We are thrilled to announce that Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) Coastal Community of Care have won a 2023 BC Quality Award in the “Coping with Transition from Life” category for their work towards providing high-quality, culturally safe palliative care to community members at any level and point in the care continuum.
Indigenous peoples experience various systemic barriers when accessing palliative care such as inadequate care coordination, poor transitions between health care settings, and limited access to palliative care services in First Nations communities.
Two-Eyed Seeing is the foundation of the Indigenous Palliative Care Projects (IPCP), a partnership to improve palliative care services for and with Indigenous peoples in the Coastal Community of Care region. The majority of these projects were pursued by TWN, in partnership with VCH’s North Shore Palliative Care team.
Some of the ways the IPCP worked to overcome these barriers with TWN members included developing policies and procedures to promote safe discharges of palliative care patients from hospital as well as defining pathways for TWN members transitioning to hospital for palliative care, while being medically, culturally, and spiritually supported.
As Andrea Aleck, Director of TWN’s Health and Wellness department, shared: “We hear the voices of our ancestors and Elders, and are guided by the knowledge keepers to reclaim what is rightfully ours as Tsleil-Wautt people. It is with this spiritual guidance and ancestral presence that we strive to strengthen our partnership, whilst ensuring that our palliative care services are culturally and spiritually informed by our Indigenous ways of knowing and being.”
Tsleil-Waututh Nation and VCH collaborated to develop videos of traditional healing songs, with Elders sharing traditional knowledge about the final journey to “Go Home,” as well as brochures outlining palliative care that reflect Tsleil-Waututh ways of knowing and being.
These projects expand the level of culturally appropriate palliative resources that can be offered to patients in different settings, including hospital and hospice. The IPCP facilitates ongoing education and knowledge sharing between VCH and different Nation health teams on topics including serious illness conversations, cultural safety, traditional protocols, and palliative care.
Photo: Leonie Streeter (TWN), Sierra Roberts (VCH), Dr. Anis Lakha (VCH), and Andrea Aleck (TWN) receiving the Quality Awards at the Ceremony on June 6, 2023 at the Hyatt.
Today, March 3rd, is 100 Days to Go before FIFA World Cup 2026™ is hosted in Vancouver and in our shared, traditional territory.
Our səlilwətaɬ elected leaders, Elders, language teachers, soccer players & champions, and our siʔáḿθət School students are excited to show what 100 Days to Go means to them!
Check out the new Stewardship Initiatives Map created by səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation)’s Treaty, Lands and Resources Department to summarize previous and ongoing work that contributes to restoring the health of səlilwət (Burrard Inlet).
Congratulations to Tsleil-Waututh artist Ocean Hyland for designing the Vancouver Canucks’ new First Nations Celebration logo. Her beautiful work honours our Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s coastal connection, including the orca, the wolf, the eagle, and the raven.
Alongside leaders from Musqueam Indian Band and Squamish Nation, we were recognized on the Power 50 list for advancing the City of Vancouver’s UNDRIP Action Plan, bringing affordable housing to Vancouver residents through the Attainable Housing Initiative, and shaping the hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Vancouver.
The səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) Natural Resource Planning Team is excited to announce significant progress on the Whey-ah-Wichen shoreline restoration project. This fall saw the completion of the upland portion of the project. Perhaps the most exciting feature is a new picnic shelter, located between the boat launch and Wally’s Burgers, which features səlilwətaɬ red posts and yellow cedar beams.
BCAA’s Evolve E-Bike Share is expanding services to səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), and by extending service along Dollarton Highway into Parkgate and Deep Cove. The new partnership between səlilwətaɬ and Evolve focuses on improving access to transport for Members within the community and enhancing connections with neighbouring communities.
