David Carson, Th’āl-éyem-éleq

PrincipAL; R.P.F.

Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Unceded territory of Tsartlip First Nation and W̱SÁNEĆ Nations

I am a first generation Canadian, born in Hamilton Ontario of Scottish parents and raised in Stoney Creek and London Ontario. I attended the University of Toronto where I was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. More significantly, Toronto was where I met Jill, my wife and partner of 36 years. We have three children: Peter; Rebecca; and Jane. I live in Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island on the unceded lands of W̱JOȽEȽP and W̱SÁNEĆ People.

My Halq'eméylem name Th’āl-éyem-éleq was a gift from my new family at Sq’ewá:lxw. It is a responsibility that I will carry proudly and honourably.

I have been fortunate in the opportunities presented to me in my life. I have met wonderful people, seen fantastic places, and been the beneficiary of generous sharing of knowledge. Hopefully I have developed a bit of wisdom. My early career included on-the-ground forestry, technical work in forest inventory and timber supply analysis, and strategic forest planning. More recently, serendipity and a desire to do good things with good people have led me down a unique path. Based on goodwill built step-by-step I have found a niche in supporting Indigenous communities in strategic land and resource planning and related governance and policy. Assisting people to bring their vision into focus and then facilitating the implementation of that vision is very fulfilling.

A person is the sum total of their experiences, friendships, failures, and successes. In my work-life, no group of people has had so deep and enduring an impact on me as the community members who I have met along the way. I have worked with them, shared food and stories, and been present for them in times of sadness and times of great hope. K’ukwstum’ckacw. Tsel ts'íthomé. Thank you.