In 2019-2020, the BCAAFC embarked on a mission to identify needs, priorities, gaps, promising practices, and recommendations related to the health and wellness of urban Indigenous peoples in BC. This work is a response to the pressing mental health and substance use issues – notably the opioid crisis BC has been facing since 2016 – that disproportionately affects Indigenous peoples living off-reserve and in urban areas.
The Urban Indigenous Wellness Report, informed by the collective experience and expertise of individuals within the BC Friendship Centre movement, lays the foundation and necessary groundwork for how we achieve transformational change that contributes to healthy and thriving Indigenous communities. In order to improve health outcomes of urban Indigenous peoples, it requires all partners and stakeholders to come to the table and work together.
Extreme Heat Resources
Extreme heat events are becoming more common and more severe. BCAAFC, alongside the BC Centre for Disease Control, First Nations Health Authority, Métis Nation in BC and the BC Government have developed Indigenous-specific extreme heat resources. Please feel free to print these resources as posters for your Friendship Centre or place of work. Please reach out to our Emergency Planner Alison Poste (emergency@bcaafc.com) for further guidance on extreme heat preventative measures for your Friendship Centre:
Tobacco Timeout Challenge: Annual Challenge!
On February 2, quit commercial tobacco for 24 hours with hundreds of other people across BC. Enter online for the chance to win a prize for participating.
Counselling for MMIWG Impacted Individuals
Free counselling services in BC are available to survivors, family members and individuals affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. People of all genders are encouraged to connect to this counselling. Individuals do not need to have status and can live on or off reserve.
Individuals who would like to access counselling are encouraged to connect directly with a mental health provider from the above list to schedule an appointment. The provider directly bills FNHA, so there is no upfront cost to the individual to access counselling.
First Nations Treatment Centres in BC: Haisla, Armstrong, Vanderhoof, Port Alberni, Alert Bay, Williams Lake, Dawson Creek, Lantzville, Agassiz, Kitwanga.
Suicide Awareness
Suicide is a leading cause of death among First Nation, Inuit, and Métis youth in Canada (BMC Public Health, 2018).
Hope, Help and Healing: A planning toolkit for First Nations and Aboriginal communities to prevent and respond to suicide (First Nations Health Authority, 2015).
Together to Live: A toolkit for addressing youth suicide in your community.
