It began with sacred songs, drumming and dancers.  Executive Director Kristie Lamirande would later tell Cortes Currents that while many healing centres have Indigenous spiritual components, as far as she knows none of them possess the 50/50 blend of Indigenous and Western healing methodology that the new Tsakwa’luten Healing Centre will offer. Some will remember this property as the Tsa Kwa Luten Lodge, on the southern tip of Quadra Island. There will be 42 beds for people struggling with addiction. 20 of them should be ready when the Centre opens this Fall. Jennifer Whiteside, the province’s Minister for Health and Addictions, MLA Michele Babchuk, Councillor Susan Savoy of the K’omoks First Nation and a number of leaders from the health community joined the We Wai Kai First Nation for the dedication on Tuesday July 16, 2024.       

Ronnie Chickite, Chief Councillor of the We Wai Kai Nation addressed the visitors, “I would like to welcome you all to our traditional territory.  It’s a great day to be here. The sun is shining for this monumental announcement that the Minister is going to do for us today. We’ve been working on this over the last year and a half, but this vision has been there a lot longer. It’s something we’ve seen our people go through and not only our people, but people throughout this whole country, let alone BC, but  Indigenous people are definitely struggling the most.”

“We wanted  to create an Indigenous led traditional healing centre. We’ve seen them work. We believe that the culture based approach, combined with evidence based practices, can heal our people.  The clinical programming that we are looking at as well is going to be combined with 50 percent Western therapies and 50 percent land based therapies.  We are looking to open up in the Fall, hopefully in November.” 

“I’d also like to thank the Ministry of Health and Addictions. Without Minister Whiteside and her team and staff, and also our local MLA, Michelle Babchuk, a lot of this wouldn’t be happening.”

The province is investing $7.86 million towards the renovations and the operations.  

Whiteside explained, “It’s an important part of building a continuum of care in this part of the island, with the detox beds that have just opened now, at the hospital. The relationships that have been built through  this project.”

Lamirande added, “The province has committed to funding  our social beds for the first year. That’s 80 percent of our beds. 20 percent of our beds are corporate, private pay beds,  and so year two and beyond, we need to sort that out, but  social beds are covered for the first year.” 

Cortes Currents joined Minister Whiteside, Babchuk and Linda Campbell, the facility’s lead for construction, on a tour of the bedrooms that are already finished. They were discussing the centre’s interactions with other First Nations.

Cortes Currents: What about Klahoose?  

Linda Campbell: “We haven’t heard from Klahoose yet. They’ve been invited today, but I don’t know if they’re sending anybody over.  Certainly we’ll be reaching out to all the nations.  One of the nice things about it is I sit on the primary care network and the Indigenous Advisory.  Klahoose is also a member. I’ve been bringing them up to speed on where the Healing Centre is at. We will be open shortly, and a lot of nations have been reaching out.”

Chief Ronnie Chickite: “Our goal is to create a safe and wonderful environment for anyone who wants to come here, not just Indigenous people. We want to make this for everybody.”

Shawn Decaire, manager of Kwesa Place in Campbell River, put this into perspective: “As an hereditary leader,  one thing I do know is it’s not just myself, or our elected council,  or our municipal,  or our provincial,  or just our federal leaders. It is time we drop the barriers between all of them. It is time we stop putting up these big walls, and put humans first. There’s so many humans and so many ways that we can help. Today we’re doing just that, collaborating  between governments,  unifying ourselves so that we can truly stand up not for what’s in our pockets,  but for the many people we can get off of these streets.”  

“I’ve buried over 100 people in the last four years. 100 people between the ages of 15 to 60, far too many. The urgency for this great treatment center  is to go without being said. The beauty behind this great center is the people that are feeding into it.  I’ve been blessed to work beside Linda, Christy, Marshall, Andrew, Stacey, James,  and all the other great people that have their hands in here, not just to pay their rent or pay their bills, but to feed their heart, to feed what we know is right, to restore humanity where it belongs.”  

“As an ex addict coming on 22 years, I know just what it takes.  I know the great tools that can come out of  holistic, land based and cultural healing.  I received a lot of it from cultures that I was not a part of,  but it sure fed the fire underneath me to find out where I come from and the history of my family.” 

“Any person can change.  Any person has the ability to change, but we need to go back to the old way – where you truly become a village.  You truly become a family. And we truly show that each and every one of us matters.” 

“I believe it was 1782, that Captain Vancouver came through here, and it was only a single corridor that came up to this very area, the old village site was just south of us.  He described it as a Salish speaking people, but just north of here in Deepwater Bay and around the backside from Rebecca Spit  it was  Laich-kwil-tach  speaking people. (The We Wai Kai are a Laich-kwil-tach Nation.) When Captain Vancouver came back in 1792 the village was occupied by Laich-kwil-tach  speaking people.” 

“From that point on, through history, we all know what it was about. It’s the demon cause for many of the effects amongst Indigenous, as well as many other people with intergenerational trauma.  Something that rages amongst all our people, no matter where you come from, but that’s what’s going to make this place so special.”

Jennifer Whiteside: “What I have learned in doing this work is that culture saves lives,  and community saves lives.   That is why,  in the face of an unrelenting and volatile and vicious  toxic drug crisis  never was there a time when we needed to come together more strongly, more profoundly, more deeply in community to turn the tide.”

“Across this province,  I see people in some of the worst circumstances that they could ever imagine trying to grow flowers in alleys; making art wherever they can; always expressing fundamental human activities.  People bring their whole selves with them wherever they go,  all of the trouble, all of the problems and all of the everything,  People are always engaged in trying to connect and that connection is fundamental. And that connection is what this place will be all about. 

“We are in the midst of climate crises, global instability, and economic challenges.  It’s really tough for folks right now. I feel it in my community, I know you feel it in your community.  I see many partners here from Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA), thank you all for coming over today, and from the First Nations Health Authority.  You are part of the broader  community that it takes  to do the kind of work that needs to be done here and to support the people who need the help that they’re going to receive here.” 

“Chief Chickite, I want to thank you for your leadership. You brought this proposal forward. You had a vision.  I could see that vision and I could see the importance of providing these services here in a culturally safe, appropriate and Indigenous led way.”  

The dedication of  Tsakaw’luten Healing Centre began with dances. A troop of We Wai Kai cultural dancers  performed the first two, to welcome and bless everyone who came. Then the  Honourable Jennifer Whiteside and MLA Michele Babchuk joined We Wai Kai leaders Shawn Decaire and Jason Wilson for a peace dance.

Unless designated otherwise, all photos taken by Roy L Hales

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