Heather Ramsay
Heather Ramsay is a freelance writer now based in the Fraser Valley. Her work has appeared in The Tyee, Maisonneuve, Canadian Geographic, Vancouver Review, Canada’s History Magazine, the Vancouver Sun, BC Bookworld, Galleries West, The Globe and Mail, Northword Magazine and more. She spent 10 years on Haida Gwaii and has written two books, both published by the Haida Gwaii Museum: Gina 'Waadluxan Tluu: The Everything Canoe (2010) and Gyaagang.ngaay: The Monumental Poles of Skidegate (2012).
Reporting beat: Haida Gwaii
Stories by Heather Ramsay
Art and Decolonization: ‘This Is My Activism’
Four bold exhibitions create a new narrative around Indigenous experiences.
‘Now that You Know, You Can’t Turn a Blind Eye’
Author, activist Bev Sellars on her book ‘Price Paid: The Fight for First Nations Survival.’
Hours Left to Tell Liberals to Reverse Harper Attack on Fish Habitat Protection
Consultation offers chance to push for enforcement officers, put teeth back in Fisheries Act.
Bless Our Little Pigdom
In which four couples buy six piglets, visions of barbeque dancing in our heads. Part one of two.
'That Which Makes Us Haida'
Less than 40 fluent speakers of the Haida language remain, but they won't let it go without a fight.
Why Shave Your Nether Regions?
Here in northern BC, I thought pubic hair removal was a fussy fad for city types. Then I started asking around.
'The Everything Canoe'
Meet the fallers, carvers and historians of the Haida canoe, icon of a 10,000 year-old culture.
Getting Kids out on the Land
Pulling them off the couch means a day's adventure in Gwaii Haanas. Or teaching, nationwide, a new generation how to camp.
Totem Poles: Myth and Fact
From cultural emblems to kitsch souvenirs, it seems everyone takes a different view of this iconic Northwest art form. A Tyee interview.
'Beyond Eden', a Musical Set on Haida Gwaii
Bill Reid, a suicide and the ethics of 'rescuing' totems inhabit Cultural Olympiad play.
The Haida Challenge: An Unofficial Account
'All That We Say Is Ours' author Ian Gill on Haida Gwaii's 'provocative' politics, his reluctant subject Guujaaw, and more.
Did You Want Your Milk Raw?
Unpasteurized milk activists are testing the law by making it more available in BC.
'Never Shoot a Stampede Queen'
Author Mark Leiren-Young on small town newspapers, Cariboo culture, country loving, and more.
Oil a Slippery Concern for BC's North Coast Natives
Jobs beckon, but Alaskan brings message of caution.
Landmark Great Bear Agreement Is Down to the Wire
Hopes, doubts rise as Premier faces signing deadline. A Tyee Special Report.
Who Decides on Mines that Pollute?
One lake-killing plan, opposed by First Nations, highlights a growing controversy.
Alcan Makes Power an Election Issue
Kitimat is furious at the company for exporting taxpayer subsidized electricity while cutting jobs.
Candidates Court First Nations Voters
But one native prof scorns voting at all, calling it a ‘smiling high five’ to oppressors.
Haida Blockaders Vow ‘As Long as It Takes’
The standoff is over who controls and benefits from logging on Haida Gwaii.
Taxing the Fish
Sport fishing reels in money, but too much swims away say coastal local governments. A TYEE SPECIAL REPORT
Who Owns the Healing Secrets of Plants?
As the Haida know, the rainforest can yield cures for sickness. But sharing such knowledge may create other ills.
Keeping Alive the Haida Tongue
'Every word is precious' says Diane Brown, one of a team painstakingly preserving a rich oral language.
'Great Bear' Economy Goes after $200 Million
Private donors will kick in $60 million, pending government matches, for sustainable coastal push.
Offshore Drilling Divides B.C.'s North
Support for lifting the drilling ban is hardly solid in B.C.’s north. It depends where currents might sweep pollution, and money.
Why Wait? Small Town Operating Rooms Are Empty
Bulkley Valley offers a waiting list cure: Bring surgeons to rural hospitals where operating rooms stand idle.
Can B.C.'s North Be Saved?
Northern towns grapple with a shifting economy, government cutbacks, and doubts about whether the rural way of life is worth saving.
