She expressed concern about how industrial growth in the region could negatively impact Indigenous women and was immediately attacked by others on council, she said.
“I felt like I really didn’t have allyship amongst the rest of council,” says McCallum-Miller, who is of Gitxsan, Wet’suwet’en and Nisga’a descent.
“I represented demographics on that council that have never been represented, ever. So, it was very hard for me to bring new initiatives when I’m part of a new generation, I’m Indigenous and I’m a young woman.”
Terrace, which has a population of about 15,000, sits 60 kilometres north of Kitimat, where LNG Canada’s liquefied natural gas terminal is under construction, and 150 kilometres east of Prince Rupert, which has seen rapid port expansion over the past decade. The industrial expansion, including the Coastal GasLink pipeline, has brought increased social pressures, rising housing costs and homelessness. But Terrace has not benefited from direct tax revenue from the projects, putting a strain on the city’s services.