The First Nations Health Authority's (FNHA) Canning Champions event is more than a gathering—it's a space for learning, sharing, connection, and healing. Launched in 2018 through a partnership with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, the event began as a train-the-trainer canning workshop to help participants build skills and confidence.

By 2019, participants voiced a desire to continue gathering with others leading similar food preservation efforts. Many worked alone or off the side of their desks, making this annual event a rare and meaningful opportunity to share experiences, challenges and successes with peers from across the province.

Participants, known as “Canning Champions," are individuals who lead and support food preservation and programming in their communities. Many of these individuals play key roles in harvesting, processing, and distributing food, thereby strengthening community-based and community-led food systems.

Over the past six years, these gatherings have fostered relationships across Nations representing diverse language groups and traditional foods, creating a strong and supportive network. In February, FNHA hosted a two-day Canning Champions pressure canning workshop, followed by a two-day Canning Champions gathering on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation at UBC. The event brought together 23 participants—from youth to Elders—from communities across the province, representing those in the North, Coast, Island, Interior, and Lower Mainland of BC.

Canning Champion participants watching facilitator Darlene Tanaka pressure can blueberry jam during the Canning Champions Workshop.

One of the most powerful moments of this year's gathering came on the final day, when Elder Syexwaliya—who opened, participated in, and closed the event—created a safe and supportive space for participants to share not only their incredible food preservation work, but also the personal and systemic challenges they face. A sense of heaviness settled over the group, as many carried the weight of losses from the toxic drug public health emergencies and the ongoing absence of sustainable funding for food security and sovereignty initiatives.

Participants also spoke to the growing impacts of climate change. Wildfires have disrupted transportation routes and caused power outages—worsening food insecurity and limiting access to traditional food sources. These compounding challenges have increased the urgency of community-based food preservation work to ensure nutritious, traditional foods remain available during emergencies.​

Dehydrated apple chips (left) along with pressure-canned blueberry jam, carrots, and deer meat (right) made by participants during the Canning Champions event.

Participants shared their personal stories, offering one another strength and support, which helped strengthen the Canning Champions network in meaningful ways. Elder Syexwaliya closed the circle with a prayer, song, and dance, allowing participants to release some of their burdens, share laughter, and return to the final day's activities with renewed energy.

FNHA's Canning Champions event continues to be a vital space for knowledge-sharing, skill-building, and emotional resilience – ensuring that those who nourish their communities are also nourished in return. Next month, the Canning Champions event will be held in-community in Stó:lō Nation, planned for early June. An earlier gathering was decided so that increased planning and network supports are in place prior to harvesting season. The upcoming event will focus on enhancing pressure canning skills with diverse equipment including induction models suited for small kitchens (e.g., without proper stove tops for canning) and expanding land-based learning through an outdoor medicine walk and outdoor canning activities.​

Canning Champions Facilitator Brenda Pike (right) and her daughter Emma Pike (left) during their deer stew cooking demonstration at the February Canning Champions Workshop.

As we prepare for the next gathering, we invite more communities to join us in strengthening food sovereignty and food security through sharing knowledge that sustains future generations.

To learn more or connect with the Canning Champions network, please reach out to Nicole Heintzman, or for information on the Healthy Eating and Food Security Program, contact Kathleen Yung, both at environmental.health@fnha.ca.