Water is essential for life. Yet, the privilege of water quality and security is often overlooked. Most of Canada’s sustainable water sources come from glacial runoff and mountain headwaters. These same waters are also being threatened by human impacts like pollution and climate change. As the quality of these sources continues to dwindle, communities ranging from sparsely populated mountain towns to major cities will start to feel the impacts.
In this episode of the Canadian Mountain Podcast, we’ll be discussing the significance of water quality and security and how it relates to Canadian mountains. Three CMN experts share their research on water quality in the mountains to discuss effects on wildlife, ecosystems and communities across the country. They also discuss the outlook towards the future of Canada’s water security.
Host: Eric Tanner
Guests:
• Elliot Fox, member of the Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) and consultant for CMN’s Knowledge Hub, the Blackfoot Guardianship of East Slope Watersheds
• Matt Coombs, fisheries biologist and consultant for FINtegrate Fisheries & Watershed Consulting, working in collaboration with the Blackfoot Guardianship of East Slope Watersheds.
• Dr. Vincent St Louis, Professor at the University of Alberta and lead for CMN’s project, “From the Mountains to Our Tables: Freshwater Security in Three Canadian Eastern Rocky Mountain Watersheds”.

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, or IPCAs, are lands and waters where Indigenous governments are at the forefront of protecting and conserving the ecosystems within these areas. IPCAs are also centered around culture, language, and the dedication to conserve these areas for future generations. These areas play a major role in biodiversity conservation and the protection of cultural heritage. In 2015, Canada published a report on the “Biodiversity Goals and Targets for Canada”, stating that by 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial areas would be protected. However, only 12.5 per cent of Canada’s terrestrial areas were protected as of the end of 2020. In this episode of the Canadian Mountain Podcast, host Gabrielle Pyska invites guests Dr. Courtney Mason, a professor in Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Communities at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, and Eli Enns, the Co-founder of the Ha’uukmin Tribal Park in Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, to discuss the importance of IPCAs in Canada and other places around the world. We also touch on what listeners of the Canadian Mountain Podcast can do to support the creation of more IPCAs in the future.

In 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for all member countries to achieve by 2030. These goals encompass all aspects of sustainability from equality to water rights. Despite the importance of these goals and their relevance to today’s problems, the SDGs only represent mountain landscapes in a limited fashion, with mountains mentioned in 2 of the 17 goals. However, mountains cover 26.5 per cent of land on earth and 24 per cent of the landmass in Canada. Host Ethan Ward met virtually with Dr. Pamela Shaw, Courtney Vageouis, and Jenica Ng-Cornish. The three researchers are working with the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute to tackle he implementation of the SDGs and determining their place in relation to Canadian mountains. Over the course of the episode, they discuss what SDGs are, why they matter to mountain ecosystems in Canada, and the work that CMN is doing to achieve these goals.

How do we gain knowledge about mountain systems? Our understanding of mountains has predominantly been studied using Western scientific methods of research. However, Indigenous knowledge and ways of thinking have often been underappreciated, and in some cases, even excluded from mountain research, which leaves an important part of mountain heritage and knowledge unlearned. This is beginning to shift as more scientists and researchers working in mountains embrace and engage with traditional forms of knowledge and learning. Host Eric Tanner met virtually with Leon Andrew and Glen MacKay, who are both involved in scientific research in the Northwest Territories. They explain their research methods and projects, and examine how their respective methods of understanding work together. They also describe how they benefit from this relationship, while also realizing that there is much more work needed to value and integrate Indigenous ways of knowing.

What do the mountains mean to you? Maybe they’re a destination for a weekend getaway and sightseeing. Perhaps they’re your home, or the subject of your scientific research. No matter how you relate to Canada’s mountains, it is important to understand their significance, and the research happening in these majestic places. Whether you’re a new listener or a mountain-based researcher, we welcome you to this new season of the Canadian Mountain Podcast.

On this episode of the Canadian Mountain Podcast, host Gabrielle Pyska joins the Canadian Mountain Network’s Co-Research Directors, Norma Kassi and Murray Humphries to discuss their history and research with the Network. They also highlight the significance of Canadian mountain systems and why studying them is vital.

In the final episode of the season, host Blaise Kemna looks into how Covid-19 is affecting tourism in mountain communities. Hear from Banff Mayor Karen Sorenson about how things look in town as they prepare to welcome visitors for the summer season. Then, Blaise connects with researcher Joe Pavelka, a professor of Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership at Mount Royal University who is studying tourists’ travel fears and aspirations associated with Covid-19.

In this episode, host Blaise Kemna takes a dive into Indigenous-led research from three different research perspectives: first, a conversation with Dr. Courtney Mason, a Canada Research Chair at Thompson Rivers University; second, an interview with William Snow, administrative manager of the Stoney Nakoda Nation; and third, a discussion with Dr. Aimee Schmidt, excecutive director of the T’akhu  Tlèn Conservancy in Whitehorse.

In this episode, host Blaise Kemna takes a dive into human-wildlife coexistence from three different research perspectives: first, a conversation with Don Caruthers Den Hoed, senior fellow manager with the Canadian Parks Collective for Innovation and Leadership at Mount Royal University’s Institute for Environmental Sustainability; second, an interview with Marco Festa-Bianchet, a Biology professor at Sherbrooke University; and third, a discussion with Danah Duke, excecutive director of the Miistakis Institute at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alta.