Latest News

February 15, 2023

Open Letter: Calling on Canada to Withdraw New, Egregious Informal Access to Information Requirements that Compromise First Nations’ Access to Justice

Dear Ministers Miller and Lametti,

The National Claims Research Directors (NCRD) writes to you urgently regarding new measures being imposed on First Nations claims researchers applying for informal access to records held by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services (ISC). It has come to our attention that CIRNAC and ISC’s Privacy Policy Unit has recently introduced new, egregiously inappropriate requirements for gaining informal access to departmentally held records and that these requirements may adversely affect First Nations and compromise their access to justice for the redress of their historical claims.

News Release
February 13, 2023

UBCIC Remembers Billy Two Rivers

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – February 13, 2023) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) would like to acknowledge the passing of Kahnawà:ke Elder Billy Two Rivers, 87, and extend our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, and community.

News Release 
February 8, 2023

FNLC Congratulates 15 First Nations, Governments of BC and Canada on Announcement of Joint Accomplishments Toward Protecting BC’s North Coast

Lheidli T’enneh Territory, Prince George, BC – On February 5, 2023, at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5), 15 First Nations jointly announced two commendable initiatives alongside the provincial and federal governments regarding the protection of the northern third of Canada’s West Coast.

News Release
February 2, 2023

FNLC Supports Manslaughter Charges Against RCMP Officers in Death of Dale Culver

(Xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) supports BC Prosecution Services’ manslaughter charges against two Prince George RCMP officers, Cst. Paul Ste-Marie and Cst. Jean Francois Monette, who were involved in the death of Dale Culver, a First Nations man from northern British Columbia. The FNLC stands with Dale Culver’s family and the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en communities who have been struggling for justice and answers for his violent death.

Press Release
January 31, 2023

UBCIC Calls for Holistic, System-Wide Supports from Canada and BC as Decriminalization Begins

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – January 31, 2023) In response to the unprecedented, escalating overdose and drug toxicity crisis, British Columbia, with the approval of the federal government, has decriminalized small quantities of drugs for personal possession. By resolution, UBCIC recognizes that decriminalization is one of many necessary steps to address the overdose crisis, reduce drug-related harms and end the overrepresentation of First Nations people in the criminal justice system, and calls upon the governments of BC and Canada to take further action.

Statement
January 25, 2023

UBCIC Stands with Williams Lake First Nation and all Residential School Survivors amidst Results of Phase II Geophysical Investigation into St. Joseph Mission Residential School

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – January 25, 2023) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) shares heartfelt prayers for comfort and healing with all those impacted by the Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) announcement detailing the results of their Phase II Geophysical Investigation into the former St. Joseph Mission Residential School, detailing 66 new reflections which display characteristics indicative of potential human burials. Phase I of the WLFN Geophysical Investigation announced 93 reflections this time last year in January 2022.

News Release
January 24, 2023

UBCIC Stands with Day Scholar Survivors and Acknowledges Major Settlement Negotiated Regarding Harms of Indian Residental Schools on Culture and Nations

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – January 24, 2023) the Government of Canada announced Saturday the $2.8 billion dollar settlement of a class-action lawsuit brought forward by Shíshálh and Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc Nations on behalf of Day Scholars who attended Indian Residential Schools as the band-class plaintiffs seeking reparations for the loss of language and culture. The decision to approve the settlement, which is to be administered independently of the federal government in a 20 year not-for-profit trust, remains before the court.

News Release
January 23, 2023

UBCIC Supports Call to Stop Work on Coastal GasLink Pipeline and Protect Salmon Spawning Habitat

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – January 23, 2023) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) supports Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs in their call for the federal government to issue a stop-work order on construction of the Coastal GasLink Pipeline. The pipeline construction activities are being undertaken without adequate sediment control on the Lho Kwa, jeopardizing crucial salmon spawning habitat. This follows an emerging pattern of repeated non-compliance with the project’s permit and numerous enforcement orders issued by the BC Environmental Assessment Office.