The province will help the Strathcona Regional District's reconciliation framework and training plan by providing $157,300 in funding as part of the province's Community Emergency and Preparedness Fund (CEPF).
With the funding, the district will create cultural humility training videos developed with regional partners and First Nations. The training videos will be based on Maya'xala culturally centred home studies for the Laich-kwil-tach people on the North Island. An Emergency Disaster Management Act Path Forward workshop will also be hosted with local governments in the region.
“A video series, created in partnership with First Nations communities to share their unique histories, cultural values and contemporary realities, will play an integral part in supporting the cultural safety and humility training within the region. Through these authentic voices, we foster deeper understanding and lay the foundation for respectful relationships built on shared knowledge and a commitment to reconciliation," said Mark Baker, chair of the Strathcona Regional District.
The project in Strathcona is just one of many, with the province funding $1 million for 20 local Indigenous cultural safety and humility training projects through CEPF. To ensure inclusivity and respect for Indigenous Peoples during emergencies, First Nations communities and local governments throughout B.C. will receive funding to strengthen cultural safety in local emergency-management practices.
“Emergencies are stressful for everyone impacted, and ensuring access to culturally sensitive supports is essential to people’s safety and well-being,” said Kelly Greene, minister of emergency management and climate readiness. “By providing staff and volunteers with cultural safety training, supports and relationship building, we help ensure Indigenous people feel valued, included and cared for during emergencies.”
Other projects include:
- Implementing Splatsin’s training modules and workshops that integrate cultural practices into emergency preparedness, and establishing culturally appropriate protocols for emergency response and recovery, enhancing community resilience.
- Strengthening relationships between emergency-management staff from the Central Okanagan Regional District, Westbank First Nation and Syilx Okanagan communities through team-building exercises. These experiences will help foster mutual understanding and promote collaboration, prioritize inclusivity and enhance cultural sensitivity in emergency-response situations.
- Developing in-person workshops and online training in the North Coast Regional District to share Tsimshian cultural teachings, history and values. The training will inform emergency-response staff and council members, with pre-engagement meetings to ensure ongoing, accessible education.
“This funding ensures First Nations are at the table informing decisions that affect them, their families and their territories in a way that also strengthens and supports the capacity for First Nation communities and local governments to be true partners in emergency management,” said Christine Boyle, minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation. “By prioritizing cultural safety and Indigenous knowledge in emergency situations, emergency services can be delivered in a culturally safe and effective way, and move forward together for increased collaborative community resilience.”
