UBCIC

08/31/2026

Joan Phillip comes home.

08/28/2026

The family of MLA Joan Phillip, Amshen, is deeply saddened to share that Joan passed away peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by her the love of her life, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, her children, grandchildren and family at the age of 74. Joan was a fearless warrior and inspirational leader, and we will miss her dearly. The family asks for privacy at this time, and in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the B.C. Cancer Society.

08/27/2026

The UBCIC is saddened to share that MLA Joan Phillip, Amshen, is in the hospital courageously fighting kidney infection and septic shock. The family is asking for a powerful prayer response, and for privacy.

08/21/2026

The handbook(s) developed will be concise, accessible, easy to use, and may include lesson plans, and/or units, and additional background material for teaching about First Nations perspectives on climate change and connecting to curricula requirements, beyond the connections already explored in the existing FNESC guides. Making the guides visually appealing, with a high quality of graphic design**, as well as using plain language, will both be important for accessibility.

These handbooks will be designed for use within First Nations schools and public schools and to support educators more broadly with a First Nations perspective around climate change education. The handbooks will include how climate action is integrally connected to Title and Rights and why First Nations are climate action leaders. The targeted grade level will be secondary schools/high schools.

The handbooks will encourage and support teachers with using the existing FNESC resources, and will include new and supplementary content. The handbook(s) will be framed to be provincially applicable across all climates and geographics, but the units and lesson plans will include space for teachers to build in language group and Nation specificity and local knowledge. For example through including guidance on how to localize the units and lesson plans.

All proposals will be acknowledged. Your proposal submission must be received by 5:00 pm PST on August 31, 2026.

Working towards the recognition, implementation and exercise of our inherent Indigenous Title, Rights and Treaty Rights

08/14/2026

08/09/2026

Dear Prime Minister Carney and Premier Smith:

Today, on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) calls on the governments of Canada and Alberta to immediately halt efforts to advance the proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline. This proposal threatens both the inherent rights of First Nations and accelerates the expansion of the fossil fuel industry at a time when communities across the country are already experiencing devastating climate disasters. Canada cannot claim to respect Indigenous rights while ignoring free, prior and informed consent, nor can it claim climate leadership while approving infrastructure designed to expand oil production. This day recognizes the rights, cultures, knowledge, and enduring contributions of Indigenous Peoples around the world, but it must also be a day of accountability. Governments cannot celebrate Indigenous Peoples while making decisions about our lands and waters without us.

The UBCIC Chiefs Council is reaffirming opposition to a new oil pipeline and tanker projects transporting oil to and through Canada’s Pacific Coast of B.C. Through resolution 2026-34 Opposition to Oil Pipeline Proposals to the Pacific Coast, the UBCIC Chiefs Council expresses alarm about the climate impacts of new oil pipelines and rejects efforts to characterize pipeline expansion as being in the national interest where First Nations title, rights, jurisdiction, and environmental protection would be undermined. Additional pipeline and tanker traffic would expose First Nations lands, waters, marine ecosystems, cultures, economies, and ways of life to unacceptable risks from oil spills, environmental degradation, and accelerating climate change.

Canada and Alberta's accelerated effort to have the proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline designated as a project of national interest does not displace their legal obligations to First Nations. Such a designation may create an expedited federal approval process, but it does not override First Nations' inherent, human, and constitutionally protected title and rights, laws, jurisdiction, and responsibilities over their lands, waters, territories, and resources. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples affirms that states must consult and cooperate in good faith with Indigenous Peoples through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free, prior, and informed consent before approving projects affecting their lands, territories, and resources.

Canada and Alberta claim that their engagement is early and meaningful, but they have already developed a project concept and corridor, submitted the proposal, named prospective development partners, established an October 1 target, and begun publicly promoting the project’s economic case. Consultation cannot be meaningful if First Nations are invited only to discuss how a predetermined project will proceed. Nor can equity ownership, loan guarantees, revenue-sharing, employment, or other proposed benefits be treated as substitutes for consent. Every First Nation has the right to determine its own future under its own laws and governance. At the same time, the destructive and disastrous consequences of expanding fossil fuel production extend far beyond any single territory. Greenhouse gas emissions do not recognize territorial boundaries, they contribute to a climate crisis that affects every First Nation, every community, and future generations alike. From catastrophic wildfires to destructive floods and rising seas, the impacts of climate change are already being felt across this country. Every new fossil fuel project deepens that crisis.

UBCIC calls on Canada and Alberta to halt any decision to list the West Coast Oil Pipeline as a project of national interest unless and until they have consulted and cooperated in good faith with the First Nations concerned in order to obtain their free, prior, and informed consent. Canada and Alberta must respect the decisions of First Nations that withhold consent and ensure that any assessment fully addresses cumulative effects, oil-spill and marine-shipping risks, impacts to lands, waters, salmon, and other species, and the destructive and disastrous climate consequences of the oil production growth required to support the pipeline. They must establish a transparent and adequately resourced process in which every affected First Nation participates through its own representative institutions and has the time and capacity to apply its laws and make its own decision.

We have copied Premier Eby because British Columbia also has legal obligations to uphold First Nations' title and rights and implement the United Nations Declaration through the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. On this International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Canada, Alberta, and British Columbia must choose whether they will stand with Indigenous Peoples and future generations or continue expanding the fossil fuel industry that is driving the climate emergency. Canadians are witnessing increasingly destructive wildfires, catastrophic flooding, extreme heat, and other climate disasters with growing frequency. Governments cannot respond to these disasters while simultaneously approving infrastructure designed to increase fossil fuel extraction and greenhouse gas emissions. Respect for First Nations' free, prior and informed consent and meaningful climate action are not competing priorities, they are inseparable obligations.

On behalf of the UNION OF BC INDIAN CHIEFS

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip
President

Chief Councillor Linda Innes
Vice-President

Chief Marilyn Slett
Secretary-Treasurer

Working towards the recognition, implementation and exercise of our inherent Indigenous Title, Rights and Treaty Rights

08/06/2026

Dear Prime Minister Carney and Minister Alty,

Members of the Coalition on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ People (MMIWG2S+) in B.C. (“The Coalition”) write to express our grave concern regarding the federal government’s decision to allow critical funding for MMIWG2S+ supports, Indigenous women’s organizations, families, survivors and community-led initiatives to sunset without adequate notice, transparency or a clear plan for renewal. We call on you to work with the Minister of Women and Gender Equality, the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, families and survivors and Indigenous women’s organizations to:

-Renew all federal funding for MMIWG2S+ supports that has expired or is scheduled to sunset, with no gaps in service delivery, and provide clear timelines for renewal.

-Establish sustainable long-term, stable core funding for Indigenous women’s organizations, family- and survivor-led organizations, grassroots groups and regional coalitions working to end violence against Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit+ and gender-diverse people.

-Commit to permanent, adequate and equitable funding for MMIWG2S+ prevention, response, Indigenous-led health and healing services, justice, housing, transportation, data sovereignty, community safety and family and survivor supports and to expedite implementation of the Calls for Justice.

-Publicly disclose which MMIWG2S+ programs, projects and initiatives have ended, are scheduled to end or remain uncertain, including timelines, affected organizations, funding amounts and responsible departments.

-Ensure families and survivors are meaningfully resourced to participate in decisions regarding MMIWG2S+ funding, implementation of the Calls for Justice and evaluation of federal action.

-Report annually, in accessible and transparent language, on how federal funding is advancing the Calls for Justice, including distinctions-based, regional, including urban and rural, and family and survivor-led outcomes.

We are particularly concerned that sunsetting funds without a transparent transition plan will interrupt direct support to families and survivors including reducing access to advocacy, cultural healing, mental health supports and community safety initiatives. Further these cuts threaten to destabilize Indigenous women’s organizations and family-led initiatives; undermine implementation of the Calls for Justice and the Federal Pathway; exacerbate inequities in rural, remote and northern communities; deepen mistrust between families, communities and governments; and result in further harm towards Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit+ people. Meanwhile, Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit+ people will continue to be disproportionately affected by gender-based violence. According to the Ministry of Justice, in 2017, despite Indigenous people making up only 5% of the population, Indigenous women accounted for 10 per cent of all missing Canadian women and in 2014, accounted for 21 per cent of all murdered women in Canada.

Indigenous women’s organizations and family- and survivor-led groups have warned that federal funding for programs addressing the crisis of MMIWG2S+ has expired or is at risk of expiring. This leaves organizations unable to plan, retain staff, support families or continue urgent work to prevent violence and respond to the harms of ongoing genocide. In British Columbia, we know that the cost of not addressing violence far outweighs investing in systemic prevention. A recent report by the YWCA B.C. found that at a minimum, gender-based violence costs the Province 1.12 billion dollars annually.

In April 2026, Indigenous women’s organizations called for long-term, sustained and equitable funding, noting that short-term funding decisions undermine the very organizations working to prevent violence and support families and survivors. The federal government cannot claim commitment to the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice while allowing the infrastructure required to implement them to erode. The sunsetting of this funding further destabilizes organizations and communities that have carried the burden of advocacy, family support, cultural healing, data collection, policy development, safety planning and frontline crisis response for decades. These are not short-term needs. They are the direct result of long-standing colonial systems, racism, misogyny, poverty, child apprehension, policing failures, housing insecurity, inadequate health and mental health care, and the continued denial of Indigenous women’s, girls’ and two-spirit+ peoples’ rights to safety, dignity, self-determination and life.

The National Inquiry made clear that the violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit+ people is rooted in colonialism and constitutes ongoing genocide. Governments have legal, constitutional and human rights obligations to respond with the urgency and accountability that this crisis demands, including under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice, and the Canadian Charter. Allowing funding to lapse without renewal is incompatible with those obligations.

While we welcome the recent announcement of 607.4 million dollars to advance the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, the MMIWG2S+ crisis requires a distinct urgent response and funding to address the disproportionate violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit+ people. The Coalition urges the Government of Canada to treat MMIWG2S+ funding as essential human rights infrastructure. The federal government must not abandon the organizations, families and grassroots leaders who have built the pathways to safety, justice and healing that Canada itself has failed to provide.

We look forward to your urgent response and request a meeting with you at your earliest opportunity to hear directly from families, survivors and frontline organizations about the impact of funding uncertainty in British Columbia and the urgent need for sustained federal action.

Please direct correspondence to Elena Pennell, UBCIC Sr. Policy Analyst, Women & Girls at [email protected]

Sincerely,

Amnesty International Canada
Atira Women’s Resource Society
Battered Women’s Support Services
BC Civil Liberties Association
BC Native Women’s Association
Debbie Scarborough
First Nations Summit
Ending Violence Association of BC
Indigenous Women Rise Society
Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre
Jenny Kwan, MP
Judy Wilson, Advisory/Knowledge Holder & Advocate
Justice for Girls
Myrna Cranmer, February 14th Memorial March
Protect Our Indigenous Sisters Society
Rise Women’s Legal Centre
Shelagh Day, Chair of the Human Rights Committee, Feminist Alliance for International Action
The Union of BC Indian Chiefs
YWCA BC

Media inquiries:
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, 250-490-5314
Chief Councillor Linda Innes, Vice-President, 778-884-5663
Chief Marilyn Slett, Secretary-Treasurer, 250-957-7721

CC:
Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State
Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue
Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada

Working towards the recognition, implementation and exercise of our inherent Indigenous Title, Rights and Treaty Rights

08/05/2026

The purpose of this survey is to gather current information about First Nations researchers' and organizations' experiences obtaining federal records for claims research, historical research, governance, consultation, litigation, and other matters affecting First Nations rights and interests. This survey focuses primarily on requests made under the Access to Information Act, requests involving the Privacy Act, and informal processes used to obtain federal records.

Since this survey was first conducted by the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) in 2022, First Nations and their representative institutions have continued to call for improvements to Canada's access to information framework. First Nations researchers continue to play a critical role in identifying barriers to accessing federal records.

This survey is being conducted during the Government of Canada’s ongoing review and modernization of the federal access to information framework. As part of its statutory review of the Access to Information Act, the Treasury Board Secretariat has identified “Indigenous access to and protection of information” as an area of focus. The experiences and recommendations documented through this survey will help assess how to address longstanding barriers faced by First Nations in accessing federal records and identify priorities for legislative, policy, and administrative change.

Estimated Time: 35-45 minutes. Please answer based on your own experience and, where appropriate, the experience of your Nation or organization. You may skip any question that does not apply or that you do not wish to answer.

Confidentiality: Survey responses will be reported anonymously. No individual, First Nation, Claims Research Unit, or organization will be identified in public materials without express consent. Please avoid including privileged, confidential, or sensitive details that should not be shared outside your Nation or organization.

For fully completing the survey you will automatically be entered into a draw to win one of three $500 gift cards! Thank you for your participation.

Deadline: August 13th, 2026

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

08/03/2026

Update as of 7:00am, Aug. 3, 2026

Community Update – Emergency Support Services (ESS)

wayʼ Members,

As the emergency response continues, there have been changes to the locations and availability of Emergency Support Services (ESS).

Please note the following updates:

➡️ Beginning this morning at 9:00 a.m., ESS support for OKIB Members will be available at the Fairfield Inn, 5300 Anderson Way, Vernon.

➡️ The City of Vernon ESS Reception Centre at Kal Tire Place will also open at 9:00 a.m. 3445 43rd Ave, Vernon. Culturally appropriate services for OKIB Members are available in the Breakaway Room, located through the North Entrance on the second floor.

➡️ The Animal Auxiliary is set up at the south-west side of Kal Tire Place for all pet services.

➡️ There is also an ESS Reception Centre set up at Westbank Lions Club 2466 Mainstreet, West Kelowna

➡️ The North Okanagan Friendship Center Society (NOFCS) will be open today beginning at 10:00 a.m. for young families and Elders impacted by the wildfire. The centre will provide food, access to its playroom for children, and a place to find respite from the smoke.

➡️ The Elks Lodge Reception Centre has now closed.

➡️ Housing and accommodations through the Métis Association are no longer available, as that facility has been deactivated.

If you have been evacuated and have not yet registered with Emergency Support Services (ESS), please do so as soon as possible.

Registering with ESS helps ensure you can access available supports, including accommodations, meals, financial assistance, and other services, while also helping emergency officials account for those displaced by the wildfire.

People can register through the BC Services app or online at https://ess.gov.bc.ca/

Further updates will be shared through the Okanagan Indian Band's official communication channels as they become available.

08/03/2026

way' Members,

Please see the following message from the Penticton Indian Band - Public

The Penticton Indian Band is preparing an Evacuation Reception Centre to support our neighbours from Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) – Bradley Fire who have been impacted by the current evacuation orders and alerts.

Evacuation Reception & Registration Centre:

Little Paws Daycare - 140 Outma Sqilx'w Pl, Penticton, BC V2A 0E3
Open today from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM

All evacuees are asked to register upon arrival at Little Paws Daycare Activation Centre, including those arriving with an RV.

Needed Donations

We are currently seeking the following items to help support evacuees and their families:
• Air mattresses
• Bed sheets
• Pillows
• Blankets
Your donations will help provide a safe and comfortable temporary stay for those displaced from their homes.

RV Parking

RV parking is available at the Lower Outma Parking Lot (291 Outma Sqilx'w Pl, Penticton) or PIB Ball Park (Located on the Lower Reserve)

Evacuees arriving with RVs please register at the Little Paws Daycare Activation Centre before proceeding to the RV parking area. You can call or text Lesley Gabriel (250) 809-1895 to register.

We thank our community members for coming together during this emergency. Your generosity, kindness, and support make a meaningful difference for families facing a difficult and uncertain time.

For additional information or assistance, for Donation Drop off and/or Pick Up, please contact the Penticton Indian Band Emergency Operations Centre Liaison – Lesley Gabriel (250) 809-1895

Limləmt / Thank you
PIB