“Monumental Step” Made as Six New Indigenous Justice Centres Officially Open Across B.C

A new Indigenous Justice Centre has officially opened its doors in Williams Lake, part of what the provincial government and B.C. First Nations Justice Council(BCFNJC) calls a “monumental first step.”

The new centre in the Lake City is one of six new centres that opened this afternoon. An opening ceremony was held in Kamloops’ new centre, with B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma and many Indigenous Elders, taking the stage to commemorate the event.

“It fills my heart with joy to share the stage with these leaders that have put so much effort and time into this,” says Sharma. “Today marks a significant achievement, opening these six new Indigenous Justice Centres and fulfilling our commitment to 15 centres across B.C.”

“It’s quite remarkable,” Sharma continued. “This is an example of what we can achieve when we work together. Working with First Nations to figure out what they need to be serving people in their communities and these centre. It’s never been done in the history of the province.”

Including Williams Lake, the other five new centres are located in Kamloops, Cranbrook, Port Hardy, Fort St. John, and a shared location in for Burns Lake and Hazelton.

Cedar Dodd, of the BCFNJC, says that a lot of time and effort went into consulting at each location to determine the unique circumstances in the individual communities.

“We held a community consultation with various groups and nations. Williams Lake is a hub for a bunch of nations that all have different needs,” says Dodd. “Most importantly for us[the BCFNJC] my opinion, is making the contacts and connections within the community and trying to listen to the people who live in the community and surrounding nations about what the actual needs are on the ground, and being responsive to those needs.”

The Williams Lake Indigenous Justice Centre is located on 1st Avenue, between Oliver Street and Yorsten Street. Dodd says finding a central location, that is easy to find was key to the BCFNJC for each justice centre.

Dodd feels this is a major step for British Columbia’s justice system, but says this is only “the tip of the iceberg” when considering the cultural issues still within the province.

“It represents a seismic shift in the way that Indigenous People interact with the justice system. But keeping things in perspective and being realistic, we are still working and doing the best that we can within the colonial justice system. But this is like opening a door to an opportunity to change justice as we see it. Incorporating cultural elements and senses of traditional justice. The idea is to make justice more representative of Indigenous values in B.C.”