Our Governance

Our Current Governance Model

South Island Indigenous Authority is a not-for-profit society registered under the B.C. Societies Act. 

SIIA is governed by a Board of Directors made up of representatives from each of our six Member Nations, alongside representatives from three urban Indigenous agency partners. Together, this Board reflects the diverse voices and realities of our communities—both on and off territory—as we work toward a stronger, Nation-led future for our children and families.

  • Councilor Debra Lazzar (T’Sou-ke)

  • Chief Arliss Daniels (Pacheedaht) 

  • Chief Tanya Jimmy (W̱SÍ,KEM)

  • Councilor Jeanine Cooper (W̱JOȽEȽP) 

  • Councilor Gary Albany(Songhees)

Our current Board of Directors is composed of the following individuals:

  • Chief Russell Chipps (SĆIȺNEW)

  • Jennifer Chuckry (Surrounded by Cedar E.D.)

  • Ron Rice (Victoria Native Friendship Centre E.D.)

  • Kendra Gage (Hulitan E.D.)

Evolving Governance

Our current governance structure is temporary and will evolve as SIIA transitions into a service oversight and administration organization. While SIIA may continue to operate as a non-profit society, there will be a Board of Directors designed quite differently from our current planning board, and our future governance model will shift to ensure transparency, accountability, and to avoid conflicts of interest—particularly around funding allocation.

As outlined in our Draft Law, our future structure includes:

  • A Board of Directors, who will be an 'expert board', to oversee operations.

  • A Representative Council, composed of leaders from our Member Nations, to oversee our practice.

  • A Council of Indigenous Guests, reflecting our commitment to caring for those living on our territories

  • An Elders Council, to ground our work in wisdom and cultural knowledge

  • A Youth Council, to ensure the voices of young people are heard and valued

These bodies will help guide and inform SIIA’s work as we move forward in a way that reflects our values, our laws, and our shared responsibilities. 

Explore our graphic below to see what our future governance structure will look like:

Representative Council:

Under our future governance model, the Representative Council will consist of one representative from each Member Nation, to be appointed by the Council of each Member Nation, and three additional representatives for the Indigenous Guest Community, to be appointed by the Council of Indigenous Guests. 

Council of Indigenous Guests: 

Under our future governance model, a Council of Indigenous Guests will be established to represent the interests of the Indigenous Guest Community. The Council of Indigenous Guests will consist of five representatives who are not members of the Member Nations, and are to be appointed by the Representative Council.   

SIIA Directors:

An expert board of seven (7) SIIA Directors will be established under our future governance model to manage the business and affairs of SIIA. The board of SIIA Directors will be appointed, from time to time, by the Representative Council.