Project Title: Making the Canoe: Teachings from the Squamish Nation Environmental Assessment Process
Client: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (the Nation)
Student Names: Connor Guyn, Ilaha Ibrahimova, Lilly Floerke, Rodrigo Rojas Hernandez, Salina Dolmo Lama
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Year: 2026
About the Project: In 2013, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (the Nation) was motivated to develop an Indigenous-led assessment (ILA) process to address the limitations in Crown-led processes that have often constrained the Nation’s laws and decision-making authority. This framework is now known as the Squamish Nation Environmental Assessment Agreements (SNEEAs), and are the first legally binding ILAs in Canada that center Indigenous culture, values, and priorities. The two existing SNEAAs have been long, iterative processes that have seen growth and amendments at different stages of the respective project assessments and agreements. This project seeks to better understand the SNEEA’s current and future effectiveness at centering Squamish laws, values, and priorities to support the Nation’s long-held goal of ensuring reciprocal community-based outcomes for all potential future projects on the Nation’s territory.