We are a thriving, strong and resilient community who continue to actively live the teachings of our ancestors of how to care for the land.
Pacheedaht
COMMUNITY MEMBER SERVICES
Events
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Education
Education, Youth, Skills and Training offer a variety of supports to the Nation, engaging with learners from birth through to adulthood. We monitor education portfolios for students living on reserve, and if requested, we do the same for students living off reserve as well. We support student school experiences, relationships between families and SD #62 schools and staff, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), referrals and anything else to enrich student experiences and learning.
Currently students living on reserve from Kindergarten – Grade 5 attend at Port Renfrew Elementary, which the Province announced will be seismically upgraded. Our Grade 6 – Grade 12 students travel 1.5 hours each way by bus to Sooke and travel of this distance does not support a young, growing brain.
Pacheedaht Nation has completed a Federal application for a Grade 6 – Grade 12 school, which will also include an Early Learning campus and Adult Education. We are excited for the future when we have all education services on one campus. A future which has the potential to be one of a kind—fostering our kids in a way that they truly deserve. Instead of four walls, our vision has Nation youth using their whole territory to view who they are, with rich and cultural resources and knowledge that youth can grasp first hand.
Education also offers a hot lunch & snack program to all students and staff at Port Renfrew Elementary from Early Childhood Education, elementary, virtual high schoolers to after school and evening programs.
Programs and Services
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Our Early learning program offers daycare and preschool out of Port Renfrew Elementary. Monday to Friday, from 8:30am to 4:30pm. We are opening our new On-Reserve Early Learning Centre this November 2023
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Youth Program offers After School Play for children Kindergarten to Grade 5 who attend Port Renfrew Elementary 3pm – 5pm Monday to Thursday and 6pm – 8pm evening programming for students in Grade 6 – Grade 12. A summer program also runs both July and August from 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday.
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Skills and Training provides Community Members with a CSETS (Canada/Coast Salish Employment & Training Society) coordinator who offers job readiness and training opportunities. We also collaborate with WorklinkBC to offer a variety of services and supports.
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Health Services
Committed to both traditional and modern approaches to health, the Pacheedaht Health Centre, offers a diverse range of services to ensure comprehensive well-being for all members, tackling public health issues—including communicable disease control—to maintain the community's health.
Understanding the importance of physical activity in overall well-being, the Centre actively engages in developing recreational activities, including the construction and maintenance of playgrounds and the organization of sports programs for the Nation. These initiatives not only promote physical fitness but also enhance community engagement and cohesion.
The Centre values the profound impact of traditional practices, offering access to traditional medicines—respecting and promoting the Pacheedaht First Nation's cultural heritage in health care.
The Centre takes a holistic view of health, encompassing physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and environmental influences and is involved in social-environmental projects, such as waste management to help foster a healthy living environment.
Community Virtual Care
Community Virtual Care is a free three-month program offered by Island Health that aims to support and educate people in managing a range of health conditions from the comfort of their homes. Assistance is provided to those with conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, COPD, COVID-19, CKD, influenza, and more. The program works collaboratively with clients and their healthcare teams to facilitate self-monitoring of health measurements. You are provided with free equipment that enable them to monitor their blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and pulse rate. Their results are then shared with the program's nurses who conduct weekly calls to check on their well-being and provide guidance on symptom management. Consultations with clinicians can be conducted over the phone or through virtual visits.
Program Details
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People with conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, COPD, COVID-19, CKD, influenza, and more.
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The program supports you to take your own measurements (such as blood pressure, oxygen saturation and pulse rate) using devices provided by Island Health. Your measurement results will be sent to a nurse and they will call you every week to find out how you are feeling and support you to learn how best to manage your symptoms.
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The program is free and the devices are loaned to you at no cost.
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You don’t need to have a doctor or nurse practitioner to sign up. You can refer yourself (or have family or friends sign you up) or talk to your home care nurse, nurse practitioner or doctor about signing up.
North Island Community Access
Phone: 1-866-928-4988
(Port Alberni, West Coast, Comox Valley, Campbell River, Mt Waddington)Central Island Community Access Phone: 1-877-734-4101
(Cowichan, Nanaimo, Oceanside)South Island Community Access Phone: 1-888-533-2273
(Greater Victoria, Westshore, Sooke, Peninsula, Gulf Islands)
Mental Health Supports for Pacheedaht First Nation
FNHA Mental Health Providers List
SOS Kids Safety Magazine DIGITAL EDITION: Depression, Winter 2023
Kuu-us Indigenous Crisis Line (24/7)
1-800-588-8717
Vancouver Island Crisis Line (24/7)
1-888-494-3888
Vancouver Island Crisis Text (6:00 pm - 10:00 pm)
250-800-3806
1800SUICIDE
1-800-784-2433
Talk Suicide (24/7)
1-833-456-4566
310 Mental Health Support
310-6789
Kids Help Phone (24/7)
1-800-668-6868
Kids Help Text (24/7)
Text CONNECT to 686868
First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness
1-855-242-3310
Indian Residential School Survivors Society (24/7)
1-800-721-0066
Sea to Sky Counselling Support
778-352-3115
Pacheedaht Garden
Pacheedaht garden is a welcome and nurturing space for all in the heart of our community. Since its inception it has had incredible support from the community; existing in multiple different locations, it has seen ongoing and successful expansion over the years.
The garden is available for folks to harvest produce, grow flowers and pick herbs freely when needed or wanted. It is a space for a healthy mental break—a place to stop and smell the flowers.
The produce from the garden brings people together; from community canning and preservation workshops to harvesting for school lunches and functions.
It is a gathering space for adults and kids interested in growing and harvesting vegetables and learning about the Traditional plant foods in our resource rich territory.
Jen Hetrick has been the Pacheedaht Garden Manager for 8 seasons, coordinating the garden, overseeing events and facilitating canning and preservation workshops. Over the years, thanks to the excitement and interest from local households we’ve had the momentum to keep growing, expanding and improving our garden spaces.
Consultation Protocol
Our consultation protocol is an inclusive and respectful process where knowledge and information is shared in a timely way, and every member is given an opportunity to be heard as the community makes decisions about the long term future of Pacheedaht.
For consultation inquiries, please email communications@pacheedaht.ca.