The provincial government and BC First Nations Justice Council officially has opened a new Indigenous justice centre for Kamloops — one of six new facilities opening up around the province.

The justice centres will provide free legal support to Indigenous people in criminal defence and child protection matters, as well as referrals to other local support services.

The Kamloops office, located in the Highlander Building at 440 Victoria St., has been serving clients since Jan. 31 and has a team of one lawyer, Cody Lucas, and two assistants, who have so far had no problem handling the demand.

“Since we opened last week there’s been a substantial amount of intake calls,” Lucas said.

Attorney General Niki Sharma visited the Kamloops Indigenous justice centre Thursday for an official opening ceremony. She said each centre is unique, offering legal supports to meet the local community need and vision for legal services.

“They're developing their services based on the needs strengths and supports already available in each community, and most importantly, they're helping to revitalize Indigenous legal traditions and structures.

BC First Nations Justice Council member Boyd Peters said these centres provide a holistic approach to legal services.

“Not only are we providing free, culturally appropriate justice services to all Indigenous peoples, but we have elders, aunties, resource support workers on staff who can help indigenous clients, to connect them with those cultural supports, wraparound services to address more than just their legal needs,” she said.

Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir said she’s proud to see this service begin operating in the community.

“We know that the centre will have positive ripple effects that is going to ripple throughout the territory,” Casimir said.

Improving court experiences

Sharma said she feels the Indigenous justice centres will improve the relationships Indigenous people have with the courts.

“I think these resources we’ve put in on the ground in the last few years are going to make a real difference on an individual level for that person’s interactions with the justice system,” she said.

Each new facility contains local Indigenous art and language all six will be operational by March. The ones already open have served about 600 clients on 2,200 files.

In addition to Kamloops, new centres will be opening in Williams Lake, Cranbrook, Port Hardy, Fort St. John and a shared location serving Burns Lake and Hazelton — bringing the province-wide total to 15.

Establishing a network of 15 IJCs throughout B.C. fulfills a commitment the province made in 2023. These six new centres join the existing nine in Chilliwack, Kelowna, Merritt, Nanaimo, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria, along with the virtual centre serving the province remotely.

The centres are meant to address intergenerational trauma associated with the justice system, including the over-representation of Indigenous Peoples in incarceration and Indigenous children and youth in care.

For information about Indigenous Justice Centres, click here.

Legal services offered at IJCs:

• Legal advice and representation on criminal and child-protection matters
• Advocacy and support for matters involving RCMP, the Ministry of Children and Family Services, and child and family service agencies
• Pre-trial support with housing and employment services
• Referrals for counselling, treatment programs, education and training, employment and other resources

Support services offered at IJCs:

• Elders available to provide cultural support, practical guidance and healing with traditional medicine
• An auntie role that supports families and victims
• Resource-support workers to ensure the connection to holistic wraparound services
• Access to the Gladue services department at BCFNJC, for Gladue Letters, reports and aftercare
• The scope of services available at the IJCs will continue to evolve based on community input