My name is Brad Giroux, and I am a proud member of the BC Métis Federation and an employee as the Industry Engagement Coordinator. As a longtime resident of Vancouver Island, the beauty of our oceans and marine life is of utmost importance to preserve for our younger generations so they can be immersed in all that our ocean has to offer, such as spirituality, food source, and how it maintains livelihood for indigenous peoples.

I have a strong connection to the ocean, as my father and mother (who sadly passed away in 2019) have operated a wilderness resort up Narrows Inlet on the Sunshine Coast for the last 30 plus years. The camp is situated by a running creek, cooking is done over an open fire, and local food is gathered such as shellfish, berries, mushrooms, etc. for those who really want to take what the land and ocean has to offer.

Gathering off the land or waters is deeply embedded in my childhood. Growing up in northern Alberta and the NWT, our family relied on hunting and fishing on the land as part of the remote lifestyle, being a young Metis. My late mother is plains Cree Métis, and her father was a trapper who trapped a line in Northern Alberta for many years.

Today, as I look back on my life, I am proud of my 86 year old father who still operates the wilderness camp, with the spirit of my Métis mother given him guidance and strength to maintain the serenity of the ocean as well as keeping the sensitive and fragile waters and shores as pristine as possible. My story will continue…