shíshálh Nation and Vancouver Coastal Health celebrate 60 year milestone of Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital

“We want to acknowledge and honour the past shíshálh Chiefs and Matriarchs for their profound vision, wisdom and unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of the shíshálh people and communities of the Sunshine Coast,” said lhe hiwus yalxwemult, Chief Lenora Joe, shíshálh Nation. “Their remarkable leadership and dedication have laid a strong foundation for accessible health care, ensuring that the needs of the community are met and everyone benefits from their caring guidance. Their legacy continues to inspire our collective efforts toward health and wellness for all.” 

In the early 1900s, Sunshine Coast communities relied on the Columbia Coast Mission hospital ship or travelled to Vancouver to access health-care services. In 1930, St. Mary’s Hospital was established in Pender Harbour. As the Sunshine Coast population grew, so did the need for more centrally located health-care services. The land gifted by shíshálh Nation created the opportunity for the new hospital to be built in Sechelt in 1964. 

In March 2015, at the request of shíshálh Nation and following consultation with the local community, VCH renamed the facility Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital, as part of the organization’s commitment to upholding the shared responsibility of lasting and meaningful reconciliation. In May 2023, VCH and shíshálh Nation signed a Memorandum of Understanding, reflecting this shared commitment to ongoing partnership and collaboration in promoting the health and wellness of the community. 

“We are profoundly grateful for the enduring gift of the shíshálh Nation, and for their dedication to improving the health and wellness of their community,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “We will continue to work together with Indigenous leaders and our health-care partners, investing in health care that supports Indigenous people on the Sunshine Coast and throughout B.C., and taking meaningful steps towards lasting reconciliation.”

The present day Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital campus now includes a 63-bed acute care building that serves Sechelt and the communities of Langdale, Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Halfmoon Bay and Pender Harbour.

“We are grateful for the generosity of shíshálh Nation and the Chiefs and Matriarchs who had the foresight to donate land and prioritize health care for the growing population on the Sunshine Coast,” said Darlene MacKinnon, Vice-President – Coastal Community of Care, Vancouver Coastal Health. “Health care delivery in Sechelt has changed substantially during the past 60 years. We look forward to continued collaboration with shíshálh Nation to deliver culturally safe, quality care that addresses the unique needs of the community and its members.” 

Leading up to the anniversary celebration, Jessica Silvey, a Coast Salish master weaver and fibre artist, designed a blanket representing all Sunshine Coast people coming together in reconciliation. She created the blanket onsite at Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital and invited staff and medical staff to join her in weaving and build connection through conversation and the shared experienced. 

“Weaving side by side on this blanket project gives Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous people the opportunity to get to know each other on a different level,” said Jessica Silvey. “Weaving brings people together, just as the hospital land gift by the shíshálh people brought the Sunshine Coast community together.” 

The blanket was commissioned for Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital by syiyaya Reconciliation Movement, the Sechelt Hospital Foundation and the Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary to mark the anniversary and was gifted to shíshálh Nation and VCH during the celebratory ceremony. 

VCH is currently planning for the future of health-care services at Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital and across the broader Sunshine Coast. Learn more at: Health Vision Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital.

Nancy Denham and Dale Sankey, committee members, syiyaya Reconciliation Movement 

"The syiyaya Reconciliation Movement supports calls to action towards reconciliation. One of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was that we effect change within the Canadian health care system to recognize the value of Aboriginal healing practices and use them in collaboration with Aboriginal healers and Elders where requested. This 60th anniversary celebration commemorates the shíshálh peoples' gift of land for the hospital and the Reconciliation Blanket initiated by Ɂakista xaxanak Gerry Feschuk, former Chief and created by Master Weaver Jessica Silvey is an act of reconciliation which demonstrates tangible evidence of the journey towards reconciliation."

Nancy Denham and Dale Sankey, committee members, syiyaya Reconciliation Movement 

"The syiyaya Reconciliation Movement supports calls to action towards reconciliation. One of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was that we effect change within the Canadian health care system to recognize the value of Aboriginal healing practices and use them in collaboration with Aboriginal healers and Elders where requested. This 60th anniversary celebration commemorates the shíshálh peoples' gift of land for the hospital and the Reconciliation Blanket initiated by Ɂakista xaxanak Gerry Feschuk, former Chief and created by Master Weaver Jessica Silvey is an act of reconciliation which demonstrates tangible evidence of the journey towards reconciliation."

Anne Selder, CEO, Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary 

“The Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary is committed to working in collaboration with Vancouver Coastal Health, the Sechelt Hospital Foundation and the shíshálh Nation to provide essential equipment for our hospital and surrounding healthcare facilities. Thank you so much to the Nation for providing this initial gift of land to enable us to have a first-rate hospital in our community.”

shíshálh Nation 

The shíshálh Nation is a governing entity dedicated to stewarding and protecting the relationship between our shíshálh people and the lands and resources of our swiya (birthplace, land, "territory"). We carry out this work in ways that enhance our way of life, promote self-sufficiency, and uphold our customary laws, Rights and Titles, international legal standards, and common law. The swiya of the shíshálh people lies between Queens Reach in lekw’emin (Jervis Inlet) and Howe Sound on the south coast of British Columbia. The shíshálh people come from four main tribes: sxixus (with main village at kalpilin), ts’unay (with main village at ts’unay), xenichen (with main village at the head of lekw’emin), and tewankw (with main village at slhalt). shishalh.com

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) 

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is committed to delivering exceptional care to 1.25 million people, including the First Nations, Métis and Inuit within the traditional territories of the Heiltsuk, KitasooXai'xais, Lil'wat, Musqueam, N'Quatqua, Nuxalk, Samahquam, shíshálh, Skatin, Squamish, Tla'amin, Tsleil-Waututh, Wuikinuxv, and Xa'xtsa. vch.ca

syiyaya Reconciliation Movement 

The syiyaya Reconciliation Movement is a local initiative welcoming all people living on the shíshálh swiya (homelands) to come together to work together as one for healing of the intergenerational harm done to First People by Canada’s history of cultural genocide and abuse in residential schools. The word ‘syiyaya’ literally means “family and friends” in the shashishalhem, the language of the shíshálh people. This visionary movement is a joint initiative of Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents of the Sunshine Coast, offering a local response to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action while also calling for systemic change, provincially and nationally. syiyayareconciliation.ca

Sechelt Hospital Foundation 

Since 1995, Sechelt Hospital Foundation has raised and invested over $25 million in new medical equipment, facility renovations, services expansion, and health education. We achieve our mandate to support local health care through the generosity of donors, and we are committed to stewarding all donations to achieve the greatest good for our community. sechelthospitalfoundation.org

Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary 

For 87 years, the Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary has provided funds for the purchase of essential medical equipment at Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital. Currently, nearly 400 members serve to fulfill the purpose of the Auxiliary which is to provide volunteer services and raise funds in order to enhance the quality of health care on the Sunshine Coast from Port Mellon to Egmont.  sunshinecoasthealthcareauxiliary.com