News & Media

About BC Friendship Centres

If you are a member of the media and are looking for comment, please contact communications@bcaafc.com.
The official spokesperson for the BCAAFC is Leslie Varley (Executive Director).
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Recent Posts

Join us on June 1, 2021 from 8AM-4PM PST for a virtual conference! Presented by the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, in partnership with Safespace Networks and San'yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training What do we want access to healthcare to look like in five years? How do we get there? Join us for a generative conversation on action towards
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Media Release                                                                                   April 23, 2021 Smithers, British Columbia – Six Indigenous residents have died at a BC Housing facility located in Smithers within the past 12 months—marking the highest number of annual deaths to occur at one facility within the province. Local community members feel that the deaths are connected to a lack of culturally safe housing programs for
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Media Release April 15, 2021 Coast Salish Territory – The British Columbia Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC), Métis Nation BC (MNBC), the First Nations Health Council (FNHC), the First Nations Health Directors Association (FNHDA), and the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), are responding to questions posed by some members of the public asking why Indigenous people are a higher
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A new tool to report racism within B.C.’s healthcare system The ‘SafeSpace’ App allows Indigenous people to report racism within the healthcare system without fear of backlash. Leslie Varley of the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centre explains how the app works.
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The BCAAFC was honoured to host the Indigenous Birthworkers Forum with BC Association of Pregnancy Outreach Programs (BCAPOP) on February 23! Massive thanks to our Advisory Group for overseeing and guiding the delivery of the Indigenous Birthworkers Forum. ⁣ ⁣ The forum included presentations and trainings to support inclusivity, maintain integrity and honour the health, wellbeing and safety of Indigenous
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We at the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) congratulate Joanne Mills, former Executive Director of the Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association (FRAFCA), on her new role as Executive Director of Indigenous Relations at Community Living BC (CLBC). Joanne Mills is a member of Fisher River Cree Nation with ties to Skidegate. Her proactive leadership at FRAFCA can
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**ACTION NEEDED BY JANUARY 10, 2021** In the midst of a global movement to combat racism and police brutality and defund police forces across so-called “North America”, the City of Victoria is proposing a 1.5% increase to the Victoria Police Department’s operating budget for 2021, which amounts to $60.7 million or 23% of their $255.9 million budget. When other city
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News Release VICTORIA – Indigenous peoples living in urban areas are receiving increased supports to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic through new provincial funding for friendship centres throughout B.C. “The COVID-19 pandemic has tested everyone in ways we never imagined, and Indigenous peoples living in urban areas are relying on the help offered by friendship centres at unprecedented
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We at the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) congratulate the Government of B.C.’s new cabinet members on their positions. We raise our hands in the Coast Salish way, in respect and appreciation for the work of Premier John Horgan and the previous Ministers. The BCAAFC looks forward to working with Minister Murray Rankin and the newly appointed cabinet
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News Release B.C. – November 23, 2020 – On this week dedicated to national conversations on substance use – National Addictions Awareness Week – the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) released the Urban Indigenous Wellness Report: A BC Friendship Centre Perspective. The report is informed by the collective experience and expertise of individuals within urban Indigenous communities across
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