At an an historic ceremony on June 3, 2023, an official CLBC Board statement committing to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples was signed. Click here to read the CLBC Board Statement of Commitment on Advancing Reconciliation. You can read more about the signing ceremony here.
On this page:
- Accessing CLBC Services
- About Us
- Indigenous Advisory Committee
- News and Stories
CLBC has been providing services in First Nation communities since August 2014. Eligible individuals and their families residing within British Columbia’s urban, rural, First Nations (Status and Non-Status), Métis, and Inuit communities can access CLBC funded services depending on their needs and the availability of resources.
Click here to learn more about CLBC’s Cultural Safety Policy and Principles that guide how CLBC staff and service providers engage, support, monitor, and plan with First Nations, Métis and Inuit individuals, as well as their families, support networks and communities.
Click here to download the “Supporting Indigenous Communities” poster.
About Us
CLBC has a dedicated Indigenous Relations team that works with Indigenous partners to help eligible Indigenous individuals and families access CLBC services. They also work with CLBC staff to build relationships with Indigenous communities in each region.
As a result of the partnerships with Indigenous communities and leaders, the Indigenous Relations team has the following four strategies:
- Develop meaningful and respectful connections to Indigenous people, including people with lived experience, their families, supporters, and communities.
- Shift CLBC culture towards reconciliation.
- Create more cultural safety within CLBC operations and services.
- Reframe service delivery to support the drafted principles.
The overarching emphasis of many of these activities is developing and strengthening relationships with Indigenous people, families, supporters, communities, and partners in culturally safe ways.
This work will be carried out as part of the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan. The partnerships that CLBC builds will act as the foundation for the work that the Indigenous Relations team will do well into the future.
The Indigenous Advisory Committee logo: the raven symbolizes the creation of a new path, transformation of the old one, knowledge of the past and the truth to move forward. The person inside the raven represents the Committee’s person-centered focus and dedication to its work within CLBC. The symbols between the wings recognize the three distinct groups of Indigenous people in B.C.: the inukshuk for the Inuit people, the feather for First Nations people, and the infinity symbol for the Métis people. The blue and green represent the connection to CLBC. To learn more, click on the logo above.
Indigenous Advisory Committee
The Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC) was started in 2012 to advise CLBC on how to achieve its vision of “communities of belonging, lives with connection” for Indigenous individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
The IAC consists of Indigenous individuals, families, and community members from across BC. They meet quarterly to provide advice, share information, and identify strategies to best provide culturally relevant services to Indigenous individuals and their families. The Committee provides input to enhance relationships with CLBC staff and First Nations, Metis, and Inuit community.
Read the Committee’s Terms of Reference here.
Committee members
- Neil Belanger, IAC Chair – Executive Director of B.C. Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS)
- Charlene Barney – Self-advocate
- Brian Govereau – South Fraser Regional Community Representative
- Eugene Harry – Squamish Elder
- Ted Nordio – Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Corrections Canada
- Rheanna Robinson – University of Northern BC Professor and Researcher, B.C. North area
- Sue Sterling – Education Initiatives and Indigenous Community Inclusion
- Sherwin Strong – Self-advocate
- Joely Viveiros – CLBC Board of Directors Representative
- Sonia Rice – Parent Representative, Jaas K’iiygangaa, Haida Gwaii
- Martha Wilson – Xhiimadimtxw Community Representative, Smithers Terrace area
- Rona Sterling-Collins – Aboriginal Supported Child Development Program
- Michelle Fortin – Director of Social Programs, Métis Nation BC
- Linus Lucas – Nuu-Chah-Nulth Elder
- Joyce Roberts – Métis Elder
- Cheryl Schweizer – Tl’azt’en Elder
CLBC Indigenous Relations Team
- Joanne Mills - Vice President, Quality Services & Indigenous Relations –
- Evan Jolicoeur – Director, Indigenous Cultural Safety & Humility
- Alicia Tallack – Manager, Indigenous Strategic Initiatives
- Jackie Malekpour – Indigenous Relations Practice Advisor, Vancouver/South Fraser Region
- Frankie Abel – Indigenous Relations Practice Advisor, North Region
- Jennifer Parisian – Indigenous Relations Practice Advisor, Vancouver Island Region
- Brenda Duggan – Indigenous Relations Practice Advisor, Southern Interior Region
News and Stories
Click here to find news and stories that have been published on this website about CLBC’s work with Indigenous communities and people.