Council approves new Indigenous reconciliation framework

During its August 26 meeting, Burnaby City Council approved a new proposed framework for reconciliation with the city’s four host nations, the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil Waututh, and Kwikwetlem nations. An 11-page report submitted to council outlined the framework and the proposed strategy’s aims. 

The new framework will be temporary while staff engage with host nations to create a long-term strategy. According to the report, using language and symbolism associated with Indigenous cultures is the first step in the process.

“The intent would be to implement this proposed framework on an interim basis, while staff engage on the interim policy with host Nations and Indigenous Peoples living in Burnaby to co-develop a final framework to guide the City in advancing reconciliation,” the report said.  

According to the council report, the new strategy will aim to build government-to-government relationships with host Nations based on recognizing Indigenous rights. It will consider the host nations whose unceded and traditional territory Burnaby is now located on.

The city also intends to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples according to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: Calls to Justice. 

The stated reason for the strategy is “to come to terms with events of the past and to proactively develop respectful and mutually beneficial relationships based on truth, justice, and reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Peoples that will support a prosperous and just future for all.”

According to the report, the framework will be supported by “posts” representing Coast Salish house posts. The three posts are: 

• Indigenous Human Rights and Recognition

• Truth, Awareness, Knowledge, and Capacity

• Unity

Each post comprises several concrete actions the city intends to take to further reconciliation. These actions include addressing systemic racism, training staff, hiring more Indigenous staff members, and supporting Indigenous arts and culture. 

316 years of service

During the Aug. 26 meeting, Coun. Richard Lee announced the retirement of 12 City of Burnaby employees, adding that they had retired after 316 years of service combined. Lee read out the list of names during the meeting. 

The list of retirees consisted of staff members who had retired from service during April and May 2024 and had consented to have their names and a summary of their service published in the council report. 

The retirees include the senior manager of learning services, an IT team lead, a solid waste and recycling services coordinator, and a senior real property administrator. 

Mission Possible proposes a partnership with Burnaby

During the meeting, a non-profit and social enterprise organization, Mission Possible, presented a proposal for the city to partner with them in providing job opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and other issues. 

“​​Our four-stage program offers paid work as its most critical and impactful experience for our participants,” said Matthew Smedley, executive director of Mission Possible. 

Smedley added that the non-profit provides maintenance, landscaping, graffiti removal, and other services for commercial and institutional clients. It also has a “clean team” with 70 employees “with barriers to employment” who clean public spaces and work with municipalities. 

“The individuals participating in our employment readiness program and working in our clean team are challenged with things like trauma, mental health issues, disabilities, and other barriers that make it difficult to land a job in mainstream employment. So we have tailored our program and our jobs to be accessible to a broad demographic,” Smedley said. 

Smedley added that in addition to helping people with issues preventing their regular employment, Mission Possible also helps clean up litter and waste in cities. He said that in the last fiscal year, the clean team had collected and disposed of 28,508 bags of litter, 50,000 needles, and 500,000 single-use containers. 

Smedley offered the city a free trial cleaning service. After the free trial, the city would have to pay for the clean team’s services. 

Coun. Pietro Calendino expressed concern about the cost and asked how Mission Possible funded its work with the City of Vancouver. 

“We’re a privately funded charity. We’re not funded by the city, but the work that we do, the cleaning services, are funded by the City of Vancouver. That’s essentially a fee for service but comes through as a grant to a non-profit. That’s the way the City of Vancouver has arranged it,” Smedley said. 

He added that Mission Possible also has commercial property clients who pay for the clean team’s services, similar to a regular cleaning business. 

Council referred the proposal to staff to speak with the Mission Possible representatives and explore options.

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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