Whereas the Province of BC is implementing the 10 Principles within the Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act DRIPA and local governments and Indigenous organizations are collectively working towards reconciliation actions; And whereas many local governments and Indigenous organizations do not have the capacity for the extensive work required for effective partnership building in the spirit of reconciliation: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Province of BC provide an ongoing funding stream for local governments and Indigenous partners to advance the Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and local reconciliation actions.
Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs The ministry appreciates that local governments, and First Nations need capacity for engagement and working towards reconciliation. The Community-to-Community C2C Forum program includes criteria scope for proponent local governments and First Nations to work on events or projects to advance DRIPA and reconciliation. Funded by the ministry and Indigenous Services Canada, for over 25 years, the C2C Forum program has played a critical role in funding events so local governments and First Nations can build relationships, support reconciliation efforts, and resolve issues of common interest. The program has a wide scope so communities can discuss and work on economic, environmental, health, and safety matters. More recently, additional funding has helped to widen the scope of the program to include the advancement of tangible outcomes. These include: the development of agreements such as protocols, MOUs, and service agreements, joint plans, andor strategies that advance First Nationlocal government reconciliation and relationship building. To date, the program has funded nearly 700 events across the province. The genesis of the program came from the first province-wide C2C Forum in January 1997.