New documentary explores Indigenous-led farming in northern B.C. [Video]

A new documentary released on CBC Gem Friday tells the story of an Indigenous-led farming initiative in northern British Columbia that aims to foster a deeper connection between Indigenous communities and their land, through the growing, harvesting, and sharing of food.

Tea Creek follows Jacob Beaton, a Tsimshian man who left a successful career as a business consultant to cocreate Tea Creek Farm in Kitwanga — a community situated between Smithers and Terrace — alongside his wife, Jessica Ouellette.

In an interview with CBC’s North by Northwest, Beaton said his family’s journey into farming began simply enough, with a backyard garden in their Hazelton, B.C. home inspired by their eldest son, Noah. 

“[Noah] fell in love with gardening back when he was eight [or] nine years old, and we were living in town and we wanted to shift out to more of a rural farming lifestyle,” Beaton said.