When one chapter ends, another one begins. This pastsummer, the fight against Enbridge and the proposedNorthern Gateway Pipeline seemed to come to an end whenthe project was rejected by the Federal Court of Appeal.For the coastal communities of British Columbia thatnear-unanimously stood against the project, Haida Gwaiiincluded, the decisions was one of celebratory magnitude.

Giving the ruling even more pertinence was that it specifically cited the lack of consultation with First Nations, stating “It would have taken Canada little time and little organizational effort to engage in meaningful dialogue on these and other subjects of prime importance to Aboriginal Peoples. But this did not happen.”

The final nail seemed to be hammered into the Northern Gateway coffin when it was announced that neither the Federal Government nor Enbridge would appeal the Federal Court’s decision. For Haida Gwaii, it felt like the end of an era. From the JRP hearings to now has been a long and constant battle, so the ruling that came this summer felt like a victory. But as one chapter closes, another one, unfortunately, begins.

On September 27th, Petronas’ proposed Pacific Northwest LNG (short for Liquified Natural Gas) was given the green light from Trudeau’s Government. The project would be based in and around Prince Rupert, with an export terminal on Lelu Island, making it a very legitimate concern to many on Haida Gwaii.

But as was made apparent during the years fighting against Enbridge, Haida Gwaii is not afraid to show its true colours. The LNG decision came just a few short days before the much anticipated Royal visit. With news teams from all over the world gathered, an image of Will and Kate in a canoe paddled by no LNG shirts went across the globe.

With this seemingly constant succession of oil and gas projects making their way into British Columbia, the time for Haida Gwaii to break onto its own path is drawing ever-closer. Sending a message and making the island’s stance heard and seen around the world is huge, but it is now time to start taking action towards making the islands more self-sustainable. This is already happening, and has actually been in the works for many years.

Haida Gwaii local Laird Bateham recently unveiled his newest invention in Port Clements to a largely sceptical audience; as everyone was leaving however, it was clear that most were very excited about what they had just seen.

As part of Yourbrook Energy System’s LTD, Bateham’s tidal power pump is a “large, low RPM, variable stroke pump driven by tidal currents to supply electrical turbines,” as they explain on their website. The system consists of a water-wheel pump that is mounted on a barge, and designed to work in shallow water. It’s catch is that it is connected to a separate freshwater reservoir, creating a pressurized cyclical flow of water which would power the turbine during slack tides.

The unique system is garnering international attention, with interested partners and buyers making contact from around the world. First and foremost, however, the company is looking to keep the project based in Haida Gwaii. The goal is to produce, and have the product be manufactured, on island, and to create jobs on Haida Gwaii explains Clyde Greenough, Chief Operations Office, Director, and Part- Owner of Yourbrook. So far, they have achieved this goal, as everything to this point was developed locally.

Right now, the prototype that was on display in Port Clements in August is out for testing. Other than a few needed upgrades, “the prototype has performed exceedingly well,” says Greenough, adding that they are doing another tow test this week. All in, to become fully functioning Yourbrook needs 24 million dollars. For perspective, that is 2 years worth of diesel on Haida Gwaii.

Although only a handful of people attended the Yourbrook open house, tons of people from all over Haida Gwaii have noticed that solar panels have been popping up on the roofs of public buildings across the island. What seemed to occur so suddenly has actually been in the works since 2012 says Kim Mushynsky, CAO of Port Clements who spearheaded the project. “

In early 2012, a funding opportunity came up from the Union of BC Municipalities called the Srategic Priorities Fund, and the key deliverable for projects they would fund is a reduction in your carbon footprint,” she explains. The original plan was to convert all the streetlights on island to LED, but after having to re-evaluated due to complications with BC Hydro, it was instead decided to install solar panels across each community. “Because of our isolation, especially at the north end, our electricity is diesel generated, which is a very dirty form of electricity. I think that anything we can do that reduces our reliance on diesel generated electricity is good for the islands and good for the environment in general,” says Mushynsky.

As is clear in what Mushynsky says, a big part of the inspiration behind the project was getting Haida Gwaii off of diesel power - a goal shared by newly formed local organization Swiilawiid. “Swiilawiid Sustainability Society launched in early October as a new non-profit working on Haida Gwaii. With a mission of helping to build healthy, resilient and thriving communities, Swiilawiid’s first project is focused on reducing the Islands’ reliance on diesel energy,” explains the society’s coordinator Valine Crist.

Crist explains that the ongoing battle against oil and gas tankers was one of her motivations in helping to found the new society. “We’ve all invested so much in defending these Islands and our way of life from supertankers. I’m thrilled to be involved with this fledgling organization that is committed to creating the energy future that we want here on Haida Gwaii,” she says.

During the Q&A period at the Yourbrook’s open house, Greenough explained how he sees Yourbrook Energy Systems as “a new chapter of resource economy on Haida Gwaii.” With many other resource based economies on Haida Gwaii beginning to decline, and with constant pressure from oil and gas companies, Haida Gwaii needs to begin transitioning towards a self-sustaining way of life. With projects like Yourbrook Energy Systems, installing solar panels on public buildings, and decreasing Haida Gwaii’s reliance on diesel, the cleaner energy movement on Haida Gwaii has begun. Because when one chapter ends, we need to already have started the other one.