Out of more than 16,000 entries submitted to a national television special, a former resident and her daughter had their video chosen for the production. Sian Nalleweg and 14-year-old Megan Ives entered their video to be included in CTV’s Canada in a Day, a collaboration of videos from Canadians made over the course of their day. Premiering this Sunday, June 25 at 8 p.m., the show celebrates Canada’s 150th anniversary.
Nalleweg and Ives were inspired by their home surroundings on Haida Gwaii to capture their experience taking a water sampling for Fukushima InForm. Jay Cullen, a University of Victoria oceanographer and soon-to-be astronaut, runs the Fukushima InForm team and met the two while he was in Sandspit. After living there for several years, Nalleweg gained an appreciation of her environment and the community.
“It really is a gift to live on Haida Gwaii,” Nalleweg said. “The Haida people protect the land from the bottom of the ocean floor to the top of the highest mountains. Wanting to be part of the many inspiring water warriors living on Haida Gwaii, my daughter and myself became citizen scientists for the Fukushima InForm team in 2014.”
When Nelleweg saw the commercial on CTV asking for video submissions for the special, she knew she wanted to be a part of it.
“I committed myself to the September 10 submission date,” she said. “The video I sent in is a small snippet of Megan and myself taking a water sample for the Fukushima InForm team at the University of Victoria. Jay Cullen, Dr. Jonathan Kellogg, and their team support our efforts monthly by sending and receiving our totes and recording our water samples. As citizen scientists, our efforts are priceless and now with this video submission, we are part of a time capsule for Canadians to view for many years to come.”
The show will feature a variety of subject matter, from weddings and birthdays to hockey and military-related themes. Of the total number of videos submitted, 1,861 were family-related, making it the top category.
Videos were submitted in Canada’s two official languages, as well as in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, Punjabi, Italian, Persian, Tibetan, Kurdish, Creole, and several First Nations languages.
Nalleweg is looking forward to seeing how the special turns out.
“I feel spiritually connected to Haida Gwaii,” she said. “Maybe it’s in my blood to give back. I hope the ancestors like it.”