Our people of the South Island First Nations have never relinquished our inherent jurisdiction and responsibility for our children and families. We have our own laws and traditional ways of caring for our children
We raise our hands to Theresa James
for providing this picture of p̓aačiidʔaaʔtx territory
WHO IS SIIA
SIIA is a planning organization, supporting the South Island journey to regain jurisdiction over child and family services.
The Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families allows our communities to control and govern our child and family services, and to create our own Indigenous law to replace the current law created by the government of British Columbia. SIIA is working to develop our own Indigenous Child and Family law and to design a way of delivering services that are grounded in the values, traditions, and cultures of the South Island. We are doing research and talking to people in our communities, making sure the law and our services are based on our own culture and needs. This work will create a better path forward for this generation, and for future generations. The new law will allow our communities to develop a child and family services system that is governed by our people, for our people.
PADDLING TOGETHER FOR JURISDICTION
As of February 8, 2024, SIIA is pleased to release our DRAFT Legislation to the public for your information and for community consultation. In the coming week, we will also be releasing a simpler, easier-to-read Legislation Overview document that will highlight key elements in the new Law.
The Technical Report we released in November last year further details the information contained in our DRAFT Legislation and aligns that information with the several decades of community discussions that have been had on how the South Island Nations and their Guest Communities would like to assume jurisdiction and control of their child and family services. We also have created an easier-to-read Overview document of our Technical Document.
Taking what we have been told about traditional and current ways our community cares for children, our SIIA Team has drafted these documents as our translation of that learning into a way of doing the business of assuming jurisdiction. Our intention is for both of them to open discussion in the community about the model that came out of the consultation, and to confirm or amend the model as the community sees fit.
There are many pathways to provide services to our communities. We need the communities to direct us on the preferred path as we move forward.
Aunties Gathering 2022
Latest News
Lekwungen Engagement Update (Summer 2024)
SIIA remains committed to engaging with and working in collaboration with our Lekwungen communities. From Fall 2022- Summer 2023, SIIA engaged in extensive community engagement with the Lekwungen communities. This engagement took many forms, including of...