Dean Wilson is Métis, a member of North Island Métis Association, and registered citizen of Métis Nation BC.  His adoptive parents moved to Port Hardy when he was a small child. He was reunited with his birth family at the age of 20. He has many adopted family connections among the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw Nations, particularly the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nations.  

Dean’s work career has included being a social worker, a Team Leader, and a Director for Aboriginal Service Change for the Ministry of Children and Family Development, the founding Executive Director for the Sacred Wolf Aboriginal Friendship Centre, and a Program Manager and then Director of Health and Family Services for the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nations.  He is presently the Manager of Indigenous Health in North Vancouver Island, working for Island Health.

Dean has worked to create new programs that support Indigenous cultural connections for children and youth, reduce the number of children in care, and use Indigenous cultural ceremonies and processes.  In addition, he has worked to educate, mentor and support non-Indigenous service providers to understand their role in being effective allies to Indigenous families and communities; as well as to mentor and support Indigenous helpers to trust their own knowing and culture and work to support their communities. He is active in both Métis and Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw cultural work in the local area.  

Dean has worked with Hereditary Chiefs, Elders, Matriarchs and other Knowledge Holders, to establish culturally based programs to support the return of children from care and to establish trauma healing programs.  These programs continue to flourish and grow. In addition, Dean and Cathie were foster parents for 18 years, helping raise 18 children, with whom they are still in contact with. 

Dean has been married to his amazing wife Cathie for 34 years, a parent to 6 children, and Mushum to 3 grandchildren.