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.”

The Province is providing a total of approximately $1 million for 20 local Indigenous cultural safety and cultural humility training projects through the Community Emergency and Preparedness Fund (CEPF). This funding will be used by First Nations and local governments to make emergency management and supports more inclusive for Indigenous Peoples.

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.
• Creating cultural humility training videos for the Strathcona Regional District’s reconciliation framework and training plan. These will be developed in collaboration with regional partners and First Nations, based on Maya’xala culturally centred home studies for the Laich-kwil-tach tribes on north Vancouver Island. An Emergency Disaster Management Act Path Forward workshop will also be hosted with local governments in the region.

“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.”

The CEPF supports First Nations and local governments to better prepare for disasters and reduce risks from natural hazards in a changing climate. In addition to Indigenous cultural safety and cultural humility training, CEPF funding also supports:

• disaster-risk reduction and climate adaptation;
• volunteer and composite fire departments equipment and training;
• emergency operations centre equipment and training;
• public notification and evacuation-route planning; and
• emergency support services equipment and training.

The Province has invested $369 million into the CEPF since it was established in 2017. Approximately $301 million has been provided to First Nations and local governments through the CEPF for approximately 2,170 projects.

Quotes:

Lisa Pastro, director of operations, Westbank First Nation –

“Westbank First Nation is grateful for the funding support that enables us to strengthen partnerships and build cultural understanding in emergency management. This initiative fosters meaningful collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous emergency teams, ensuring emergency-response efforts are informed by Syilx cultural values and perspectives. By prioritizing cultural safety and humility, we are enhancing resilience and preparedness for all communities in the central Okanagan.”

Brittany Seibert, regional emergency manager, City of Kelowna (Central Okanagan Regional District partner) –

“This funding will bolster our efforts to strengthen relationships among emergency-management staff and volunteers from the Central Okanagan Emergency Management Program, of which Westbank First Nation is a partner, and the neighbouring Syilx Okanagan communities. Through connections and open dialogue, these interactions will enable the sharing of stories and promote collaboration, helping us develop a culturally safe approach to emergency management.”

Mark Baker, chair, Strathcona Regional District –

“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."

Herb Pond, mayor, Prince Rupert (North Coast Regional District partner) –

“Our community is over 40% Indigenous, and we’re excited to be working collectively as a region on cultural safety training that will benefit all of our respective staff, councils, and by extension, the communities we serve.”

Learn More:

For more information about the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund, visit: https://www.ubcm.ca/funding-programs/local-government-program-services/community-emergency-preparedness-fund

To learn more about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, visit: https://declaration.gov.bc.ca

A backgrounder follows.