Indigenous Connectivity Report
British Columbia | 2020 Edition
“Telecommunications are our modern day smoke signals. They help us remain connected and, now more than ever, remaining connected to one another and to our communities is critical.” - Míkw'achi7m (Marissa Nahanee)
TELUS collaborated with Míkw'achi7m on the intent, context and manner of the art used within this report.
Enabling remarkable outcomes
For more than a decade, TELUS has been collaborating with Indigenous governments and organizations as well as federal and provincial governments to bring advanced connectivity to Indigenous communities. Now, when connectivity matters more than ever, we are inspired by what Indigenous governments and organizations are doing to ensure communities stay safe, informed, healthy and inspired.
Expanding Rural Network Reach
Learn from stories shared by First Nations communities in BC
By connecting Indigenous communities to TELUS’ world-leading networks, we are privileged to support cultural revitalization and economic diversification, while broadening access to digital and virtual healthcare. Our network investment is preparing Indigenous Peoples to amplify their cross-cultural reach beyond community boundaries, enabling them to share broadly their successes and learnings.
Highlights
2013 through end of 2020
0
Indigenous communities served by TELUS
~0.0K
Homes, businesses and community hubs with access to High Speed Internet (HSIA)¹
0
Indigenous communities connected to TELUS PureFibre
+$0M
Capex dollars invested to connect Indigenous communities in B.C. to our fibre-optic network, including enhanced wireline and wireless connectivity
Read the full story
Nuu chayap men wa ha7lh,
Míkw'achi7m kwin kwshámin,
Marissa Nahanee kwi en sna,
Tiná7 chen tl'a Esla7án Úxwumixw,
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh chen iy Nisga’a chen,
An wenáxws ten sḵwálwen.
Greetings to all of you and I hope you are well,
Míkw'achi7m is my true name,
Marissa Nahanee is my English name,
I come from the Esla7án Village in North Vancouver, B.C.,
I am Squamish and Nisga’a Nations,
I am honoured to be here.
A message from the artist
In Squamish Protocol, I introduce myself to you so that you know who I am, and where I come from. I am a third generation artist on both sides of my family, and through art I connect with my ancestors and bring them into our modern way, carrying our teachings and protocol forwards.
My grandfather taught me that art is an unspoken collaboration between viewer and artist. When creating art, I think of you, the viewer, and infuse you in the piece. As you experience my art, we are creating something beautiful together that will become a piece of both of our stories.
I see the important work TELUS is doing, providing a safe way for families to connect during these uncertain times. This is especially important for those in our remote communities as it offers a sense of security. I am honored to curate art that tells the stories of our communities, while hopefully inspiring future connections.
TELUS’ commitment to reconciliation through artistic and cultural practices
We are committed to supporting the artistic practices of Indigenous Peoples, while being mindful of the historic role organizations have played in the misappropriation of Indigenous art and culture. We have an obligation and responsibility to ensure that TELUS’ use of Indigenous art in our digital and physical spaces is respectful of Indigenous artists. To this end we collaborated with Marissa Nahanee (Míkw’achi7m) on the intent, context and manner of the art showcased in this report to ensure Marissa retained full intellectual property and control over her work. We are excited to share Marissa’s artwork with you and encourage you to learn more about how you can appropriately support Indigenous artists like Marissa.
Read the 2019 Indigenous Connectivity Report
HSIA is defined as advanced broadband speeds of at least 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload.