Fast fact: A few years ago – January 2019 to March 2023 – parts of northern B.C. experienced very unCanadian-like behaviour: disagreements over a river, The Blue and Green River aka the Wedzin Kwah aka the Morice River aka the Bulkley River.
These disagreements led to RCMP violence, harassment, discrimination and dispossession against Indigenous Wet’suwet’en communities who were defending the river against the construction of a liquified natural gas pipeline through their unceded ancestral territory without their free, prior and informed consent.

Fast forward:  
Recognizing the importance of the Wedzin Kwah, the Museum of Northern BC in Prince Rupert now features, until the end of September, "The Mighty Wedzin Kwah, Salmon River at Risk?" The gallery brings together art, poetry, and photography to focus on the Wedzin Kwah and its importance to our environment and our Indigenous stewards.
Like so many others, one of the featured artists, Perry Rath, believes the protection of the Wedzin Kwah is essential to the health of the environment and the community. “You get drawn into the river and what’s at risk.” His salmon canvases reflect the abundance of fish in times past…

The following piece reflects the collaboration with local Indigenous artist Amanda Hugon who added traditional Indigenous designs in a collaboration on this painting.

As well as the salmon paintings, the exhibit features strong poetry by Wet'suwet'en writer Jennifer Wickham, What If I Told You… that we are the land and the land is us? Her final line: “….and what if you believed me?” leaves a poignant question.
Photographs are by Matt Simmons and Michael Toledano. Toledano’s photos are from the 2025 award-winning documentary, Yintah. Writers are Matt Simmons and Brent Patterson.
The exhibit gives the viewer something to think about. It should have wider coverage because it raises the question of how we treat our environment. Most of us are aware that negative environmental changes are now part of today’s life: floods, wildfires, air quality.
By now, you must have figured out, the featured artist who lives in Smithers B.C. but paints these endangered salmon waters, is our son.
Now, if only we can figure out how to see him more often….

What can I say? How do I remember him? This complicated, talented, occasional con man, but always generous and kind to those he loved. A hard worker, an artist who never reached his full potential. Stubborn. Frustrated. A fighter for his beliefs. A gentle soul who masked his delicate core with comedy.
I remember him especially when we were both young.

He was the one who loved animals. When we lived in the country, he adored his pet rabbits. When we lived in the city, he brought home birds with broken wings and nursed them back to health. Painstakingly fed them with an eyedropper. As a Boy Scout he won a city-wide (Ottawa, Ontario) honour for his environmental/wildlife passions. I remember our family gathering around the television watching him receive this award from a long-forgotten civic official. I was so proud of him…my annoying pesky brother being so honoured. Like maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy, after all.

He was a fighter for the oppressed or downtrodden. But that’s probably because he was small for his age while growing up so he knew what it was like to be bullied. I never paid much attention to him when he was bullied. Because, after all, weren’t boys fighting all the time?
He was an entrepreneur. He started businesses at different times: like a printing press and a pet store. Worked hard and then for one reason or another, abandoned them. Or was forced to close when the big box conglomerates moved into town. I was too busy living my own life to find out.

When he moved his family out to British Columbia from Ontario, he stopped in to see us. At that time, we were living on the shores of Lake Huron. He parked his trailer in one of Canada’s nearby provincial parks and invited us (a family with three boys) to share a campfire meal of freshly caught trout. Our sons still remember that outing with Uncle Don to this day.

He was anti-government. And yet, while living in BC he headed the local arm of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Even more astounding, because of his success in that position, he was invited to the then-Prime Minister’s office in Ottawa where he, and others like him, shook hands, had photos taken, and enjoyed a day of recognition with the PM. We all got a chuckle out of that.
He, his wife and three children settled into B.C.  For a few years, Don and Claire relocated to Belize. Then, I think, health issues became an issue.

When my husband and I visit one of our sons in Smithers, B.C., we always stop to see Don and Claire in the Oliver/Osoyoos area. Over the years, Don’s health declined. He was against the medical system (of course!) so ignored his wife’s urgings to seek help from a doctor. Gradually his overall health deteriorated. It was painful to see. Hard for his family. Harder still for him.
I remember Don for his generosity as much as for his temper. When he first moved out west, the Ontario wing of his family received extravagant gifts, like Cowichan sweaters. Every year, when the cherries hung heavy, we each received boxes of ripe organic BC cherries.

This man was a dichotomy. He is also my bro…my bro. My bro.
Don, may you rest in peace. Love you forever.