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In response to the COVID-19 situation, all IRSI team members are currently working remotely and can be reached via email and, if applicable, by cell phone. Messages to IRSI’s main email ( irsi.info@ubc.ca ) and voice mail (604-827-2801) are checked several times a day. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and we will get back to you as soon as we can. We encourage you and your communities to stay safe and look after yourselves.

The Yuneŝit'in government, one of six communities within the Tŝilhqot'in Nation, has teamed up with Associate Professor John Bass of UBC’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) to develop a housing design prototype with technical and policy innovations related to wildfire-related impacts to be built on the Tsilhqot’in plateau. The housing project responds to the increasing threat of climate change-induced wildfires faced by the community, whose dry climate and isolated

In Bella Bella, home of the Heiltsuk Nation, four tiny homes are now completed to 'lock up' stage, with only interior finishing details required before they are ready for occupation. Construction is in the early stages for another four homes and the community is currently in the process of determining how occupants will be chosen as homes are completed. In addition to providing much-needed housing for community members, the tiny homes project is building capacity for the Nation. Construction

IRSI is thrilled to be supporting the work of acclaimed filmmaker Helen Haig-Brown. A member of the Tŝilhqot'in Nation, Haig-Brown received international acclaim and won several awards for “Edge of the Knife”, her first narrative feature film, which was made entirely in the Haida language. She is now at work on her next major project, an exploration of the Chilcotin War of 1864. She expects the project to take several years to complete and is currently embarking on an extensive research phase

Last spring, members of the IRSI team had a chance to visit the Lil'wat community garden to learn about a special research collaboration aimed at revitalizing traditional foods and improving food security for Lil'wat. Project collaborators involved in transforming the 17 acre plot into a community garden were Lil’wat members Kwikws Eliza Peters and Koskas Dan and UBC PhD candidate Tonya Smith. Watch this short video where Kwikws Eliza and Tonya discuss the research collaboration and future plans