SD61 Indigenous Education Council wants to be consulted on any safety plan changes

The Indigenous Education Council, which works with the Greater Victoria School District (61), is calling for better communication and consultation on decision-making after finding out B.C. reversed the dismissal of the district board through the media, not the education ministry.

A joint statement signed by Esquimalt, Songhees and Métis representatives, along with Urban Peoples House Indigenous Advisory chair Ron Rice, lays out concerns over the province not consulting them on a decision of this magnitude and calls for clear communication on “the ongoing student safety plan, governance oversight and transition process.”

In an on-air interview, Rice told CFAX 1070 that a lack of consultation with Indigenous rightsholders played a role in the very issues that led up to the minister firing the school board in December 2024.

“Here we are again, but this time at the hands of the ministry. It struck us as, of course, shocking. It’s starting to feel a little familiar,” he said.

“The very thing that is a criticism for the returning board is the action that is being taken by the province now. To exclude us from even a heads up, or ‘here is the statement,’ or, you know, they have huge communications teams—it would not have been hard to send a note. To be scrambling around trying to find this information creates an unnecessary sense of fear and panic. And I don’t think that’s what we need at this point.”

Four days into the board’s reinstatement, they had not had an opportunity to speak with the returning trustees, Rice said. The Indigenous Education Council wants to be involved in any decisions to modify the district safety plan it helped develop, which includes school police liaison officers.

In a written statement to CFAX 1070, the province’s education minister says she understands the frustration and disappointment the Indigenous Education Council is expressing. She also thanked the group for its work on the safety plan and its continued leadership.

“The decision to quash the three orders related to the removal of the SD61 board was made following the discovery of a significant error in document disclosure that came to light in recent days,” Education Minister Lisa Beare said. “Given the nature of the error, it was the responsible legal step forward. Due to the privileged nature of the proceedings and particular circumstances, the decision was not one that allowed for consultation in advance.”

She said the ministry made attempts to arrange a meeting with Songhees Chief Ron Sam and Chief Jerome Thomas on the day the province decided to reverse the board dismissal, but a same-day meeting was not possible. Her statement did not contest Rice’s characterization that the province did not reach out to the Indigenous Education Council at the time.