Patrick Michell
Located 14 km south of Lytton, BC, Patrick Michell of the Kanaka Bar Indian Band (one of the 15 indigenous communities that make up the Nlaka’pamux Nation today) has lived in the Fraser Canyon all his life. Since 1978, with awareness of growing changes within and upon their traditional territory caused by climate change, Patrick and his community, worked with many 3rd parties, to design and complete site specific programs and projects that re-establish sustainable community foundations in water, food, and shelter with supporting resilient systems like storage, energy, communications, transportation and waste management; building capacity and resiliency within the community and preparing Kanaka Bar, and its residents, for the environment and economy of today and more importantly – for tomorrow.
In 2018, Patrick was honored with a Clean Energy BC lifetime achievement award for his work in renewable energy project design, permitting, development and operations; and in 2021, Patrick was honored with a Clean50 Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on climate change awareness and action. Kanaka Bar’s 2021 Community Resilience Plan (or CRP) was also recognized as the Clean50 2022 Top national project.
Following the hottest ever recorded daily temperature in Canada, on June 30, 2021, Patrick, and his family, as did so many others, lost their intergenerational home in the Lytton fire and they have lived in response mode since. The same region has since had to manage the Atmospheric River in November 2021 that “wiped out” all but one road and in late December the Lytton region also lived through never before experienced “minus 32 degree” temperature along with a snowfall in excess of 4 feet in places.
Living in response mode, planning, and rebuilding a home, a neighbourhood, a town and a region while also going though compounding events is not for the faint of heart. The Lytton and area residents are working together, side by side, with external supports, to design and replace not only that which was lost, but are looking at anything reasonable, affordable and doable that will result in a community not only ready for the environment and economy of today but also for tomorrow.
