Kanaka Bar Indian Band Chief Patrick Michell is a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation and a lifetime resident of Fraser Canyon, BC. As a residential school survivor, he has first-hand experience of the trauma these institutions have inflicted on his Nation.

Chief Michell graduated high school at 18, becoming one of the first from his community to pursue post-secondary education. At 24, he received his Administrative Management diploma from Douglas College in New Westminster, BC, with high academic standing. He earned his Bachelor of Law from the University of British Columbia in 1992 and was called to the bar in 1997.

Chief Michell practiced law in the Fraser Canyon until 2005 when he became the Community Liaison for the Kwoiek Hydro Project. In 2014, he assumed the role of Economic Development Officer, which he held until 2015 when he was elected Chief of Kanaka Bar.