For four years, the documentary Fractured Land followed Caleb Behn, a University of Northern B.C. grad and indigenous lawyer, to create a film described as a coming-of-age story where Behn struggles to "reconcile the fractures within himself, his community and the world around him."
It's also a story of the environmental impacts of industry, with Behn's people deeply divided and living "at the epicenter of some of the largest fracking operations on earth."
The Citizen asked Behn to reflect upon his time living in Prince George, and here is his written response:
"I lived in Prince George as a child, attending Cedars Christian school for two years from Grade 6 to 8. Loved the Hart Highlands Ski Hill 'till I broke my hand there.
"I began my undergraduate degree (PoliSci 2007) in 2001 in the Northern Advancement Program as I never graduated high school despite being in honours/IB for most of my secondary school life.
"UNBC was formational for me. I chose P.G. and UNBC over a heavy-operator's training program in Alberta and I will never regret that choice.
"I was accepted to both programs the same day and that decision set me on my path.
"UNBC opened my eyes to academia.
"P.G. opened my eyes to both the beauty and harshness of living adult life.
"I spent a lot of time down in the ghetto. Lived the struggles on Ruggles for a bit (literally in a basement closet with no floor) and heard a lot of dark stories about the underbelly of P.G. and the Highway of Tears. I remember the loss of Nicole Hoar as we started school that year in 2001 and watched that issue expand along with the DTES into the modern MMIW movement that has initiated a Commission of Inquiry into the plight of indigenous women in this country.
"My proudest moment at UNBC was when I was the 'First Nations Rep' at UNBC Student Council although I had the most 'No' votes of any acclaimed person that year, it was a pyrrhic victory.
"That year I donated half of my honorarium to a double-blind needs-based bursary for First Nations students at UNBC administered by the ombudsperson. It was what I was most proud of during the UNBC years.
"In many ways UNBC helped crystallize the lessons of my territory and my people into a vision for how to engage with the challenges of our time. Law is a tool. As is Fractured Land.
"I think northern folk will better understand the film because the complexity that is endemic to living in the heart of extractive industry (the pulp mill and refinery smell in the bowl is an excellent example) is ever-present for northerners.
"In the south and the big urban centres the discourse is mostly left vs. right or enviro. vs. business.
"In the north we know better. It isn't that simple. UNBC and P.G. helped teach me the importance of sharing that truth."
The screening is at UNBC's Weldwood Theatre today at 7 p.m.
