A letter from the owner

Our Commitment to Reconciliation & Reparations

As the owner of RainCoast Dog Hikes, I feel it is imperative I acklnowledge that, as the ancestor of Icelandic and Scottish Settlers, I wouldn’t be where I am without the violent colonial systems in place that allowed for the expansive invasion of Unceded lands in what is commonly referred to as British Columbia, as well the rest of Canada.

As a child I was raised to love everyone equally, to respect all of the cultures and heritages that were around me, and to love and nourish these lands we call home. As an adult, it has become all too obvious to me that this is a beautiful sentiment, one I’m grateful to have and, also, not enough.

Not when my neighbours are not afforded the same freedoms.

While I am just one woman, I believe that it only takes one individual to try to make the world a better place, even in a small way. 

This is why RainCoast Dog Hikes not only feels a responsibility to acknowledge that we are a settler run business operating on unceded territories, as well, we are committed to offering a discount of Reparations to clients of indigenous descent. It is important to us that we offer this, but recognize that it is not our place to decide who gets it and who doesn’t. All self-identified indigenous clients who wish to accept a reparations discount have the option to do so discreetly during the on-boarding process for our services. This discount is fixed, meaning it will not increase throughout the time your dog is in our pack.

This is a tradition of my own that was started in 2013 when I began my journey as an entrepeneur, and one that I’m proud to be able to offer, trivial as it may be. I love these lands I’m fortunate enough to call home, and I wish for all cultures and families to have the space to thrive within it the way my sisters and I were free to, especially the First Nations of these Unceded lands.

– Hunter Johnson

To learn more about the reasons behind the need for Reconciliation & Reparations in Canada, as well as the history of systemic oppression and violence against the Indigenous Peoples of this land, please visit this page and read through the resources listed. Also I encourage all descendents of settlers who may be reading to visit this page, please note that the information is quite distressing.