Mother Nature provided beautiful weather for a special blessing ceremony on Aug. 28 that took place on the lands of Malahat First Nation where the nation and Vancouver's Energy Plug are partnering to build Canada's first Indigenous-led giga-factory, the largest battery plant in the country.
"The Malahat Nation believed in our vision and we aligned together to do this together," said Energy Plug CEO Broderick Gunning. "For us we have seen a lot of what is happening in Ontario and were focused on what we could do here on the west coast, and we are very excited about this milestone that we have achieved here today. We look forward to [the] future of working more with Malahat First Nation and being a leader in western Canada."
The beautiful milestone was emceed by Energy Plug's Colin Doylend, and Malahat's Chief Gordon Harry said a few words. There were several special guests in attendance including MLA Murray Rankin, who was there to speak on behalf of Premier David Eby, who passed on the message of how thrilled he was with the project. Rankin spoke highly of the project and the enormous achievement all involved should be proud of, saluting both Energy Plug and the Malahat First Nation for their leadership.
"I don't know how many people know this statistic but 21 per cent of all of Canada's clean tech and clean energy operations are in the province of British Columbia," said Rankin. "We punch way above our weight, and are producing some of the technology for the 21st century right here, and that brings me to where are today in the Malahat Nation territory. What is being created here is I think emblematic of a future that we would all want to have in our province. A partnering with First Nations, and as they say a rising tide raises all ships. All of our economy will benefit and the ecosystem that is created will plug into the 21 per cent making us an energy powerhouse. It is fine to have energy, but if you don't have battery storage for that energy, it really is often wasted. In the renewable world that we are moving into when the sun doesn't shine, and the wind doesn't blow, batteries are at the core of that technology."
The heart of the event was to witness a ground blessing led by Malahat Nation Elder May Sam who was born on the water near the area where the new factory will be built. She was joined by her children Rob and Josie Sam as well as her great granddaughter Evelyn Underwood. She shared how truly moved and grateful she felt to be able to lead the special ground blessing for this momentous occasion, using cedar branches and a special medicine that was prepared by her son Rob. The medicine needed to be boiled for several days in order to be ready for the blessing. Sam said the medicine that was used to bless the ground will not only help with overall growth, but also with keeping each and everyone involved in the project safe.
"We are going to take the medicine and use cedar branches as we go from corner to corner around the perimeter," said Rob Sam. "My mom will say her prayers in our language, and my sister and grand niece will take care of the cedar, and I will follow behind them with some drumming and songs."
"My great granddaughter is going to help with the ground blessing, and it is really an honour and a special day," said Elder Sam. "It's a beautiful day, there is no wind, or rain and the sun is shining, now I'm just waiting for the birds to come around and sing to us. The blessing will be done with the medicine that my son has prepared, it is made from special plants that we must have to cleanse the ground. When we do the blessing I need to say it in my Hul'q'umi'num language for our ancestors, and the grounds deep down. That is what this ceremony is all about, it is about the blessing and taking care of the future, not just the new buildings but also all the people who will come here to work, and that they will be welcomed and accepted through the ancestors."
