Executive Summary
The Sliammon First Nation Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP) was completed to support community development, nation building, create a foundation for self-government and post treaty, and improve the quality of life for present and future generations. The CCP is a road map for community development over the next five years in areas of governance, finance and administration, lands and resources, community services, public works and community economic development.
The comprehensive community planning process provided an opportunity to share information with our membership related to programs and services administered through the different departments and entities of the Sliammon First Nation and to start building a foundation of understanding. The CCP planning process provided a chance for the community to think about the future in the sense of what is going to happen to our future generations, what is going to happen to our territory, to our lands and resources, to our language and culture. It also offered a chance for the community to examine itself, to look at the good things and the bad things, and to think about where we need to go and where we want to be in the future. Working together, we have created a collective vision for the future of the Tla’Amin Nation and a comprehensive plan for how to reach that vision.
Based on our Taow (the teachings of our ancestors) we will empower our citizens to be healthy, self-governing stewards of the land. With full jurisdiction, and responsible leadership we will create economic and employment opportunities to sustain and improve the quality of life for present and future generations.
Chief and Council fully supported this CCP initiative from the beginning and participated in the planning workshops. The planning process provided a chance for Chief & Council to take time out from day to day Indian Act governance to think and plan how to build a better governance structure that reflects our values as Sliammon people and builds on the concept of the Sliammon House of Governance. As a result they are now considering how the structure of government has been functioning under the Indian Act and have developed a vision for creating change in the way they do business that will affect how decisions will be made and how accountability will be achieved. The governance action plan within the Comprehensive Community Plan lays out short, medium and long term goals with action plans.
Department and entity managers participated in the CCP process from the beginning. The planning work shops provided an option for managers and staff to take time out from day to day operations of administering government programs and services to think about how to improve program departments and grow to meet the needs of self-government. The comprehensive community plan lays out short, medium and long term goals and action plans for each of the five house posts within the Sliammon House of Governance as well as for individual departments and entities
Successful implementation of the CCP will require coordinated efforts between leadership, managers, staff and the community and the proposed reorganization under the House Posts. This will only happen through effective and consistent communication both internally and externally through leadership, managers, staff, community and entities. The celebration of success and candid review of challenges will help support these activities. The Sliammon First Nation is embarking on an exciting journey which will build a lasting foundation for the future.