Latest News

Press Release
June 25, 2020

Rights Groups Release OPCC Letter Calling into Question Street Checks Review

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – June 25, 2020) BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), and Hogan’s Alley Society (HAS) are releasing a letter from the BC Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner in response to UBCIC and BCCLA’s complaint regarding “street checks”.

Statement
June 23, 2020

UBCIC Remembers Carole Dawson

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – June 23, 2020) It is with heavy hearts that the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) marks the loss of lifelong colleague and friend, Carole Dawson, who passed away on June 21, 2020 after contracting COVID-19. UBCIC mourns the loss of a unique and immensely kind-hearted leader whose lifelong fight for Indigenous Title and Rights, combined with her selflessness and care for others, inspires us to be and do better – to conduct ourselves with the same bravery, resilience, and conviction Carole possessed.

Re: Sheltering in Victoria City Parks

Dear Mayor Helps and City Council,

am writing on behalf of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (“BCCLA”), the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (“UBCIC”) and Pivot Legal Society to follow up on our letters we sent last month, and to make recommendations in advance of your upcoming vote about whether to reinstate the enforcement of all portions of the Parks bylaw.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA ADVISORY 

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Release of Letter from BC Police Complaint Commissioner 

WHAT:          Representatives from Hogan’s Alley Society (HAS), the BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) will hold a press conference to publicly release a letter from Clayton Pecknold, Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner. The letter from the Commissioner is regarding the BCCLA and UBCIC’s formal complaint about the Vancouver Police Department’s practice of street checks. The representatives will comment on the implications of the letter with respect to systemic racism in the Vancouver Police Department and the ongoing discriminatory practice of street checks. 

Press Statement
June 21, 2020

UBCIC Calls on Canada to Turn Rhetoric into Action on National Indigenous Peoples Day

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – June 21, 2020) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) acknowledges National Indigenous Peoples’ Day and applauds the continued leadership and fortitude of Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island. Despite continued opposition, Indigenous peoples stand at the forefront of defending our lands, territories, and environment for future generations. Today, UBCIC celebrates what has been gained, grieves those who have been lost, and affirms once more our commitment to the common fight for the recognition of Indigenous rights and respect for our cultures and societies.

NEWS RELEASE
June 19, 2020

First Nations leadership outraged by racist behavior of ER doctors and staff

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) — The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is dismayed with the circumstances surrounding the investigation announced this morning by Health Minister Adrian Dix, specifically related to a “game” to guess the intoxication level of Indigenous and other Emergency Room (ER) patients.

 UN Questionnaire: Impact of COVID-19 on indigenous peoples

Submission to:

Francisco Cali Tzay, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples

June 19, 2020

QUESTIONS

1. How does the State collect and analyse information on the impact of COVID-19 on indigenous peoples and individuals? Is disaggregated data on indigenous peoples, including health impacts, available?

• Disaggregated data on Indigenous people who have tested positive for COVID-19 is publicly available online from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), and tracking is updated weekly for the number of hospitalizations, recovered cases, and deaths.[1] The data is further disaggregated to reflect cases by region, age group, and sex. [2]
• Provincial chief public health officers work with ISC regional medical officers and nurses to track reported cases of COVID-19 for Indigenous peoples. On May 9, 2020, ISC announced $250,000 of dedicated funding to improve data collection for Indigenous peoples impacted by COVID-19, acknowledging previously available data was insufficient.
• Indigenous community members and independent researchers have indicated further weaknesses in data collection are linked to the “distinctions-based” approach used by ISC. Indigenous peoples are not exhaustively reflected in reports of cases on-reserve, which is the primary focus of ISC data collection. Research published May 12, 2020 from the Yellowhead Institute indicated significant data discrepancies in total cases reported by ISC as compared to cumulative publicly available data from sources including media reports, Band Council updates, local reports, and obituaries, in addition to independent verification. 
• The discrepancy - 175 cases recorded by ISC at time of publishing, 465 by the Institute – points to a lack of consistent data collection by public health agencies across Canada.
• Public health agencies’ relationships with local Indigenous peoples vary greatly across health jurisdictions, and many public health agencies do not collect disaggregated data including racial or ethnic identity at all.[3]
• Importantly, data on cases disaggregated by community/First Nation was not made available to Indigenous leaders throughout the pandemic, which raised concerns about the ability of First Nations to take precautions to protect members from community spread.[4]

News Release
June 16, 2020

UBCIC Statement on Police Raid of Namegan/CRAB Park Tent City

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – June 16, 2020) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) stands in solidarity and shared outrage with the residents of Namegan/CRAB Park Tent City who were forcefully displaced this morning. The Province of British Columbia and the City of Vancouver have continued their pattern of prioritizing corporate interests and colonial property over the lives and safety of unhoused community members.