How are we working together?
Initial work on Action 4.23 is taking place within the B.C. government, centered on reviews of programs, services and potential funding sources. Informal surveys about administrative processes such as contractual arrangement types, reporting requirements, and engagement themes have been conducted within the B.C. government. A database tool has been designed to assist in gathering information from ministries related to delivering programs, funding models and engagement themes. Throughout the process of this work, government anticipates working with partners such as urban Indigenous organizations to share findings, evaluate processes and work in partnership whenever possible.
The Provincial Urban Leaders Working Group is comprised of Urban Indigenous partners, the Ministries of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and was created to support implementation of Action 4.21. The Working Group’s workplan and actions reflect recommendations from early engagement with urban Indigenous organizations, including the importance of creating opportunities to ensure urban Indigenous voices are incorporated into the Province’s programs, policies and to co-develop a path forward through continued engagement.
While the Working Group is directly linked to Action 4.21, It’s through this relationship that discussions and engagement have occurred that has helped define the scope of the work, and potential focus areas of Action 4.23.
The findings of the data gathered to support Action 4.23 will lead to the development of a plan with clear timelines that will provide greater collaboration and coordination to meet needs. This may include a review of existing materials, committees, forums, as well as surveys and interviews and products and technology available with external providers. Factors for consideration in this work include: working with Indigenous-led partner organizations where applicable, the scope of work, working within the context of a distinctions-based approach, programs and policies that support or are likely to have an impact on Indigenous people, as well as consideration for programming not specifically for Indigenous people, but with a disproportionate impact or uptake by Indigenous people.
Are there challenges?
Capacity to resource this work and funding to continue to engage potential partners on the work are potential challenges that the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation is working to mitigate by exploring relationships with partner ministries doing similar projects.
Highlights
Initial work is underway to undertake a cross-government review of provincial supports and services for Indigenous Peoples in urban settings. Much of what is currently occurring involves collaboration between B.C. government ministries to evaluate what funding, programs and supports currently exists.
In doing this review, employees have recently learned of other information-gathering initiatives in government that may assist with how government shares information about available supports with Indigenous organizations. Although this work is in early stages, preliminary conversations have yielded excitement about what the findings of this review may reveal and the direction the work may take once partners are collaboratively working with government. This will lead to the development of a plan with clear timelines that will provide greater collaboration and coordination to meet the needs of urban Indigenous people. This may include a review of existing materials, committees, forums, as well as surveys and interviews and products and technology available with external providers.
Factors for consideration in this work include: working with Indigenous-led partner organizations where applicable, the scope of work, working within the context of a distinctions-based approach, programs and policies that support or are likely to have an impact on Indigenous people, as well as consideration for programming not specifically for Indigenous people, but with a disproportionate impact or uptake by Indigenous people.