Inventory of Aboriginal Services, Issues and Initiatives in Vancouver: Introduction

The City of Vancouver is committed to working with Vancouver’s Aboriginal communities and helping the communities to achieve its goals.  There are a number of ways that the City can do this, including:

1. Information sharing (keeping community apprised of initiatives and opportunities)
2. Support (letters, resources, meetings, networking)
3. Partnerships (e.g.: Native Youth Centre development)
4. Funding  (community service grants, other grants, land)
5. Advocacy
6. Employment
7. Capacity building

The information presented in this manual is meant to provide City staff with a broad overview of the activities and stakeholders within the Aboriginal communities living in Vancouver so that we can make informed decisions about how we might be able to support their priorities.   

The manual is comprised of three sections that were developed in a way that allows for easy access and understanding.  The three sections include:

1. Background Information and Ways that COV Can Contribute - - provides context for the Coast Salish First Nations connected directly to Vancouver, including historical and political overviews and sources for community engagement. This section also identifies meaningful ways in which the city can immediately develop and strengthen ties to Vancouver Aboriginal communities in order to help them achieve their goals. Readers should keep these items in mind when reading the Context Documents section of this manual in order to help them identify how they might provide support in each area.
2. Context Documents – covers twenty-one broad areas such as Employment, Housing & Homelessness, and Youth.  The information is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather to provide City staff with a good overview of the current issues, initiatives, and stakeholders in the various communities regarding these broad issues.  Each document provides an overview of the category including stats and commentary, a listing of key stakeholders, partnerships, committees, trends, and gaps. ‘Who’s Involved?’ includes both Aboriginal organizations and those non-Aboriginal organizations that are known to actively work with and/or provide services to Aboriginal communities.
3. Contact Information – all organizations listed, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, are listed with address, phone numbers, fax, email, and website.

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