In a bid to improve the justice system for Indigenous people, the Premier of British Columbia, David Eby, has announced the creation of five new Indigenous Justice Centres (IJCs). These centres, which are located in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Surrey, and Kelowna, are designed to offer culturally safe legal support and services as part of a partnership with the First Nations Justice Council.
The initiative is triggered by a pressing need to tackle the excessive incarceration rates of Indigenous people in B.C. Indigenous people constitute only 5% of B.C.’s population but account for around 30% of the incarcerated population. The new IJCs aim to tackle this disparity by providing services to Indigenous people encountering criminal or child protection legal matters. By focusing on the root causes of their involvement, these centres seek to prevent future interactions with the justice system, thereby fostering safer communities.
With the addition of these new centres, there are now nine IJCs in total, including those previously established in Chilliwack, Prince Rupert, Prince George, and Merritt. A virtual justice centre also provides services across the province, ensuring that assistance is accessible to Indigenous individuals regardless of their location.
The expansion of these Indigenous-led centres is in tune with the broader commitment of the province to advance reconciliation under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. These centres are major components of the BC First Nations Justice Strategy and the Safer Communities Action Plan, which symbolizes the province’s commitment to transformative change and reconciliation.
