Our Team
He/Him
Remi is a member of Tsartlip First Nation, where he lives with his family. He currently is our Business Lead. We are grateful for the extensive experience he brings to our team as a former Tsartlip Councilor, and the ten years he spent working with families through the South Island Wellness Society. He has also run a number of businesses over the years and brings this sharp eye and understanding of spreadsheets into our Business affairs.
Contact info:
remipaul@siia.ca
(778)-679-4611
Remi Paul
(she/her)
Cedar is W̱SÁNEĆ on her late father’s side, and Nlaka’pamux on her mother’s side. She resides in Tsartlip with her family but visits her mother in the Nlaka’pamux territory (Nooaitch First Nation) regularly. Cedar has spent much of her career working with families and youth. Her most recent employment was with South Island Wellness Society where she was a Collaborative Facilitator and later their Elder’s and Cultural Programs Coordinator. She brings all of her experience to our team as our Community Engagement Lead for the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations as well as our Aunties’ Group.
Contact info:
cedarshackelly@siia.ca
Cedar Shackelly (TEMOSŦIOT)
(she/her)
A member of Muskowekwan First Nation, Treaty 4 Territory in Saskatchewan. She has been learning, living and working in the Coast Salish and Nuuchanulth traditional territory for over 10 years. April is currently the Business Administrative Lead for SIIA with a focus on capital assets and infrastructure planning. April holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Royal Roads and has years of experience working with First Nations.
Contact info:
aprilraphael@siia.ca
April Raphael
He/Him
Chris is from the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation and currently resides in Tsawout. Chris was born and raised within his Nation and brings with him a passion and a culturally understood responsibility to be a support and ally to those in need. He has extensive experience working with youth both within his own Nation as well as within the urban community which informs his role as one of our Urban Community Engagement Leads. Chris’s other responsibility is connecting with male relatives across our territory to bring them into these conversations surrounding children and families to ensure their voices aren’t being overlooked.
Contact info:
Chrisjim@siia.ca
(778)-679-7901
Chris Jim
She/Her
Jenna Lancaster is Kwakwaka’wakw and Coast Salish. She is a member of ‘Namgis First Nation and comes from Musgamakw and ‘Namgis on her father’s side and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Songhees and Lyackson on her mother’s side. Jenna has a degree in Child and Youth Care and extensive experience in working with children and youth from many different nations to her role as one of our Urban Community Engagement Leads. She is also a talented artist who has lent her creative abilities to our team on numerous occasions through facilitating craft activities at our engagement events.
Contact info:
jennalancaster@siia.ca
Jenna Lancaster ?Ixc’amgilakw
She/Her
Erica is of settler ancestry (Slovenian, Norwegian, Irish) and has been living on the lands of the W̱SÁNEĆ and Lekwungen peoples for the past decade. She has her degree in Social Work and has worked extensively with young people for the past ten years within a number of different capacities. Erica has navigated the current child welfare system with countless Indigenous youth over the years, and it is these experiences and relationships that continue to push her forward in her role as our Quality Assurance Lead.
Contact info:
Ericapepevnak@siia.ca
Erica Pepevnak
He/Him
Chuck has lived on south and mid Vancouver Island for most of his life and now lives with his wife in Colwood. Chuck is a social worker who worked in government for years, with senior roles including Regional Executive Director for Vancouver Island (MCFD) and Assistant Deputy Minister (MCFD). Given Chuck’s extensive experience with MCFD, he was pulled out of retirement by our Board Speaker to support SIIA as our ‘translator/bridge’ to help us take our traditional understandings and put them into the documents we need to take back our inherent responsibility to take care of our own children and families. Chuck currently is our Interim Executive Director, overseeing the initial development of our organization and services, but is looking forward to the fast-approaching day when the role he is filling right now will be handed over to one of our own people.
Contact info:
chuckeamer@siia.ca
Chuck Eamer
She/Her
Paula is a settler from Treaty 7 Territory who has spent the past several years learning on Coast Salish territories. She has worked as youth worker for SĆIȺNEW First Nation and at a group home called Cedar House. She is a law student in UVic’s Joint Degree in Canadian Common Law and Indigenous Legal Orders (JD/JID) Program. She brings her experience working with youth in community as well as the teachings she has received on Coast Salish law to SIIA’s work as she supports us with the development of legislation that reflects the values of the South Island communities.
Contact info:
paularasmussen@siia.ca
Paula Rasmussen
He/Him
Bruce has been involved with SIIA and its predecessors for a long time. SIIA is continually grateful for how he carries forward this history as the Board Speaker for our society. He is a member of the Tsawout First Nation and was a former Chief and Councilor within two of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nations.
Contact Info:
bunderwood@shaw.ca
Bruce Underwood
Our Nation and Community Members
We want to acknowledge the many people who drive SIIA’s work forward at a Nation/Community-based level as we would not be where we are today without them.
Our Law Students
We have been so grateful over the years to have been a placement option for a number of law students from UVIC’s JID program as well as UBC. Each of these students have played a key role in drafting our legislation as they’ve taken what they’ve learned in school and enthusiastically applied it to our process.
