Our Team
Remi Paul
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
Cedar Shackelly (TEMOSŦIOT)
(she/her)
Cedar is W̱SÁNEĆ through her late father and Nlaka’pamux through her mother. She lives in W̱JOȽELP (Tsartlip) with her family and regularly visits her mother in Nooaitch, within the Nlaka’pamux territory. Cedar has dedicated much of her career to supporting families and youth. Prior to joining the South Island Indigenous Authority (SIIA), she worked with the South Island Wellness Society as a Family Advocate and Cultural Programs Coordinator. Cedar is currently the Communications Team Lead at SIIA, where she leads communications and community engagement with the Pacheedaht, Songhees, W̱JOȽELP, and W̱SÍḴEM nations.
Contact info:
cedarshackelly@siia.ca
April Raphael
(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
Chris Jim
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
Jenna Lancaster ?Ixc’amgilakw
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
Erica Pepevnak
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
Chuck Eamer
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
Bruce Underwood
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
Sarah Leggeat
She/Her
Sarah is from the Tsartlip First Nation on her mother's side and from the Lax kw'alaams band on her father's side. Sarah is currently a full-time student in the MSW Indigenous specialization program at the University Of Victoria. She formally worked as an Out-of-care resource social worker and as the cultural continuity worker at a DAA in Victoria for almost 6 years. Sarah has previously worked in Indigenous youth group homes, in supportive housing, and emergency shelters. Sarah is joining the SIIA team as our Lead Policy Analyst.
She/Her
Florence Dick (Nəʔəmtənat) is a proud Lekwungen woman from the Songhees Nation and a dedicated advocate for her community. A devoted mother of two and grandmother of two, Florence is deeply committed to strengthening community connections and preserving cultural knowledge for future generations.
Florence played an instrumental role in establishing a Songhees members' committee that led to the development of the Songhees Wellness Centre — work that opened doors for her to serve in liaison roles with the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA), the Capital Regional District (CRD), and the Royal BC Museum. Through these roles, she has built a foundation of relationship and trust between Songhees Nation and the broader region.
Florence is passionate about sharing Songhees stories, teachings, and cultural protocols, and fostering understanding and respect among those who come to learn. She joins the SIIA team as our Data Stewardship Project Lead. Hy’sxʷqe Siám
Florence Dick
She/Her
Aly is Métis on her mother's side and mixed settler on her father's side. She grew up on the traditional territories of the Hupacasath and Tseshaht First Nations, also known as Port Alberni, and has lived on the W̱SÁNEĆ and Lekwungen peoples' territories since 2020. With a Master of Social Work and over eight years working alongside Indigenous youth in various settings, she has witnessed firsthand the need for systemic change to support future generations, bringing this commitment to her role as Policy Analyst with SIIA.
Aly Waddel
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.
