Ideas

The summer of 2026 has been defined by the smoke — and the horror — of wildfires around the world. But what comes after one of these fires? "That isn't the end of the story. That's the beginning of a whole different kind of story," says Nlaka'pamux ecologist Jennifer Grenz. That's why we have decided to follow the long-term story of one 21st century megafire: the 2021 McKay Creek wildfire in interior B.C. Producer Pauline Holdsworth returned in September 2025 — four years after the fire — to find new life emerging from the ashes, and new questions about the road ahead.

This is the latest episode in our ongoing series Healing the Land. Listen to other episodes:

How brutal wildfires are 'killing' Indigenous ways of life (Pt 1)
How Indigenous ecology is reviving land destroyed by wildfires (Pt 2)

Guests in this episode:

Chief Justin Kane is the elected Chief of Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation.

Michelle Edwards is the Tmicw Coordinator for the St'át'imc Chiefs Council and the former Chief of the communities of Sekw'el'was and Qu'iqten.

Dr. Jennifer Grenz is an Indigenous scholar and assistant professor in the department of forest resources management at UBC, and the principal investigator at the Indigenous Ecology Lab. She is a member of Lytton First Nation, where she sits on the lands committee. She is also the author of Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey toward Personal and Ecological Healing and the forthcoming book Burned: Truth and Hope in the Fires.

Virginia Oeggerli is a PhD student in the Indigenous Ecology Lab in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC.

Dr. Sue Senger is a biologist working with the Lillooet Tribal Council.

Gerald Michel is a council member and the lands resource liaison for Xwísten First Nation.

In 2021, a deadly heat dome produced a devastating wildfire season across British Columbia. While immediate media coverage often focuses on evacuations and the numbers of homes destroyed, many First Nations say what these fires do to the land in their territories — and the cultural lives of their communities — is often overlooked. "These fires are killing our way of life," says a Tmicw coordinator for the St'át'imc Chiefs Council. IDEAS visited St'át'imc territory around Lillooet, B.C. to learn how 21st-century wildfires are reshaping the landscape — and their consequences for plants, animals, and humans alike.

*This podcast is part of our ongoing series, Healing the Land. Listen to other episodes:

How Indigenous ecology is reviving land destroyed by wildfires (Pt 2)
What emerges from the ashes after a wildfire? (Pt 3)

Guests in this series:

Chief Justin Kane is the elected Chief of Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation.

Michelle Edwards is a Tmicw coordinator for the St'át'imc Chiefs Council and the former Chief of the communities of Sekw'el'was and Qu'iqten.

Sam Copeland is a senior land guardian for the P'egp'ig'lha Council.

Luther Brigman is an assistant land guardian for the P'egp'ig'lha Council.

Travis Peters is a heritage supervisor and interim lands manager for Xwísten First Nation.

Gerald Michel is a council member and the Lands Resource Liaison for Xwísten First Nation.

Denise Antoine is a natural resource specialist for the P'egp'ig'lha Council.

Dr. Jennifer Grenz is an assistant professor in the department of forest resources management at the University of British Columbia. She leads the Indigenous Ecology Lab at UBC, which works entirely in service to Indigenous communities on land-healing and food systems revitalization projects that bring together western and Indigenous knowledge systems and centres culture and resiliency.

Virginia Oeggerli is a graduate student in the Indigenous Ecology Lab in the faculty of forestry at UBC.

Dr. Sue Senger is a biologist working with the Lillooet Tribal Council.

Jackie Rasmussen is executive director of the Lillooet Regional Invasive Species Society.

The summer of 2026 has been defined by the smoke and horror of wildfires around the world. But what comes after one of these fires?

"That isn't the end of the story. That's the beginning of a whole different kind of story," says Nlaka'pamux ecologist Jennifer Grenz.

That's why we have decided to follow the long-term story of one 21st century megafire: the 2021 McKay Creek wildfire in interior B.C. Producer Pauline Holdsworth returned in September 2025, four years after the fire, to find both new life emerging from the ashes and new questions about the road ahead.

This is the latest instalment in our ongoing series Healing the Land. You can hear part one and part two here.

What happens to the land after a brutal wildfire? IDEAS visited St'át'imc territory near Lillooet, B.C., to follow land guardians and scientists from the Indigenous Ecology Lab at the University of British Columbia, as they document the effects of wildfires and chart a new future based on Indigenous approaches to healing and balancing an ecosystem.

*This podcast is part of our ongoing series, Healing the Land. Listen to other episodes:

How brutal wildfires are 'killing' Indigenous ways of life (Pt 1)
What emerges from the ashes after a wildfire? (Pt 3)

Guests in this series:

Chief Justin Kane, elected Chief of Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation

Michelle Edwards, Tmicw coordinator for the St'át'imc Chiefs Council and the former Chief of the communities of Sekw'el'was and Qu'iqten

Sam Copeland, senior land guardian for the P'egp'ig'lha Council

Luther Brigman, assistant land guardian for the P'egp'ig'lha Council

Travis Peters, heritage supervisor and interim lands manager for Xwísten First Nation

Gerald Michel, council member and the Lands Resource Liaison for Xwísten First Nation

Denise Antoine, natural resource specialist for the P'egp'ig'lha Council

Dr. Jennifer Grenz, assistant professor in the department of forest resources management at the University of British Columbia. She leads the Indigenous Ecology Lab at UBC, which works entirely in service to Indigenous communities on land-healing and food systems revitalization projects that bring together western and Indigenous knowledge systems and centres culture and resiliency.

Virginia Oeggerli, graduate student in the Indigenous Ecology Lab in the faculty of forestry at UBC

Dr. Sue Senger, biologist working with the Lillooet Tribal Council

Jackie Rasmussen, executive director of the Lillooet Regional Invasive Species Society

On the surface, bibliotherapy might sound like another personal wellness trend, but it definitely isn’t. In fact, it’s an approved form of mental health treatment in Canada. And it’s been around for at least a century. In this podcast, researchers Sara Haslam and Edmund King discuss the First World War roots of this practice in the UK. Author Cody Delistraty considers its role in moving him forward in the grieving process. And psychiatrist Martina Scholtens explains why she created an evidence-based reading list online, tailored to a range of mental health diagnoses. *This episode originally aired on June 2, 2025.