More than 220 paddlers will take to traditional waterways this month as the Pulling Together Canoe Journey celebrates 25 years of building trust and understanding between Indigenous communities and public service agencies.
Beginning Aug. 15 in Sts’ailes First Nation near Agassiz, 13 canoes will spend nine days travelling down the Fraser River.
The fleet will weave through the territories of the Katzie, Matsqui, and Kwikwetlem and the Musqueam First Nation before arriving on the shores of South Delta and Tsawwassen First Nation.
Since launching in 2001, the annual voyage has paired Indigenous youth and leaders with personnel from local police departments, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and emergency services.
This year’s public agencies involved include the Royal Canadian Navy, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Indigenous Policing Services, West Vancouver and Vancouver police departments, Stantec, Justice institute of B.C. and Simon Fraser University.
“This journey marks 25 years of reconciliation,” said Betty Kruger-Cardenas, president of the Pulling Together Canoe Society. Cardenas is also the family lead for the Kwsukwna?qinx canoe. “As we paddle together, work together, and camp together, we also learn together, which strengthens our relationships and hopefully lays the foundation for a better future for all of us.”
For participants, the physical demand of navigating B.C.’s historic water highways serves as a natural equalizer, stripping away uniforms and job titles in favour of shared effort.
“We rely so heavily on each other during those times on the water,” said Kruger-Cardenas. “It is really humbling, and it’s really gratifying to see people who didn’t know each other at the beginning of the journey build and form all these positive relationships.”
As the fleet nears the end of its route, stops will include Wellington Point Park in Delta and Tsawwassen First Nation territory.
On Aug. 20, Tsawwassen will host a Legacy Culture Day featuring youth activities, talent showcases, and an afternoon ceremony recognizing the public service agencies that have supported the journey over the past quarter-century.
Paddlers will make their final push on Aug. 21, concluding the journey with a closing circle on the beach near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal.
She noted that beyond fostering teamwork with public service workers, the annual journey offers young Indigenous participants a vital chance to learn traditional protocols from different host nations.
“Bringing Indigenous youth to learn their culture is a really big factor in this journey as well,” Kruger-Cardenas said. “Every year this journey is hosted somewhere else, so it is really important for us to build these relationships so that we are welcomed back into these territories.”
First inspired by the 1997 Vision Quest Journey along B.C.’s west coast, the Pulling Together voyage continues to demonstrate an ongoing reconciliation effort by bridging the various groups that keep communities moving forward.
By Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Aug 13, 2026 at 21:44
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