According to the Pauquachin First Nations, the population in Pauquachin began as a small group of 14 families.[3]
Contract with the Hudson's Bay Company
In 1852, Governor James Douglas made two treaties with the Saanich people. He concluded one with the southern Saanich, i.e. with Pauquachin and Malahat, on February 6, 1852 - signed by Whut-say mullet and nine other people - and one on February 11 with the northern Saanich. In exchange for several hundred blankets, this treaty was the basis for taking their land from them.
Reservations
The Pauquachin hold title to and live on three reservations on the Saanich Inlet south of Mill Bay and in the Goldstream and Highlands Districts at the southern end of the Finlayson Arm and at the mouth of the Goldstream River– Coles Bay (Indian Reserve #3), Hatch Point (Indian Reserve #12), and Goldstream (Indian Reserve #13), with the Goldstream reserve claim being shared along with the Malahat, Tsartlip, Tsawout and Tseycum First Nations for traditional fishing purposes.[3] All on-reserve Pauquachin members reside on the Coles Bay reserve where residential, cultural, and administrative buildings are available.
The reservations were established in 1877 as part of the Douglas Treaties on Southern Vancouver Island, which were a colonial policy that recognized indigenous possession of land.
Destruction of land
In 1996, officials determined that the decades-long conversion of the region around the Saanich Inlet had led to massive destruction. A 1997 study of cultural development found similar results.[citation needed] These investigations were related to the Bamberton Town Development Project, a development project adjacent to the Malahat area, a project with far-reaching ecological and hence cultural implications. [4]
A project was developed under the auspices of the Environmental Assessment Office, which was to take into account the demands of the six tribes concerned, i.e. the Malahat, Tsartlip, Pauquachin, Tseycum and Tsawout Bands, and the Cowichan Tribes. The report outlined the traditional and current uses of the affected land around Saanich Inlet. [4]
Pauquachin First Nation expanded its marine stewardship work in the early 2020s by establishing a marine program that coordinates water-quality monitoring, shoreline assessments, and intertidal restoration throughout its traditional territory.[8] The program identified Coles Bay as a priority site because federal authorities closed the area to bivalve harvesting in 1997 due to contamination associated with failing septic systems, stormwater discharge, and upland runoff.[9]
PFN produced a series of reports between 2022 and 2024 detailing the ecological, regulatory, and jurisdictional factors affecting the closure. The municipal-level report documented aging private septic systems, inadequate inspection regimes, and stormwater inputs entering Coles Bay through roadside ditches and culverts.[10] A companion provincial-level report assessed the classification of Coles Bay under sanitary-closure frameworks and identified data gaps in long-term bacterial monitoring.[11] A federal-level report, prepared for agencies including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, outlined steps required to advance a conditional-reopening process, including intensified water-quality sampling, shoreline surveys, and coordinated regulatory enforcement.[12]
In August 2025 Pauquachin hosted a multi-day restoration gathering to construct a traditional sea garden in Coles Bay. Participants built an intertidal rock wall designed to enhance clam habitat and support long-term restoration objectives.[8] Local and regional reporting highlighted PFN’s emphasis on addressing septic and stormwater contamination as a prerequisite to restoring safe harvesting conditions.[8] The Nation’s marine program received regional environmental recognition for its contributions to coastal stewardship and community-led habitat restoration.[13]
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