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Chiefs Council February 2026

UBCIC CHIEFS COUNCIL MEETING

Vancouver Sheraton Airport Hotel (Richmond), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Territory) AND ZOOM

FEBRUARY 11TH TO 12TH, 2026
FINAL NOTICE, FINAL DRAFT AGENDA, DOOR PRIZES

 

February 9, 2026

 

Dear Chiefs Council, sister organizations, and friends:

 

The next UBCIC Chiefs Council meeting will take place February 11th – February 12th, 2026, and will now take place at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel (Richmond), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Territory) in the Britannia Ballroom, with an option to join virtually via Zoom. Please register here and contact [email protected] if you would like assistance.

 

If you have not yet renewed your membership for the current fiscal year (April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026), please contact Tracy Point to do so ([email protected] or 604-831-4265). A membership letter is attached. Please contact [email protected] to submit a proxy or to get support in identifying a delegate already attending the meeting to be your proxy. A proxy form is attached.

 

We are pleased to announce that through acclamation, Chief Linda (Lou Ga Gwelks) Innes has been elected to the position of Vice President, Chief Marilyn Slett to the position of Secretary Treasurer, Elder Amelia Washington to the position of Elder Representative, and Katisha Paul to the position of Women’s Representative. Attached, please find an official election notice from UBCIC Electoral Officer, Halie Bruce. At the Chiefs Council meeting, there will elections for the UBCIC Youth Representative and we will seek a volunteer from the floor for one (1) UBCIC Representative to the First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS). Only communities who are Full Members in good standing (have paid their membership dues for the current fiscal year) will be eligible to vote in the election.

 

The February Chiefs Council agenda will include a legal update from Mandell Pinder with a discussion including Rosanne Kyle, K.C., on potential amendments to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the related section of the Interpretation Act. There will also be presentations from ‘Namgis and Minister Ravi Parmar about Developing a S.7 Agreement, and from Minister Randene Neill and ‘Namgis on joint land use planning. We plan to livestream the B.C. Speech from the Throne on February 12th. We will hear an update from the BC Specific Claims Working Group with a presentation on how the Cowichan decision may apply. There will be a Candidates Forum for the Youth Representative position, with voting taking place on February 12th. Fisheries and wild salmon as well as an overview of the state of old growth in B.C. are also on the agenda. There will be update on Indian Residential Schools including discussion on criminalization of IRS denialism, an update from the National Children Chiefs Commission, and an update from Karen Isaac with BCACCS on funding for early learning and child care. We will also have a joint presentation from UBCIC and West Coast Environmental Law on rightsholder-led baseline expectations for corporate Reconciliation Action Plans, developed in response to increasing corporate activity on First Nations lands and territories. The attached paper provides further detail, and a resolution will follow. A final draft agenda is also attached for your review. 

 

All meeting information can be found on our website: https://www.ubcic.bc.ca/chiefs_council_february_2026.

 

Door prizes will be drawn at the end of each day and include assorted books, a beautiful bentwood box, Pendleton outdoor blanket and thermos, Kanata throw blanket, $250 Visa Gift Card, a DashCam recorder and a Samsung tablet!

Registration for In-Person and Virtual Attendance
Proxy Information
Accommodation
Meeting Materials & Resolutions
Health and Safety
UBCIC Contacts
UBCIC Travel Claim Policy
Attachments

Respectfully,

Andrea Glickman
Policy Director

INFORMATION TO ATTEND UBCIC CHIEFS COUNCIL FEBRUARY 11-12, 2026

Registration for In-Person and Virtual Attendance

Please PRE-REGISTER

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/COMyEcVPQyiMHSGQaiGyqg#/registration
no later than 4:00 pm on February 10th, 2026, to receive your meeting link.

  • Everyone must pre-register for the UBCIC Chiefs Council meeting via Zoom, regardless of if you are coming in person or attending virtually.
    Registration helps staff track and support meeting delegates (Chiefs, proxies, representatives), speakers and observers. Pre-registration is also required to receive a unique Zoom meeting link. All registrants will receive a Zoom meeting link. If you are attending in person, you may ignore this link.
  • Be sure to use an email address that you can access as needed. Only those who register in advance for the UBCIC Chiefs Council meeting will receive their unique Zoom meeting link via email.
  • An email will be sent with your confirmation email and again the day prior to the meeting. Please retain the email with the Zoom meeting link as it will be required to attend the meeting.

Registration Confirmation: Once you have submitted the online registration form, you will receive an email within 48 hours indicating that your registration has been confirmed.  The email will be sent from [email protected] under the subject line “UBCIC CHIEFS COUNCIL Confirmation”.

If you have indicated upon your registration that your community is not currently in good standing
(membership dues owing), please contact Tracy Point ([email protected])  
or 1-604-831-4265) to arrange for payment.

Per the UBCIC Constitution and Bylaws, only members in good standing in the current fiscal year (April 1st, 2025, to March 31st, 2026) may speak from the floor or vote on resolutions brought forward during the meeting.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A REGISTRATION TUTORIAL.

Registration Support:  Please direct any registration questions or concerns to Angie Bain, Registration Lead ([email protected]). Angie and the registration team are also available for registration support during the meeting

 
Proxy Information

We encourage members to be prepared with a proxy letter in advance of the meeting, whether you are sending a proxy in case you need to step out briefly (and return later), or if you need a proxy to stand in for you throughout the entire meeting. A signed proxy form must be received before a proxy can actively participate from the floor of the meeting and willhelp ensure that the meeting maintains quorum for voting purposes.

Attached is a proxy template letter for your convenience. You are welcome to put the wording on your own letterhead, OR you can copy, paste, and fill in the proxy letter directly into the body of an email to Elena Pennell ([email protected]). Please reach out to Elena if you have questions regarding proxy letters and if you would like support in identifying a delegate already attending the meeting to carry your proxy.

Accommodation

We are pleased to inform you the UBCIC will reimburse travel and accommodation costs for the Chief or the Chief's proxy for this Chiefs Council meeting if you are attending in person, in alignment with the UBCIC travel claim policy.

The room blocks at the River Rock Resort and the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel are now closed, but you can call the hotels to see if there is still any availability.

  • Telephone – by calling the hotel’s reservation department at Toll Free: 1 866-748-3718
    Locally - 604-247-8900
  • Email – by sending an email to [email protected]

Delegates are also staying at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel (7551 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, BC V6X 1A3) Booking instructions below:

  • Telephone – by calling the hotel’s reservation department at Toll Free: 1 866-994-9114
    Locally - 604-273-7878
  • Email – by sending an email to [email protected]

Please contact Mildred Chartrand ([email protected]) if you require assistance booking a hotel.

 

Parking

With respect to the complimentary parking, anyone who is not staying at the hotel will be able to register their license plate in advance online, or at your registration desk on arrival. Click here for the link to register online; a QR code will also be made available for you to scan on site.


Meeting Materials & Resolutions 

Meeting materials will be available in advance for download, rather than provided in hard copy.

Please bring your laptop if you are attending the meeting in person so you can use the digital kit.
If you require a hard copy, please email [email protected] ASAP.

raft resolutions will be provided by email to delegates and will also be available in hard copy at the meeting for those attending in person.

 

If you would like to submit a resolution, please review the attached information regarding the UBCIC Resolutions Process as well as the attached resolution template for your use.  The UBCIC Resolutions Process is also outlined at: www.ubcic.bc.ca/resolutions. 

 

A final draft agenda is attached and incorporates directions on priority items provided by the Chiefs Council. If you would like to suggest an agenda item for a future meeting, please don’t hesitate to call 1-800-793-9701 or email [email protected].

 

Health and Safety

We recognize the sometimes sensitive and triggering nature of topics discussed. To ensure the health and wellbeing of all, cultural supports will be available on site.

The health and safety of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs members and staff is of utmost importance to the organization. The risk of transmitting COVID-19 and other communicable diseases increases the closer you come to people, the longer you spend near them, and the higher the number of people you come near. As we will be spending long days together indoors, please:

  • Do not attend the meeting in-person if you are ill. All registrants will be provided with a Zoom link, so please join the meeting that way if you are feeling unwell.
  • While proof of vaccination and masking is no longer required in British Columbia, masking is still encouraged, particularly if the space is small and crowded as we do not know what health situations others may be dealing with. UBCIC will have N95/KN95 masks available.
  • There will be cleaning of the meeting space throughout the day. Hand sanitizer will be provided. Please use it before and after touching common touchpoints, eating, and drinking, and removing and putting on your mask.
  • Please follow any other instructions provided during the meeting to ensure participant safety. COVID-19 rapid tests will also be available onsite.

UBCIC Contacts:

Documents

 

 

 

WHEN
February 11, 2026 at 9:00am - February 12, 2026
WHERE
Vancouver Sheraton Airport Hotel (Richmond)
7551 Westminster Hwy
Richmond, BC V6X 1A3
Canada
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