqv [people and culture], and in the lands, waters, and animals in this territory.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Indigenous tourism was the fastest-growing sector of the tourism industry, generating $705 million a year and employing more than 7,400 people, according to Indigenous Tourism BC.

With travellers eager to explore after two years of lockdowns and travel restrictions, Teagle has assembled a team to support the operation of the resort, marina, and all of the other businesses acquired through the Shearwater purchase, including an RV park and campground, fuel stations for boats and seaplanes, a shipyard and machine shop, a pub and restaurant, charter boats and water taxis, as well as a grocery store, liquor store, post office, laundromat, and hardware store. Importantly, the shops and lodgings at Shearwater are powered with renewable energy: 97 per cent of Denny Island’s electricity comes from the Ocean Falls hydropower facility.

“As we were putting the deal together, we were thinking about the number of jobs we could acquire and the training we could do to get people into positions [at Shearwater],” says Brown. Acquiring Shearwater and expanding its eco-cultural tourism programming created several job opportunities in hospitality, tourism, marine service, and in operations.

“I’m so happy with the team we have,” says Teagle. “We’re learning from long time Shearwater staff members that have seen the highs and lows that come with a tourism business, while creating opportunities for our community members to take that leap of faith and move into new roles.”

With so many Haíɫzaqv members and others coming to work on Denny Island, the Heiltsuk Tribal Council needed to increase housing options for staff. With financing through the Coast Funds economic development fund, the Tribal Council is looking into purchasing a floating accommodation barge which, once renovated, will provide safe, clean housing for staff members.

To support community members in taking on these new roles, the Tribal Council is partnering with Vancouver Community College, Quadrant Marine Institute, and the Mid Coast First Nations Training Society to offer on-site training and a $2,000 stipend for Haíɫzaqv members who want to earn trades certifications and apply their skills to a career at Shearwater.

It’s much more than buying a company…it’s employment, it’s economy, it’s tourism through a Haíɫzaqv lens.

“Even if they don’t work at Shearwater, those skills can be used anywhere in the community,” says Teagle. Marine training will help community members who want to support the Nation’s Guardians, start their own businesses, or even to maintain their family’s boats.

Through their partnership with Vancouver Community College, the Haíɫzaqv are co-creating a Haíɫzaqv Culinary Arts course to share knowledge on gathering, harvesting, and traditional food preparation. It’s one example of how the programs are “community-led and community-based,” says Humchitt. Another benefit? By offering training at Shearwater, “members don’t have to leave [the territory] and can be home at night.”

Through these opportunities and partnerships, Humchitt says the Heiltsuk Tribal Council is helping to close the socio-economic gap in a safe way that welcomes community members, honours Haíɫzaqv traditions, and builds capacity for the community to succeed as a whole.

“Our community is super excited about this acquisition,” said Chief Councillor Slett at the celebration for the acquisition. “It’s much more than buying a company…it’s employment, it’s economy, it’s tourism through a Haíɫzaqv lens and helping to share our story.”

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