Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation-led community placemaking project to revitalize and connect three vital community assets - a Community Garden, waterfront meditative space, and interpretive trail – into a natural connection point for its members and nearby North Shore Estates residents.
Through a new Community Placemaking initiative, Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation aims to connect communities and cultures through a community garden and natural space. The project will also upgrade the Elk Trail, linking neighbouring residential developments and improving access to both the community garden and Waterfront Memorial Garden.
The project is supported through the Island Coastal Economic Trust’s Community Placemaking Program with its focus on Food Security and Agrifood.
The project weaves together three important community assets: the Elk Trail, which facilitates travel between two residential areas; the community garden that promotes local food production and food security; and the Waterfront Memorial Garden that invites visitors to reflect in a meditative environment.
The project will strengthen community wellbeing in vital ways, including:
Economic Prosperity: In tandem with attracting a much-anticipated project investment to revitalize the Elk Trail, creating an official link between public spaces, the project will also benefit local businesses by encouraging visitors and residents to spend more time in the adjacent areas.The project also facilitates important community partnerships between the Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation, Cowichan Lake Trail Blazers Society, Little Cubs Daycare, and community leadership.
Social Empowerment: As a community-led project, the initiative will create three temporary construction jobs and up to six volunteer opportunities for individuals looking to take ownership of their community improvements. The Nation will also create one permanent, full-time position to serve as the community garden seasonal coordinator.
Through a series of educational opportunities, residents will also be invited to learn about food production and food security. Featuring twenty garden boxes and two medium-sized greenhouses, the community garden will also offer opportunities to Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation members and other nearby residents dedicated space to grow their own food, supporting both self-sufficiency and local food sovereignty.
Cultural Vitality: Interpretive trail signage will be placed alongside the Elk Trail, which connects the Ts’uubaa-asatx resident community and North Shore Estates housing development with the community garden and Waterfront Memorial Garden. These signs will contain descriptions of twenty medicinal plants found in the adjacent forest, providing all trail users to learn from Ts’uubaa-asatx traditional knowledge and culture.
Climate Resiliency: By improving the existing trail infrastructure, the project encourages active transportation between the two neighbouring communities. The community garden will also strengthen opportunities to grow food locally, reducing total food miles.
“This funding will help bring three unique pieces of community infrastructure together to provide greater exposure and facilitate a learning environment for our members and visitors alike. The enhancements to the trail will allow for cultural interpretation to provide language and cultural knowledge to various plants/trees, etc; while the community garden will allow for various produce to be grown for food sustenance; and the waterfront fountain will pay homage to our elders and ancestors that were here before us and provide a great place for self-reflection and calmness” – Hereditary Chief Melanie Livingstone
Jeff Bartlett
Communications and Impact Manager
Island Coastal Economic Trust
250-871-7797
jeff@islandcoastaltrust.ca
Aaron Hamilton
Operations Manager
Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation
250-715-7560
Aaron@lcfn.ca
Island Coastal Economic Trust approved funding for this project in January 2025 through the Community Placemaking program.
As we work toward inclusive and resilient economic futures, we do so with a deep appreciation for the histories, contributions, and rights of the Kwak̓wala/Bakwam’kala, Nuučaa̓nuɫ, Éy7á7juuthem, Ligwilda'xw, Pəntl'áč, She shashishalhem, Hul’q’umi’num’, diitiidʔaatx̣, SENĆOŦEN, Skwxwú7mesh, Lekwungen, and T’Sou-ke speaking peoples.
