BC Cabinet and Advancing Economic First Nations ... › ... · 1 Advancing Economic Development Opportunities BC Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering 2019. As many of you
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1 Advancing Economic Development Opportunities BC Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering 2019
As many of you may be aware, and that I have updated a number of times in my term, the Economic Development and Fiscal Relations Strategy has guided the work of BCAFN related to Economic Development for the last 3 years. We have completed that term, and have another 2 year commitment on this work, and for this presentation I wanted to update specifically on one aspect of this work. �I’m pleased to have the Co-Chair of the Champions Table joining me today for this update, President and CEO of the Business Council of BC, Greg D’Avignon.
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Deliverables Status
• BCAFN Economic Development Toolkit, the “Black Books”
• BCAFN Business Forums- both past and upcoming
• Champions Table• VIU Intern Program• Tsilhqot’in Pilot Project• Ongoing Opportunities
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Those 3 deliverables include: BCAFN Economic Development Toolkit, also known as the Black Books. BCAFN Business Forums held in Prince George on the 19th and 20th of February, with a 130 participants hearing from experts, leaders and entrepreneurs on a wide variety of business matters for First Nations in BC. We hosted another business forum in Vancouver last month, following the WIBF. We are in the process of planning our third forum, to be held in Prince George. Part of this forum will address how Bill-41: Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in BC Act as it relates to business activities in the province as we are hopeful for the passing of the UN Declaration next week. The Champions Table update that will look at the Intern Program, the Tsilhqot’in Pilot Project and touch on some of the upcoming opportunities. Greg D’Avignon, my co-chair on this initiative will be providing this update with me.
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•Builds upon the Red Books: First Nations Governance Toolkit
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The BLACK BOOKS BCAFN Economic Development Guidebooks
Presenter
Presentation Notes
(BACK TO RC) Continuation from the former regional chief Jody Wilson-Raybould’s Red Books. Builds from regional sessions. A first draft was brought back to communities for consultation on the content before finalizing.
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•Blackbooks are based on the feedback from First Nations (over 16 regional engagement sessions, in addition to the 8 recent sessions).
•Designed for First Nations leaders, First Nations entrepreneurs, and First Nations owned companies
•First Draft was released in Spring 2019
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The BLACK BOOKS BCAFN Economic Development Guidebooks
Presenter
Presentation Notes
(BACK TO RC) Final draft rolling out in the next couple of weeks with the first regional rollout session to take place in December. I am excited to present this resource to First Nations in order to provide frameworks and context for Indigenous economic development in BC as a pathway to parity with our non-Indigenous counterparts and an opportunity to alleviate socio-economic challenges. After a lot of development time, now a product to bring to communities and have in people’s hands. This is a tool to be used for economic reconciliation. Please stay tuned for Save the Dates for rollout sessions that will train communities on how to use this resource.
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“RECOGNIZING AND ACCELERATING THE OPPORTUNITIESAND ECONOMIC RECONCILIATION BETWEEN FIRSTNATIONS AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN BC”
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• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) - signed in 2016
• Champions Table Membership: Chiefs and Industry Leaders - 11 from BCBC and 11 from BCAFN
(Co-Chairs RC Teegee and BCBC President Greg D’Avignon)
• Creates a unique space to advance sustainable economic development, capacity and discuss
issues affecting First Nations in BC
Champions Table Meeting with BC Premier and Key Ministers. 2018
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Greg - (Open up with an Introduction and your experience at the Champions Table?) The MOU firms up the relationship, and defines the goal to Recognize and Accelerate the Opportunities and Economic Reconciliation between First Nations and the Business Community in British Columbia” Other primary aspects of the MOU focus on respectfully engaging to create a formal ongoing dialogue between First Nation leaders and business leaders to discuss the facets needed for sustainable economic reconciliation. This will include building greater understanding and capacity, clarity and certainty of decision making, stronger relationships, and putting forward tangible solutions for First Nations, governments and business to act upon.
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Indigenous Intern Leadership Program
• Hosted by VIU, Internship opportunities for Indigenous Post Secondary students with prominent BC Companies across the province and sectors.
Pilot Project (2019-2020)• Working with Tsilhqot’in to develop supports needed for economic
development on their title lands and on title lands projects in development.6
Champions Table Results
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Greg – The VIU program provides the opportunity for Indigenous graduates to be placed in a variety of top businesses throughout BC. It’s important to note that VIU is the host, but they are connecting with universities throughout the province to ensure that this program can be accessed by as many students as possible. The BCBC associated companies have been finding ways to take on these Interns, and at the same time engaging other companies and organizations to do the same. Qualifying Indigenous post-secondary graduates apply for intern positions in prominent BC companies for a two-year period at the employers’ expense.
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• Initiated a pilot project at the invitation of the Tsilhqot’in
• In March 2019, the Champions Table went up to Tsilhqot’in territory to
discuss economic development opportunities on the community’s terms
• Ongoing conversations and establishing conditions for success through
Spring and Summer 2019
• Potential fit found for a nature based solutions project
that will meet the needs of Tsilhqot’in and recognize the
role that natural ecosystems play in mitigating climate
change
Pilot Project With Tsilhqot’in
Presenter
Presentation Notes
We heard that First Nations had vibrant economies prior to contact. At the intersection of our ‘traditional economies’ and the ‘mainstream economy’ there are opportunities to: Develop our own First Nation institutions and ; Implement our own tax regimes and fiscal arrangements such as the Aboriginal Resource Tax; Build up, and if necessary re-establish, our own decision-making structures and create economic self-sufficiency that will benefit current and future generations while never ceding or surrendering our title or rights.
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Outcome of the Pilot Project• Economic development strategy that includes a shared decision-making model, capacity
building, including capital
• It is the hope of the Champions Table that this model can be used and scaled by other First
Nations and businesses when conducting economic development activities on First Nation
territories
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Presenter
Presentation Notes
The outcome of this pilot program will be an economic development strategy for the Tsilhqot’in Nation that includes a shared decision-making model. It is hoped that this model can then be used by other businesses and First Nations when conducting economic development activities on First Nations territories. We will document the processes undertaken in this pilot and develop a ground-level “how-to” playbook that is a best practice that other businesses can look at and get an understanding around how to initiate conversations and proceed through to the project stage. This case study could be added to the BCAFN Economic Development Toolkit (“Black Books”) as a best practice to demonstrate a tangible example of shared decision making to show investors that projects can happen in B.C. with First Nations as true decision-making partners.
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The Opportunity
“We’ve got a table here and Chiefs with years of expertise doing largeprojects, EA, CEAA, community-based projects – we could end up with aprocess that streamlines the process of how to get things done…. There couldbe a comparative advantage here by how we can respect and protect theland, people and society, and still get things done within a timely, efficient,and thoughtful manner.”
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- Participant, initial consultation session with Tsilhqot’in Chief and Council, March 2019
Presenter
Presentation Notes
RC – In addition to the opportunity as described by the participant quoted here, BCAFN will work to create some learnings, and be able to share this throughout the province.
