The B.C. government has opened five new Indigenous Justice Centres across the province, aimed at expanding culturally safe access to Indigenous-led legal supports and services.
The new centres are in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Surrey and Kelowna, as the government works toward meeting its commitments under the B.C. First Nations Justice Strategy.
Each will also help connect clients to housing, mental health supports, addictions treatment and employment services.
BC First Nations Justice Council chair Puglid Kory Wilson said the expansion brings “hope and excitement” as the centres work to “disrupt the status quo” of a “broken system.”
“We know that together we can get through this,” she said, referencing the lasting impacts of colonization that have left Indigenous Peoples disproportionately represented in the justice system.
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“It’s not just about revitalizing and systemically changing the criminal justice system, but it’s about revitalizing Indigenous ways of knowing and being, and our traditions and our system.”
According to the B.C. government, Indigenous Peoples make up five per cent of the province’s population but account for about 30 per cent of those incarcerated provincially.
The new urban centres were established in the span of a year with support from local First Nations and Indigenous communities and organizations. Other Indigenous Justice Centres are operating online, in Chilliwack, Prince Rupert, Prince George and Merritt.
Each has what Wilson describes as a “strong team of lawyers, elders, knowledge keepers and outreach workers.”
At the Vancouver press conference, Attorney General Niki Sharma said she hopes the centres “revitalize legal traditions.” The province hopes to bring the total number of centres to 15 by the end of 2025, she added.
“By moving away from foreign processes that lead to over-incarceration, the strategy improves access to culturally relevant justice services, and ultimately strengthens communities and improves outcomes for Indigenous people interacting with the system,” Sharma said.
Since last year, the B.C. government says more than 500 people have been supported by Indigenous Justice Centres in the province.