The Strathcona Regional District has received a grant from the province’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF) for Indigenous Cultural Safety training.
The $254,000 grant supports the importance of community salvaging and culturally sensitive artifacts post-disaster.
A key outcome of the grant funding is developing a progressive pilot training program entitled ‘Sacred Belongings: Salvage, Restoration and Recovery’.
Facilitated by professionals from the BC Heritage and Emergency Response Network (BCHERN), 5 workshops will be offered to First Nations throughout Vancouver Island providing the hands-on skills necessary to salvage community and generational artifacts after a flood or fire.
The goals of the workshops include training a new group of First Nations responders as a sacred cultural item salvage strike team.
They’ll also provide guidance to the network with developing emergency salvage guidance documents for baskets, masks, carvings, drums, feathers, regalia, and other items of cultural significance.
The SRD partnered with five First Nations, four villages and the Comox Valley Regional District on the grant, which SRD Chair Mark Baker says will support Truth and Reconciliation initiatives throughout and beyond the SRD.
Currently, the Disaster Financial Assistance process does not properly account for or consider the sacred value of culturally important belongings to First Nations.
First Nations attendees will share their knowledge and educate Disaster Recovery Staff from the Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Ministry on how to identify the recovery gaps for culturally sensitive items.
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