Partnerships are at the centre of PRESS’ service vision. We extend invitations to and welcome overtures from organizations whose values and goals align with those of our agency. Our guiding principle in undertaking partnerships and overseeing the development of stakeholder groups is to honour and respect the dignity and equal worth of all people, and to protect their right to flourish in the communities where they live. We endeavour to create planning processes and operational models that:
- Are accessible and inclusive
- Support collaboration
- Promote outcomes that are meaningful to both program participants and project funders
PRESS is honoured to have found a shared purpose with numerous community, regional and provincial organizations, partnering on projects and initiatives that support our goals of removing barriers to economic success and social and cultural engagement faced by individuals or groups in the traditional Coast Salish territories. Our working partners include:
In 2018, PRESS completed an extensive study of the Powell River Farm Economy on behalf of the city, and developed a business plan for a value-added food processing facility, as well as managing the redevelopment of the Powell River Farmers’ Agricultural Institute’s website. In the same year, PRESS also partnered with the city on the Innovation Economy Initiative. In 2016, PRESS supported the city’s application for funding from BC’s Rural Dividend Program by seconding staff to develop the proposal. PRESS also worked with the city’s ECDEV office in 2016 to create a proposal for a local wool processing facility (wool mill) in a vacant industrial site
Community Living BC (CLBC) is the provincial crown corporation that provides funding for individualized supports and services to people with developmental disabilities who are over the age of 19. PRESS has been a certified CLBC service provider since 2011, with a strong focus on client-centred residential and community-based services, and meaningful employment in supportive mainstream settings.
In 2023, Disability Alliance BC provided PRESS with one-time funding to develop a pilot social media website for adults with developmental disabilities in small BC communities on the sunshine coast and mid-coast Vancouver Island.
FIRST PEOPLE’S CULTURAL COUNCIL
The First Peoples’ Cultural Council is a First Nations-run Crown Corporation with a mandate to support the revitalization of Indigenous languages, arts, culture and heritage in British Columbia. The Council provides funding and resources to communities, monitors the status of First Nations languages and develops policy recommendations for First Nations leadership and government. In 2017, PRESS received funding from the Council for its Hɛhɛwšɩn Canoe project.
Occupying traditional territories that span from Cortes Island to Toba Inlet, the Klahoose Nation has existed since time immemorial. Today the Klahoose are rediscovering the beauty of their traditions, eager to reconnect the threads of the past to the possibilities of the present. The people are once again thriving, as their leadership seeks a genuine balance between protecting resources and engaging in community economic development opportunities. In 2008, the Klahoose Nation partnered with School District 47 to establish our non-profit, PRESS, and have continued to establish vital partnerships to support ongoing community economic development.
MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND SOLICITOR GENERAL
BC’s Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General funded PRESS’ Kʷakʷɛm (“To Be Alive”) Traditional Plant Medicine Initiative through its Civil Forfeiture Grant stream, supporting increased local plant knowledge among members of Coast Salish First Nations
Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council (NmTC) is a non-profit society serving eleven-member First Nations. NMTC receives funding support from Indigenous and Northern Development Canada and from the revenue it generates through its joint ventures, business initiatives, event management, and project management services. NmTC engages in a wide range of activities in order to expand the resources available to its member Nations and to other Indigenous communities across Canada. The Council is flexible, innovative and creative in its delivery of programs and services, fostering an enjoyment of lifelong learning, removing barriers, networking, and fulfilling group and individual needs through mentorships, knowledge sharing, and best practices. NMTC hosts annual Youth Leadership Gatherings at the Powell Lake Outdoor Learning Centre, a facility funded and built through a PRESS initiative.
Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program funded PRESS’ production of a short film – It’s Hip to Be Old – that directly challenges stereotypes around aging by portraying the personal evolution that continues as we age, creating an alternative view of aging that resonates not just with seniors but with people of all ages.
POWELL RIVER BOARD OF EDUCATION
In 2007-2008 the school district spearheaded the formation of the Powell River Education Services Society (PRESS), in partnership with Plutonic Power and Klahoose First Nation. With the creation of PRESS, the school district was able to offer local First Nations access to training opportunities and employment as part of a three-year green infrastructure project at Jimmy Creek. Currently, PRESS’ partnership with School District 47 involves engagement and mutual support at several levels, including: sharing office space and resources to enhance our agency’s capacity to achieve shared outcomes; sharing expertise and staff for School District and PRESS joint projects and initiatives; working together to identify and support economically vulnerable children (PRESS prioritizes youth and families with children within its Housing Hope program). The School District also supports PRESS’ initiatives around inclusion and employment for young adults with disabilities, by providing them with meaningful, permanent, part-time employment opportunities, with PRESS providing job coaching and supervision as needed, to support their success. PRESS also develops and implements individualized community and home-based programs for district students with a disability as they transition out of the school system and into adulthood. On an ongoing basis, PRESS partners with SD47 to develop and seek funding for initiatives in vocational training, employment, economic equality and social justice for at-risk children, youth, young adults and families. In 2017, PRESS received funding from the First Peoples’ Cultural Council for an imaginative, experiential Reconciliation Project – Hɛhɛwšɩn Canoe – within SD47 schools, in which district students participated in the carving of a ceremonial canoe under the guidance of skilled Coast Salish artist carvers.
POWELL RIVER CHILD, YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES SOCIETY
Powell River Child, Youth & Family Services supports individuals and families and recognizes that families come in many forms and include the people you care about and those who care for you. The Society believes in promoting community and personal connections and seeks to prevent isolation. PRCYFSS helps people to preserve and enhance their important relationships by assisting them to develop interpersonal and self-help skills through coaching; media resources; counselling; and community programs and partnerships. Through its Housing Hope program, PRESS has worked with PRCYFSS to support local youth and families with children to secure and retain housing when homelessness is a risk factor in their lives. PRESS also worked closely with PRCYFSS and other community partners to establish the Roots and Wings Early Learning Centre.
PRINCE GEORGE – NECHAKO ABORIGINAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING ASSOCIATION (PGNAETA)
PGNAETA was formed in 1993 with a mandate to provide human resource development services to the Indigenous communities in the north-central interior of British Columbia (17 First Nations Territories, 12 communities and 1 city). Guided by Chiefs, community leaders, employment practitioners and Indigenous citizens, PGNAETA’s service philosophy is centred on value-added programs and services to achieve the highest standards of sector leadership and operational excellence. PGNAETA is the BC Community Entity for the Government of Canada’s BC Rural & Remote Homelessness Partnering Strategy, which has funded PRESS’ Housing Hope program since 2014.
QATHEN XWEGUS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION
Qathen Xwegus Management Corporation (QXMC) is the Klahoose First Nation’s Economic Development Agency, with a mission to develop independence for the Klahoose People by engaging in sustainable economic development opportunities. QXMC has been involved with PRESS from its beginnings and continues to evolve shared interests with society.
The qathet RD is located on the west coast of British Columbia, about 175 km north of Vancouver, within the traditional territory of the Tla’amin Nation. With a population of about 20,000 people, qathet is one of the smallest regional districts in the province. Excluding Tla’amin Nation lands, qathet RD boundaries enclose more than 5,000 km2 (666 miles2) – stretching from Toba Inlet in the north to Georgia Straight in the south, and from Jervis Inlet in the east to Desolation Sound on the west, covering a large mainland area and marine area that includes Hernando, Lasqueti, Savary and Texada Islands. PRESS is currently partnering with the RD on issues of local affordable housing.
RECREATION SITES AND TRAILS BC
Recreation Sites and Trails BC exists to provide safe, quality recreation opportunities for the public by developing, maintaining and managing a network of sites and trails. PRESS is the agency responsible for managing the Powell Forest Canoe Route, and the society works closely with Sites and Trails to maintain the many remote campsites – accessible only from the water – that are available at lake and river shores along the route.
PRESS works closely with Sunshine Coast Tourism on initiatives to promote the Powell Forest Canoe Route at home and abroad. In 2020, PRESS was approved as the service provider for SCT’s community grant of $40,000 to create affordable housing options for workers.
TMS was established in 1995 to oversee economic development opportunities for the Tla’amin People. The Nation has expanded into many business areas, including: land development, forestry, aquaculture, retail, and hospitality and tourism sectors. Recognizing that their territory holds numerous opportunities for economic development – Tla’amin Nation actively engages in strategic partnerships and joint ventures on their lands.
The Tla’amin people have inhabited this region for thousands of years, and Tla’amin culture today is a fusion of traditional culture and modern values and influences. On April 5, 2017, Tla’amin’s right and authority of self-government were restored, and the Nation has moved from strength to strength in the years that have followed.
VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY TIWSEMAWTX
VIU prides itself on providing a values-based education in a caring, nurturing environment that balances academic accomplishments with the goal of developing social and relationship skills that will last a lifetime, making a difference, and inspiring others. VIU is committed to making stronger and healthier communities and a better world, and its work with PRESS reflects this. PRESS and VIUPRC’ have collaborated to introduce innovative educational and social development projects, with both organizations taking on a range of roles to realize shared outcomes.
Western Forest Products is a leading supplier of specialty red and yellow cedar products for domestic and international markets. An integral aspect of WFP’s business is growing trees and managing forest health. The company is committed to sustainably managing 2 million hectares of forestland on a 250-year cycle – collecting seeds, growing seedlings, replanting, planning and conserving habitat, harvesting timber and manufacturing wood products. WFP is held by the B.C. government to some of the most stringent forest management standards in the world. The company reforests every hectare that it harvests, ensuring that healthy forests grow back to maintain a full spectrum of tree species and forest types. Through its ongoing efforts to do more to protect and preserve the environment, WFP continually works to reduce its environmental footprint. The Powell Forest Canoe Route maintained by PRESS traverses a working forest managed by Western Forest Products, diversifying and enlarging the forest uses available on its TFL, and demonstrating WFP’s commitment to building enduring value within its forests and contributing to vibrant, healthy communities for today and tomorrow.
WorkBC is the provincial government’s access point to the world of work in British Columbia. It was created with one key goal – to help all British Columbians successfully navigate B.C.’s labour market. PRESS has received funding from WorkBC for sector labour market partnerships (LMP) that delivered training in both the construction and tourism industries., as well as targeted labour market research within the qathet RD. The LMP Program helps communities, industries and employers to respond to changing labour market conditions, by supporting broad-based partnerships that address issues such as a lack of workers, changing job skills, and emerging or evolving employment opportunities within sectors.