Province provides $5M for Indigenous communities to develop their own safety planning programs

B.C.'s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth announced Monday it would provide $5.34 million to Indigenous communities and organizations to help end violence against Indigenous people, in particular women and girls.

The B.C. government's decision to put a fund for Indigenous safety planning in the hands of an Indigenous-led organization was hailed as a step toward reconciliation for the province.

The province will provide the funds to the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) to manage and distribute grants to Indigenous organizations under the Path Forward Community Fund.

Projects that are eligible for the grants include support for hosting planning sessions, culturally appropriate safety trainingand healing and cultural supports.

Barb Ward-Burkitt, a longtime advocate and chair of the minister's Advisory Council on Indigenous Women, says the money will provide opportunitiesto develop programs and services specific to communities and she expects a variety of initiatives.

"Many friendship centres have really good working relations with the First Nations that are around their urban communities," said Ward-Burkitt.

Leslie Varley, the executive director of the B.C. Association ofAboriginal Friendship Centres, says it is an opportunity to developprovincewide help for Indigenous women and girls.

The B.C. government says the fund advances priorities identifiedin the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing andMurdered Indigenous Women and Girls as well as its commitments in a2019 plan to end violence against Indigenous people.

Varley says Indigenous women and girls have been the targets ofviolence by those who have preyed on their colonial poverty whenthey should have been protected.

"Until now, we've had to go through mainstream organizations toprotect and support our women and girls,'' she said. "That clearlyhasn't worked for us.''