The Tsa̲kwa̲’luta̲n Healing Centre on Quadra Island is facing controversy over its conduct towards staff.
Jamie Bryant, a member of the We Wai Kai First Nation and an Indigenous advocate, has sent a letter to the First Nations Health Authority Leadership, the We Wai Kai First Nation's council, the executive director of the centre and others, requesting the centre's leadership be removed.
The Campbell River Mirror was sent the letter by a community member.
"In my view—and based on clear, documented patterns—they do not possess the qualifications or professional capacity required to oversee or support a facility designed for healing, trauma care, and community well-being," reads part of her letter.
According to her letter, more than 20 employees at the centre have either resigned or have left the organization since January. Bryant also states she has been in communication with 10 of them, who have reported to her their experiences of harassment, bullying, lateral violence and/or chronic disrespect while working there.
"The most concerning part is that multiple clinical workers have raised these same issues directly with Chief and Council, as well as the band's Tsa̲kwa̲’luta̲n Healing Centre Committee—yet nothing has been meaningfully addressed or rectified," Bryant wrote in her letter.
Bryant also asks in the letter how the centre could effectively serve its community when it can't support their clinical staff in addition to subjecting them to harassment and violence. She adds that she would not send a family member there with the current leadership in place.
She goes on to say that members of the We Wai Kai First Nation's hope for the centre has turned to disappointment, embarrassment and fear "that the facility will become yet another site of harm in our community and family members."
While Bryant acknowledges that the We Wai Kai is striving to assert its inherent rights to self-governance, economic development and community-led healing, the centre represents an opportunity to exercise those rights but that the leadership must be kept accountable, especially with public trust and government funding at stake.
"I also want to acknowledge the difficulty that non-Indigenous staff working at an Indigenous organization may face when speaking out about mistreatment. Most staff have not spoken out, either because they have been threatened, or because it would be considered controversial. However, I want to be clear: this is about protecting the integrity of our First Nation and our people," Bryant wrote in her letter.
In the letter, Bryant makes recommendations to the funders and oversight bodies. Some of them include assessing the centres culture and staff turnover and investigating why more than 20 employees have left since January 2025. In the letter's conclusion, Bryant says she is collecting letters and reports from current and former staff members and will continue to monitor feedback from the community.
"There is still time to intervene and ensure this facility fulfills the purpose it was intended to serve, and I sincerely hope you support our Nation's members, as well as future clients of the Tsakwa‘lutan Healing Centre."
A protest is being organized out of the healing centre on June 11 at 10 a.m.
The Campbell River Mirror did not hear back from Jamie Bryant or the Tsa̲kwa̲’luta̲n Healing Centre before the press deadline. The story will be updated as more information becomes available.
