B.C. Announces $3 Million to Support Safety and Protection for Indigenous Women and Girls.
FORT NELSON, B.C. — The Government of British Columbia has announced a $3-million investment through the Canada–B.C. Agreement on Gender-Based Violence to combat violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit+ individuals. The funding launches a new pilot project and expands existing Indigenous-led safety initiatives across the province.
The funding includes two targeted allocations:
- Missing Indigenous Person Notification Pilot: $600,000 to design a rapid-response alert system. The system will be developed in partnership with participating First Nations, community members, Elders, and knowledge keepers to improve critical response times when individuals go missing. Discussions are underway to finalize participating Nations.
- Path Forward Community Fund: More than $1 million to expand local safety programs. This builds on a $22-million investment since 2022 that has backed over 100 Indigenous-led projects, including outreach services and community safety teams.
"It’s crucial that we work alongside Indigenous communities in B.C. to address violence and make communities safer," said Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety.
The announcement coincides with the release of the 2026 Path Forward Impact Report, marking seven years since the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. While provincial leaders acknowledge significant work remains, they reaffirmed their commitment to long-term, Indigenous-led solutions to improve safety outcomes across British Columbia.
-with files from M. Popove/CJDC
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