Dream big, we said. What kind of initiatives serving wellness, resilience and reconciliation would you like to see supported more broadly? Please add your ideas to the brainstorm below. 

1. 63.4% of survey respondents said they support a drug and alcohol treatment centre – a goal that was suggested by the original Winds of Change document back in 2004.
2. 54.9% of respondents said “put funding towards the old Outdoor school and support Lil’wat men’s healing and other healing programs.”
3. 50.7% of people said regional transit.
4. 47.9% of people said support a community garden/farm.
5. 46.5% of people supported the idea of a women’s holistic wellness centre. (One respondent offered a clarification, that it should be a holistic wellness centre for all. “As a long time single parent there are absolutely no resources for single parent families where a male is the parent.”
6. 45.1% of people supported the idea of outdoor ed camps for youth.
7. 36.6% of people support a pool.

Other ideas included :

• a Hollyhock inspired retreat centre,
• community gathering spaces,
• social spaces for gathering in neighbourhoods,
• multi purpose trails for all,
• language revitalisation,
• a Foundry like facility for the Pemberton valley,
• LGBTQ support,
• Indigenous led tourism opportunites,
• Friendship Centre,
• more support for those who are grieving,
• Supportive housing,
• weekly drop-in lunch or dinner,
• land-based mental-health support,
• Ice rink
• Native plant education,
• Lil’wat culture education/walks,
• more outdoor events into the backcountry – something for the reservation kids to feel the ability to leave, learn and come back to help.
• A place for people to birth their babies (Squamish is FAR, especially from mount currie)
• A large park for walking, outdoor pool, sporting events, concerts/festivals, bocce ball, crochet, benches, play ground, mini ski hill like the old Rainbow hills
• Owl/Skalula7 Mountain camping trips for the community and even the neighboring communities (Pemberton and Whistler: similar to the Signal Hill Firepit cook).
• Ask Lil’wat what they want

Caveats included:

• less funding for special interest groups and more for community social events
• “I just think we need to be careful to not downshift federal and provincial responsibility to local communities (drug and alcohol)”

And finally an impassioned call to resolve the transit vacuum:

I believe the lack of public transit southbound between 8:30 and 17:30 daily is a massive factor (detriment) to wellbeing in our communities. This simply must change asap. I know efforts are being made but it is a significant hardship and I believe has implications on our collective physical and mental safety and well-being.