The Family Support Institute of British Columbia (FSI) is a provincial not for profit society committed to supporting families who have a family member with a disability. FSI is unique in Canada, offering free support and services with a network of passionate and caring volunteer Resource Parents & Peers across the province. Once a year, RPs gather together to build relationships, have fun, and learn more about how to support and advocate for families in BC.

You will receive the latest information and training for supporting families. We provide plentiful meals, snacks and refreshments, and give you time to socialize and have fun. You can also get some rest and relaxation, enjoy a dip in the pool or hot tub, or sit by the campfire. The following is this year’s schedule. (See a snapshot of this year’s schedule below ).

Yes, FSI will pay for your travel to get to and from Training Weekend. We have a few stipulations around what types of travel we will cover and how we reimburse travel. Please see below:

• The office will book all flights for Resource Parents (“RPs”).
• RPs are responsible to pay for their own cancellation insurance.
• FSI will reimburse parking at the airport – please use economy parking lots.
• FSI will pay taxi/uber to get to and from the airport for less than 50km.
• RPs will be reimbursed for ferry expenses.
• FSI will not pay for taxi/uber costs to get to Training Weekend.
• We will help coordinate car pool for RPs to attend TW in groups.
• FSI will cover car rental, but only if RP is willing and available to car pool (there may not be people to car pool with, but making yourself available is key).
• For people who drive to TW, we will only reimburse gas receipts NOT mileage.

Training Weekend is for Resource Parents only. If your spouse is already a Resource Parent, then they can attend. If they are not a Resource Parent, then we cannot accommodate other people attending the event. We have space and meal limitations, in addition to the fact that the event has many purposes, and one of them is networking with the other RPs. When spouses attend it prevents the ability for networking and building relationships with the volunteer network. If your spouse is interested in becoming a Resource Parent for next year, contact our Provincial Engagement Coordinator Linnette Gratton after this year’s Weekend.

The cost of Training Weekend to RPs is $250. When we factor in food, travel, speakers and room rentals, the actual costs to FSI are around $950 per person. This does not include staffing costs. Because our subsidization of the event is very high, we need the support of RPs paying something for the event or we would not be able to run Training Weekend at all. However, we do not want cost to be a barrier to your participation. *See next question.

Yes. We have a scholarship called the Bjarnasson fund that has been in place for many years. It is available to any Resource Parent, all year round. RPs can apply for up to $200 each, once per year. It was a bequest set up by Erving and Evelyn Bjarnasson, who were pioneers of Inclusion back in the 1920’s and 1930’s for their daughter with complex disabilities. When Erving passed away, they donated $5000 to FSI and we are permitted to use the interest earned on this investment to have RPs attend training to enhance their skills as an RP. The only requirement is to create a small write-up for our newsletter to share your learnings with others, as requested by the donor.

Click here to apply.

Yes. We want to make it as easy for you as possible to attend TW, and we know how challenging it can be to obtain funding to leave your family and have the support you need to do so. We also know that supports and rates vary from region to region, and family to family. Please contact Angela Clancy at or 778-822-8374 to discuss your unique needs, and we will do the best we can to ensure you have your circumstances met to make the Training Weekend a barrier-free experience for you.

There are some fun activities we do at Training Weekend that help raise funds for the work of FSI. One of those activities is a gift basket draw. All RPs are asked to bring an item to donate to themed basket prizes, such a “Movie Night” or “Sports Fan.” We provide a letter you can take to local stores/businesses to garner donations, or you can also bring items you may already have at home that might be suitable. A volunteer team beautifully assembles the gift baskets, which are then raffled off throughout the weekend. They are gorgeous and highly sought after!

The silent auction is of similar nature. We provide a letter you can take to local businesses for items that might be suitable for a silent auction item. Bring the item with you, with an idea of its value (needed for the silent auction bid sheet). A volunteer team runs the auction, which is open for bidding during certain hours at Training Weekend. It is a lively event with people battling over popular items, with much laughter and jostling around the tables!

In the past we have required double occupancy due to budget constraints. This year FSI is going to rent cabins to try to accommodate people having their own bedrooms, with a shared bathroom. There may be some people who want to share rooms and have been comfortable with that option, and if that is the case, please advise that on your registration and we will book you into the main lodge with your chosen roommate. If you choose a single room, and choose not to stay in a cabin, there is a $40 per night fee to help with the extra costs to FSI.

Once you arrive at Training Weekend, there are no additional mandatory expenses. However, there are optional expenditures you may wish to make. We will have a table of nice FSI items available for purchase. There is also a 50/50 draw during the weekend. Our venue also has items available for sale in vending machines and in the gift shop. All of these expenditures are optional and at your discretion.

We encourage you to stay the whole event to maximize the training time and the opportunity to network with the other volunteers in our FSI family. However, we understand that circumstances may arise that have you either needing to arrive late, or to leave early. That is fine, and we understand. Please indicate this on the registration form so we do not get charged for the hotel room or meals that we are not using. Unfortunately, we will not offer discounted rates for this. As we said, the event is already so heavily discounted that further discounts cannot be applied.

Yes. We try very hard to accommodate people’s food requirements. There is space on the registration form to indicate your needs. Please be specific because we need to send very detailed information to the Resort for them to get your orders right.