On March 19th, the POLIS Water Sustainability Project, in collaboration with the Centre for Global Studies, BC Watershed Security Coalition, Borders in Globalization Lab and the Indigenous Internationalisms Collective, CIFAL Victoria, the Environmental Law Centre, and Watershed Watch Salmon Society, hosted a three-part celebration for World Water Day on the University of Victoria campus.
Laura Brandes (POLIS) with writer/director Lyana Patrick (Stellat’en First Nation) and SȾHENEP Adam Olsen (Former MLA/Tsartlip First Nation) at POLIS’ 18th annual World Water Day Celebration. Photo: B. Schepers
Resource Fair
The event began with a Water Sustainability Resource Fair, which offered a space for conversation and networking in the Student Union Building. About 150 students, professors, environmental organizations, and community members visited the fair to connect and learn.
POLIS’ Taya Barlow and Erin Owens at the 2026 World Water Day resource fair, University of Victoria. Photo: L. Brandes
Nearly 20 local groups were represented at the fair, including the Gorge Waterway Action Society, Environmental Studies Student Association, Surfrider Foundation, Indigenous Internationalisms Collective, Peninsula Streams Society, and Creatively United for the Planet. Each brought their own unique perspectives on freshwater issues, shared opportunities to get involved, and provided resources for continued learning.
Film Screening
Following the resource fair, over 120 people gathered at Cinecenta for a screening of Nechako: It Will Be a River Again. Elder Terri Barnhard from the səlxʷéyn sqʷél Elders’ Voices Program began the night with a territorial acknowledgment, welcoming everyone with sincerity and care to the lands of the Lək̓ʷəŋən Peoples.
POLIS communications director Laura Brandes welcomes guests to POLIS’ 18th annual World Water Day celebration. Photo: J. Walsh
The film follows the ongoing 70-year legal fight of the Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations to reclaim and restore the Nechako River and the way of life it once sustained. It highlights the destruction caused by the Kenney Dam, which has diverted 70 per cent of the river’s flow to power an aluminum smelter and devastated ecosystems and salmon populations. It also shows the powerful resistance and determination of the Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations as they continue their fight against powerful institutions in a landmark legal case.
Panel Dialogue
After the film, Laura Brandes (POLIS) spoke with writer/director Lyana Patrick (Stellat’en First Nation) and SȾHENEP Adam Olsen (Former MLA/Tsartlip First Nation), asking thoughtful questions grounded in the the themes of the film and Lyana and Adam’s personal experiences and perspectives.
The discussion explored the continuing struggle to implement Indigenous land rights within colonial legal frameworks, as well as the impacts of extractive resource policies and mindsets, the importance of community-centered storytelling, and the role of reciprocity and respect in long-term stewardship and decolonization processes.
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The POLIS team extends a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this celebration a success. We’ll see you for World Water Day 2027!
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