BC First Nations Justice Council Opens First Four Indigenous Justice Centres in BC

First Nations residents in BC will now have previously unprecedented access to legal and justice supports.

Today, the BC First Nations Justice Council officially opened their first four Indigenous Justice Centres.

Those centres look to provide culturally appropriate support, advice, and representation to Indigenous Peoples at the community level.

Indigenous Peoples are overrepresented in Canada’s criminal justice system, largely due to long lasting trauma from atrocities such as Residential Schools, the Highway of Tears, and systemic discrimination from law enforcement.

Add in that the system can be difficult to navigate at times for even the most astute legal academics, and you begin to see the full picture.

Now, the Centres will look to reduce the barriers that limit access to the colonial justice system for Indigenous residents.

Centres are now open in Prince Rupert, at 515 3rd Avenue West, Prince George, Merritt, and online through a fourth, virtual, centre.

Last week, Ottawa announced an additional 8.9 million dollars in funding to help establish more of such centres across BC.

You can follow this link to find more info, and locations for all three physical centres.