Working to Live in Haida Gwaii: the Paradoxes of Life in a Remote, Amenity-Rich Region
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WORKING TO LIVE IN HAIDA GWAII: THE PARADOXES OF LIFE IN A REMOTE, AMENITY-RICH REGION A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Environment and Sustainability In the School of Environment and Sustainability University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By MEGAN SHIRLEY HASSEBROEK HINZMAN Copyright Megan Shirley Hassebroek Hinzman, May, 2018. All rights reserved. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis/dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis/dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis/dissertation work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis/dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis/dissertation. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis/dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the School of Environment and Sustainability 323 Kirk Hall, 117 Science Place University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C8 CANADA OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 CANADA i ABSTRACT My Master’s thesis explores the importance of the natural environment for the non- Indigenous residents of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia (BC). During the summers of 2015 and 2016 Dr. Loring and I conducted 40 interviews with non-indigenous residents. On Haida Gwaii, as with many coastal, natural resource-dependent communities, the marine environment is central to quality of life and community well-being. Local non-indigenous residents I interviewed were concerned with issues pertaining to survival strategies on Haida Gwaii; access to environmental resources, employment stratagems, and governance. My research focused on the experiences and beliefs of non-indigenous residents and how control over natural resources have impacted their well-being and community cohesion. The issues of control and power are inextricably linked to the other major issues that local people experience: food security, transportation, employment, and sustainability of the environment and their community. It is widely argued that for coastal peoples and communities, marine health and human health are intrinsically linked through the social, economic, and cultural ties. Yet, how local people understand those relationships, and think about them with respect to outcomes such as environmental and social sustainability, is not always straightforward, and differences can drive conflict among stakeholders over preferred policy and management strategies. My thesis looks at the connections of environmental health, local governance, employment, and community wellbeing for non-indigenous residents on Haida Gwaii. The Reflection on My Art-Based Approach to Analysis chapter is focused on my visual interpretations of main concerns interviewees discussed with me. The Haida are historically renowned as artists and the non-indigenous residents of Haida Gwaii are also uniquely artistic. Haida Gwaii is a beautiful and inspiring place and I believe that is what lead me to attempt to explain local concerns through the medium of linocuts. The five images I created were direct responses to the topics and issues raised by non-indigenous interviewees and my own personal experiences on the islands. The purpose of the linocuts was to explain my research findings through a visual and emotional form. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Philip Loring for his support and guidance through this entire process. I feel very fortunate for having Dr. Loring as my supervisor. He has always been incredibly generous with his time and feedback and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with him. Also thanks to my committee members Dr. Douglas Clark and Dr. Graham Strickert for their insightful direction and input in my Master’s thesis. Special thanks to the Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response Network and the Ocean Tipping Points Project for their financial support and all I learned from my peers in these organizations. I would like to recognize and thank my parents Larry and Melanie Hinzman and my darling sister Alexa for their support and guidance. I would certainly not be where I am now if not for my family and how they have helped shape me as a person. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge my many dear friends in Saskatoon, especially my roommate Bethany Templeton. I have enjoyed my time in Saskatoon very much and I am appreciative of all the relationships I have formed here. Finally and perhaps most importantly I would like to thank the residents of Haida Gwaii who welcomed me into their communities and especially those who were willing to be interviewed; without their participation and generosity my research and Master’s thesis would not have been possible. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................... viii 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Summary .................................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 2 1.3. Research Questions and Methods ............................................................................ 2 1.4. Wellbeing ................................................................................................................. 4 1.4.1. Well-being and the Health Sciences ................................................................. 4 1.4.2. Eudaimonic vs. Hedonic wellbeing .................................................................. 5 1.4.3. Wellbeing in Developing Countries.................................................................. 5 1.4.4. Quality of Life................................................................................................... 6 1.4.5. A Working Definition ....................................................................................... 7 1.5. Amenities-based Communities, NRDCs, Employment, and Underemployment .... 8 1.6. Chapter Overview .................................................................................................. 11 1.7. REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 14 2. WORKING TO LIVE IN HAIDA GWAII: THE PARADOXES OF LIFE IN A REMOTE, AMENITY-RICH REGION ....................................................................................... 22 2.1. ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... 22 2.2. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 22 2.3. STUDY AREA AND METHODS ........................................................................ 27 2.4. RESULTS .............................................................................................................. 29 2.4.1. Feelings of Security ........................................................................................ 29 2.4.2. Feelings of Vulnerability ................................................................................ 33 2.4.3. Strategies for Living on Haida Gwaii ............................................................. 39 iv 2.5. DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................ 46 2.6. CONCLUSIONS.................................................................................................... 48 2.7. REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 50 3. REFLECTION ON MY ART-BASED APPROACH TO ANALYSIS ....................... 58 3.1. Stamp One: The Marine Environment ................................................................... 60 3.2. Stamp Two: Deer and Herring ............................................................................... 63 3.3. Stamp Three: Herring Laying