Eddie Gardner was born March 3rd, 1946 in Hope, BC and is a member of the Sqwá (Skwah) First Nation. He moved to Sept-Iles, Quebec in 1956 with the rest of his family. He graduated from the University of Prince Edward Island in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts in the Social Sciences. Eddie worked for a variety of federal, provincial, First Nation and private sector employers in designing, coordinating, directing and delivering a broad range of programs and services from an Indigenous world view.
Eddie returned to Stó:lõ territory in June of 1994. Eddie achieved intermediate fluency and is actively involved in the revitalization of the Halq’eméylem language. In November 2020, Eddie was elected as a Councillor serving the people of Sqwá First Nation.
He conducts Sweat Lodge purification ceremonies in his Sqwá community which is open to all who respect the protocols of this spiritual practice.
Eddie Gardner is President of the Wild Salmon Defenders Alliance, strongly advocating for the well-being of wild salmon and their habitat. Eddie assists with the coordination of the annual Wild Salmon Caravan that travels between the ocean and the headwater spawning grounds using art and cultural expressions to honour wild salmon as a climate regulator, and to promote how essential they are to Indigenous people and to ecosystems upon which we all depend.
