Standing from left: Ken Malloway, Tzeachten First Nation, Councillor Leslie Williams, Skwah First Nation, Chief Jim George, Aitchelitz First Nation, Hon. Barry Penner, Minister of Environment, Premier Gordon Campbell, Chief Frank Malloway, Yakweakwioose First Nation, Chair of Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Tribal Society, Chair of Stehiyáq Healing and Wellness committee, Janelle Johnson Grand-daughter to Chief Frank Malloway, Yakweakwioose First Nation, MLA John Les.
Front from left: Chief Joanne Armstrong, Soowahlie First Nation, Hon. John van Dongen, Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations and Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Hohn. Michael de Jong, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.
On March 14, 2008, Premier Gordon Campbell joined chiefs and leaders from the Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Tribe Society to celebrate a partnership that will make possible the Stehiyáq Healing and Wellness Village, a centre for Aboriginal healing in the Fraser Valley.
Premier Campbell announced that the Province is supporting Stehiyáq Healing and Wellness Village with $3 million in funding and a transfer of land. A traditional village site near Chilliwack will be the location of the new and unique Aboriginal facility.
“Thanks to the vision and perseverance of your chiefs and your Elders, today we can announce that the Province will support the Stehiyáq Healing and Wellness Village here on your traditional territories. Aboriginal people want a greater say in their own health care, and we are responding,” said Premier Campbell. “The village will be a place where the wisdom of Elders and traditional healing practices will join with modern approaches to help Aboriginal youth and families from across B.C. overcome histories of trauma, addiction and mental illness.”
The Stehiyáq Healing and Wellness Village will be operated by the Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Tribe Society, consisting of First Nations in the Chilliwack area. Provincial funding will be used to renovate existing buildings at a former youth correctional facility at Centre Creek. The lands at Centre Creek (13.14 hectares) will be transferred by the Province to the Tribe Society for the village. The site was once an Aboriginal village named Stehiyáq.
“Consistent with our commitment to the Transformative Change Accord to improve the lives of Aboriginal people, the village is one important way we can address the health-care gaps that separate Aboriginal people from other British Columbians,” said Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister Michael de Jong. “By listening and partnering with Aboriginal people, we can build stronger, healthier Aboriginal communities and families.”
“The Premier has honoured us today with his commitment to the New Relationship and we are deeply moved by the Province’s decision to support our desire to commit this sacred land as a place for healing and wellness for our young people and their families,” explained Yakweakwioose First Nation Chief Frank Malloway, chair of the Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Tribe Society. “In our language, the word for ‘grandfather’ and ‘grandson’ is the same. The Stehiyáq Healing and Wellness Village will bring these family members together and help our young people fill their emptiness and overcome their sickness and addictions with strength drawn from their culture. We understand what is needed to heal our people, and we are proudly taking responsibility for the health and well-being of our children.”
Eight bands from the Chilliwack area support the wellness village: Yakweakwioose First Nation, Tzeachten First Nation, Aitchelitz First Nation, Skowkale First Nation, Shxwhà:y Village, Kwaw kwaw Apilt First Nation, Soowahlie First Nation, and Skwah First Nation Council.
Stehiyáq Healing and Wellness Village will consist of 28 healing beds and accommodate 32 people, including staff. Residents of the village will have access to counselling and program space, kitchen and dining facilities, indoor and outdoor recreation and healing space. The village is scheduled to open in October, 2008.
The village will serve Aboriginal youth and families who are struggling with addictions and who are victims of sexual, physical, substance, mental and emotional abuse, including residential school survivors. The concept of Stehiyáq is unique in that it focuses on traditional Aboriginal practices and concepts within a village setting.
The project aligns with B.C.’s tri-partite First Nations Health Plan that commits to strategically investing in new approaches to close the health gaps that separate Aboriginal people from other British Columbians. Through partnerships, treaties and other agreements with First Nations, the Province is committed to closing the socio-economic gaps that separate Aboriginal people from other British Columbians and to build a New Relationship with First Nations based on respect, recognition and reconciliation.
For more information about the Stehiyáq Healing and Wellness Village, visit www.gov.bc.ca/arr.