What is the Data Quilt?
The BC First Nations Climate Action Data Quilt is a comprehensive database, mapping tool, and interactive platform that weaves together First Nations climate action initiatives in the land colonially known as British Columbia.
You can find the Data Quilt here.
The Quilt has been developed in a partnership between the West Coast Climate Action Network and Cree8iv Collaboration Inc., dba DEVA Training & Staffing Solutions, funded by a grant from the Glasswaters Foundation.
Over time, the Quilt will become more comprehensive. Its current coverage extends from the Heiltsuk First Nation’s community-wide heat pumps initiative to the Tŝilhqot’in National Government’s solar initiative, and 303 other projects. It includes First Nations projects for community energy planning, renewable energy initiatives that reduce the use of diesel fuel, political initiatives that oppose fossil fuel pipelines on unceded Indigenous territory, and sustainable housing initiatives.
As it grows, the Quilt will include additional data on renewable energy, sustainable housing, sustainable food and farming, sustainable forestry, climate adaptation, climate education, and resistance to fossil fuel projects that cross traditional Indigenous territories.
The Quilt has been compiled using publicly available information. We are in the process of confirming and expanding the data by contacting the various project owners. WE-CAN is committed to the First Nations Principles of OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession), which state that First Nations should have ownership and control over the collection of data concerning their communities, and how that information is used. Our goal is ultimately to transfer the Data Quilt to First Nations ownership.
To contact WE-CAN about the Data Quilt, email katherine@westcoastclimateaction.ca
Who are Cree8iv Collaboration Inc & DEVA?
Cree8iv Collaboration Inc. was founded by Sharon Marshall, a Cree/Métis entrepreneur who lives in Lantzville on the traditional lands of the Snaw’naw’as and Snuneymuxw First Nations on Vancouver Island. DEVA Training & Staffing Solutions is a social enterprise under the Cree8iv umbrella, founded by Sharon, to provide temporary recruitment, digital literacy and virtual administrative training services for Indigenous women through a 20-week online training program.
Jessica Jack, from the Okanagan Indian Band, works with DEVA to diligently verify the accuracy of the information, and to update the dashboard with new initiatives as they emerged.
How Can I Add to the Data Quilt?
If your First Nation or Indigenous organization is engaged in a climate initiative in one or more of the categories listed above, and you would like to add some stitches to the Data Quilt, we would love to hear from you.
Please fill out this form or contact Sharon Marshall at sam@digitaldeva.org.
“The First Nations Climate Action Dashboard provides long-overdue recognition of the valuable work and leadership of First Nations in British Columbia to combat climate change and protect our communities, cultures and the environment from its impacts. First Nations voices and knowledge are beacons of hope, resilience and strength as we navigate an uncertain future. By acknowledging and uplifting the expertise and initiatives of First Nations, we can forge a path toward a more sustainable and inclusive world.”
Regional Chief Terry Teegee
British Columbia Assembly of First Nations
“I am very encouraged to see this initiative and wish it every success. There are so many climate initiatives by BC’s First Nations and Indigenous peoples, and it is heartening to see them all highlighted in this way.”
Adam Olsen
MLA, member of the Tsartlip First Nation
“Indigenous peoples have been leading the way in stewardship and climate resilience since time immemorial. That work is so often unseen and unsung. This project makes this stewardship visible so it becomes a sensory experience that provokes emotions and co-operation.”
Andrea Palframan
RAVEN Trust Communications Director & Acting Executive Director
WE-CAN’s Digital Quilt Team
- Katherine Maas, WE-CAN Director, community organizer with Dogwood. Leader of WE-CAN’s Indigenous Engagement Team leader.
- Sharon Marshall, Cree/Métis, Project Lead for the BC First Nations Climate Action Data Quilt Project
- Jessica Jack, Okanagan Indian Band Member, Outreach DEVA for the BC First Nations Climate Action Data Quilt Project
- Rose Patterson, MLS, BSW – Nisga’a Indigenous Crisis Counselor, Vancouver Island Health Authority
- Jordan Brubacher, environmental health scientist; background in ecological restoration and map-making
- Guy Dauncey, author and change-maker. Co-chair of WE-CAN
- Roz Isaac, climate and Indigenous rights activist
- Sebastian Sajda, WE-CAN Secretary, Past-President of Force of Nature
- Tara Shushtarian, WE-CAN Director, active with the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, Dogwood Initiative Force of Nature Alliance, Director of Fair Vote Canada
- Miah Shull Olmsted, Co-Founder Okanagan Climate Hub
- Sunil Singal, Lands Analyst for Tsleil-Waututh Nation, President of Force of Nature Alliance, WE-CAN Director, Director of KEATCA
- Tim Takaro – Physician-Scientist in planetary health; Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU
- Megan Misovic – Senior Evaluation Analyst, First Nations Health Authority; mother and volunteer
