Past News

On August 2, five Squamish Nation youth celebrated with family and friends the completion of a 4-week intensive indigenous cultural education facilitation program at Cheakamus Centre. The graduation ceremony provided an opportunity for students to share what they learned from Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish)h carving and design, cedar and wool weaving, singing, language and drum making. The students also had an opportunity to go off-campus to visit the Kéxwusm-áyakn Student Centre at Capilano College, and behind-the-scenes tours of the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre and local tourism attractions. Additionally, students received certification in swift water rescue and food safety.

This was the second year for the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP) that grew out of Skw’une-was, Cheakamus Centre’s long-running cultural immersive program. Since 1985, visiting teachers and students have learned from First Nation interpreters the traditional way of life and historical practices of the Coast Salish people of the Skwxwú7mesh Valley.

IYLP was made possible by the Cheakamus Foundation through generous donations from RBC Future Launch and the Squamish Arts Council. This funding helped create opportunities for indigenous youth to explore, build, and share indigenous cultural practices in an environmental education setting. The program creates meaningful employment opportunities, strengthen connections to post-secondary institutions, and contributes to the Truth and Reconciliation movement.

A special thank you for the guidance and teachings from Chen'áxwtn (Swo wo Gabriel), Xwalacktun (Rick Harry), Tawx'sin Yexwulla (Aaron Nelson-Moody - “Splash”), Tsawaysia Spukwus (Alice Guss) and Cheximiya (Allison Burns Joseph).

Click here to learn more about these remarkably talented artists.

The Cheakamus Foundation for Environmental Learning is delighted to announce a $10,000 contribution from TD Friends of the Environment Fund for enhancements to the Cheakamus Centre boardwalk and outdoor classroom for aquatic habitat studies. This funding will facilitate upgrades to the existing boardwalk and enlarge the observation and sampling platform for educational instruction, as well as enrich pond habitat to support a wider diversity of wildlife and plants.

Click here to read the full media release.

The Cheakamus Foundation for Environmental Learning is delighted to announce a $55,000 contribution from the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s (PSF) Community Salmon Program towards the cabin enhancement project at Cheakamus Centre. The Cheakamus Centre cabins are an integral part of the outdoor experience for learners of all ages. Grant funds will be used for a complete cabin retrofit to improve sustainability and energy performance, and contribute to a healthier, more comfortable environment for students and visitors.

Click here to read the full media release.

With many friends participating in support of outdoor education for youth. We are grateful for the generosity of our guests, volunteers and local businesses for making the event fabulously successful! The 3rd Annual River Feast is Sunday, June 14th, 2020, so please mark your calendars to join us again.

Thank you to our sponsors: Listel Canada, Sea to Sky Gondola, Whole Foods Market, Backcountry Brewing, Pemberton Distillery and Counterpart Coffee. Also, a big thank you to Gadbois Photography for capturing all the special moments!!

On Monday, April 24, 2019, Cheakamus Centre was one of the big winners at the Professional BC Wedding Awards! The annual Professional BC Wedding Awards is Canada’s longest running wedding awards program, which recognizes the hard work of vendors in the industry who provide high quality services to the wedding industry in BC. Each entry received is carefully reviewed and scored by a panel of judges, who represent different fields within the wedding industry and are selected for their overall understanding and extensive experience.

This year, Cheakamus Centre was recognized as a finalist for two categories: Best Reception Venue and Best Catered Wedding. This is the third year that the Centre has been recognized for this coveted award.

The Cheakamus Foundation for Environmental Learning is delighted to announce a $20,000 contribution from the Rick Hansen Foundation towards accessibility improvements at Cheakamus Centre. This generous funding will go towards modifications to student cabins. The Cheakamus Centre cabins are an integral part of the outdoor experience for learners of all ages. A “home away from home” for thousands of students who participate in multi-day environmental education programs each year, these upgrades demonstrate an ongoing commitment to inclusive learning environments.

Click here to read the full media release.

Farm To School BC is a diverse and expanding program that promotes, supports, and links schools and communities with healthy, local, and sustainable food.

Over $111,000 in funding distributed to 43 schools across the province to start or expand their Farm to School program. Cheakamus Centre was one of the lucky recipients! Congratulations to the other successful applicants!

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BCIT School of Construction and the Environment staff and students (Alex Hebert and Mary McWilliam) were onsite to complete final air tightness testing post-occupancy, and to monitor results after deep energy retrofit of our newly renovated cabins 5 and 6. The sign pictured here is an info-graphic of the deep energy retrofit and recognizes all of the sponsors for their generous support.

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On Monday, December 10, 2018, Cheakamus Centre was one of the big winners at the Professional BC Wedding Awards! The annual Professional BC Wedding Awards is Canada’s longest running wedding awards program, which recognizes the hard work of vendors in the industry who provide high quality services to the wedding industry in BC. Each entry received is carefully reviewed and scored by a panel of judges, who represent different fields within the wedding industry and are selected for their overall understanding and extensive experience.

This year, Cheakamus Centre took the top prize for Best Wedding Reception Venue, with the finalist prize going to the Pipe Shop Venue in North Vancouver and the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish. The Centre was also recognized as a finalist for Best Ceremony Location, with the top price going to the Sea to Sky Gondola and the co-finalist award going to the Cecil Green Park House in Vancouver. This is the second year that the Centre has been recognized for this coveted award.

Cheakamus Centre is proud to announce a contribution in the amount of $25,000 from the RBC Future Launch program. We were very pleased with the success of our program last summer and are thrilled to receive a second year of funding for the Cheakamus Foundation. The Interconnected Nature project brings people together in a teaching longhouse providing for a powerful way to share Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) traditional ways of knowing to better understand each other and how all of us are part of the Natural World.This generous funding will help to create opportunities for indigenous youth to explore, build, and share indigenous cultural practices in an environmental education setting.

Click here to read the full media release.

On November 26th, thirty-five Grade 5 and 6 students from Grandview/¿uuqinak'uuh Elementary School joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) for a day of outdoor exploration and discovery at Cheakamus Centre.

Despite cool and rainy weather, the students’ spirits were not dampened. “Our team and our kids had a fantastic time,” said Principal Risha Golby. “From eagle spotting, canoeing, pond study, and the simple excitement of spending a night at camp with your friends, everyone came back smiling, full of stories, and maybe just a little damp.”

Cheakamus Centre’s immersive outdoor experiences are about engaging learners in fun and meaningful ways that foster an emotional connection to nature. “It was a wet and wonderful day; one [student] counted 48 eagles!” said Travis Muir, conservation and engagement coordinator for NCC, who shared the students’ contagious enthusiasm for this remarkable day in nature’s classroom.

Through its Nature Days program, the NCC is creating life-changing opportunities for city kids to explore nearby wild spaces that they may not get many opportunities to visit. By creating opportunities for students to access natural areas, NCC helps to inspire the next generation of healthy outdoor enthusiasts and environmental stewards.

Cheakamus Centre has held a conservation covenant with NCC since 1997. The conservation agreement protects the centre’s 165 hectares of lush coastal forest, and critically important habitat for five species of Pacific salmon and overwintering populations of bald eagles, which depend on the salmon for a food supply.

Click on the links to learn more about conservation efforts at Cheakamus Centre, and The Nature Conservancy of Canada.

An enthusiastic group of youth from across British Columbia came together October 4-7 in the Sea to Sky for the inaugural Mountain to Oceans outdoor education program and adventure leadership retreat. Thirty high school students were chosen from over sixty applicants to participate in this pilot program co-developed by Cheakamus Centre and Ocean Wise. 

Click here to read the full media release.

At the end of November we had the pleasure of welcoming students from Canyon Heights Elementary School and Queen Mary Elementary School for the Grade 6 Outdoor School program. These enthusiastic students were accompanied by equally enthusiastic educators who couldn't wait to experience all that Cheakamus Centre had to offer! Principal, David Overgaard captured numerous images of their experience at Cheakamus Centre and documented it all in this beautifully written photo essay.

Here is an excerpt from his photo essay:

"Leaving school, technology and the internet behind, students at Canyon Heights and Queen Mary schools spend four days disconnected, and yet by the end of four days more deeply connected to each other, the environment, to their teachers; all through deep experiential learning." Click here to read the full essay.

Journalist and Outdoor School alumna Maria Spitale-Leisk was nominated for the Ma Murray 2018 Outdoor Recreation Writing Award. The winner was announced at the BCYCNA awards Gala at the River Rock Casino Resort on Saturday, April 28, 2018 and Maria came home with a bronze! Spitale-Leisk’s article “Outdoor School Stirs Warm Memories” appeared in the North Shore News in May 2017. The prestigious Ma Murray Awards are held annually to celebrate achievement in the 98 member publications across the province.

Click here for the heartwarming story about Cheakamus Centre’s Outdoor School program.

On Friday, April 27, 2018, Cheakamus Centre was one of the big winners at the Squamish Chamber of Commerce 2018 Business Excellence Awards! The Centre was presented with the Green Business Award at the annual gala event that recognizes the outstanding achievements of business people and organizations in the Squamish community.

The Green Business Award, sponsored by the Squamish Climate Action Network (Squamish CAN) is given to a local business or organization that has demonstrated a commitment to environmental sustainability. The evaluation committee assessed applicants’ achievements towards eliminating waste, conserving resources, promoting a healthy workplace environment and community engagement.

Click here to read the full media release.