Health care in the 21st century, the age of the World Wide Web and the Green Revolution, is as diverse around the globe as the people who rely on it. Whether you are a nursing mother in Sweden, an executive in New York City, or a taxi driver in Mumbai, what is now becoming irrefutably clear is that health is only partially based on economic status. The regions and countries where people are thriving seem to be those that have preserved connections to traditional foods, customs, and medicinal practices and have made great strides toward accepting holistic healing beliefs and practices.

With more than 7 billion people on the planet today, we must realize that we no longer need to change our destructive habits for the survival of future generations; we must do so for the survival of current generations. The pollution resulting from factory farms, toxic dumping and unprecedented pharmaceutical consumption to name only a few, is reaching critical mass. There may no longer be a clean drop of water on earth, but through the employment of sustainable movements such as organic farming practices, land conservation and the integration of modern day medicine with traditional and indigenous practices, we can start to set things right.

Pacific Rim College is not only a participant in the movement toward a more sustainable world, but is also a pioneer. By integrating modern and traditional medical and permaculture practices, we are endeavouring to ensure that ancient knowledge will not be lost, and that medical practices will be employed based not on power and corruption, but rather on conscientious common sense on a global scale and, quite simply, need.

If you want to take part in the holistic medical movement or live more sustainably to help secure a healthier future, consider joining Pacific Rim College.

Sincerely,
Todd N. Howard

June 6, 2020

To our Students, Faculty and Staff:

Over the past few days, we’ve been actively listening, learning, and reflecting on our role as an educational institution during this period of momentous social transformation.

We at Pacific Rim College are motivated to create a resilient community of inclusivity and support, centred around a common goal to improve and protect the health of people, the environment, and all beings that depend on it through educational empowerment.

As each of you know, we have zero-tolerance for racial discrimination and have always endeavored to create a safe and inclusive learning/working/healing environment for you. In our community and beyond, we support racial equality and the voices of healing and are grateful for the current upswell in consciousness that is bringing racial issues to the forefront and allowing the important voices of our BIPOC community to be heard.

Our role is to continue to provide safe, inclusive spaces of learning and discovery of holistic health practices and to reflect on how we can play a part in dismantling systemic racism, particularly in relation to the fields of wellness and sustainability. We are and will continue to work with our instructors and staff to ensure our practices reflect our core values of justice, respect, inclusivity, and compassion.

We invite you to participate in a conversation with us about racial inclusivity at our school, both at the campus and online. We deeply believe in doing the work that creates change that is valuable and impactful. We have already started to implement long-term changes that are important to us, such as the following:

1. Making our Foundations of Social Justice class mandatory where possible within our various programs.
2. Creating a bursary/scholarship fund specifically for BIPOC students.
3. Offering a course on Indigenous Land Protocol in Medicinal Harvesting, which will be available online soon.
4. Engaging with the PRC community on ways we can improve our operations and education.
5. Including more books in the student library about social justice, racism, social determinants of health, etc.
6. Providing more links to support groups and advocacy groups for BIPOC as a resource on the PRC Portal.

This isn’t a process that has an end; it will take continued commitment and work. We acknowledge that as individuals and as a community, we have so much to learn, and we thank you for your support in helping us along the way. We are grateful for each of you and look forward to receiving your input so that we can take steps to create real change for our BIPOC community and the systems that uphold old paradigms.

We invite to you to respond to this email if you have questions, concerns, or suggestions surrounding Pacific Rim College’s commitment to inclusivity.

Sincerely,
James Christian

March 21, 2021

Dear PRC Community,

With the recent rise in violence and racism towards the Asian community, Pacific Rim College would like to formally state that we strongly condemn all forms of discrimination and racism and that PRC has a strict zero tolerance policy against racism, sexism, bullying and violence. PRC was founded to promote and advocate for the traditional medicines of the world, including Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda and we are very proud of the work that we do in these areas. The college would not be the same vibrant and dynamic place without members of the Asian community and the traditional knowledge that has been passed down through generations. PRC is an inclusive community where respect and compassion for all individuals is expected. We stand against racism and discrimination perpetrated against any group or individual and will always strive to provide compassion and care.

PRC began the process of changing the name of our TCM programs to remove the term Oriental. With any change to program names, we must first receive approval from our governing body, the PTIB (Private Training Institute Branch) of the Ministry of Advanced Education. We submitted our request several months ago and expect confirmation shortly. Until such time as we receive confirmation, we are unable to change any documents, web pages or descriptions of the programs that contain the word Oriental. Please know that as soon as we have confirmation of the approval, we will be making the change to all relevant documents.

We are so very appreciative of our diverse community of students, faculty and staff at the college and will remain committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for everyone to work, study and heal together.

Sincerely,
James Christian

The news has been devastating, and grief is spreading throughout our school, community, and nation. We will be listening to our First Nations Chiefs and leaders as we stand in grief and acknowledgment of the Kamloops Indian Residential School genocide of 215+ Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nations children.

If you need help: A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to support former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line. +1-866-925-4419 Learn more through the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.

PRC's administrative team are attending sessions to begin formally discussing inclusivity and diversity at the college.

The first session will include:

• a review of key historical facts about institutionalized education and healthcare.
• implicit bias, systemic racism, privilege, and accessibility.
• creating safe space at work.

The aim is for staff to contemplate how differet biases may affect PRC and to help them become better advocates for the communities that are accessing their place of work. Julie Parrell will help facilitate these sessions.