Six new centres located across B.C. promise to offer First Nations culturally appropriate legal advice, representation and referrals to local support services.

B.C.'s Attorney-General Niki Sharma Thursday in Kamloops announced six new Indigenous justice centres, including one in Kamloops, where Boyd Peters, vice-chair of the B.C. First Nations Justice Council, joined her. New centres will also open Williams Lake, Cranbrook, Port Hardy, Fort St. John and a shared location serving the communities of Burns Lake and Hazelton.

Sharma said the new centres fulfill government's commitment to create a network of such centres. B.C. had first announced in 2023 that it would spend $44 million to add 10 new centres to add to the existing five.

Sharma added the centres help address the over-representation of First Nations in the justice system and revive Indigenous law and traditions. The centres will not only provide legal services, but also access to wraparound services that extend beyond the legal needs of individuals in ways that connect to their cultural identity. 

The new centres join those in Chilliwack, Kelowna, Merritt, Nanaimo, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria, along with a virtual centre serving the province remotely.

Sharma added that the new centres are already open or will open shortly. 

Peters said the centres will help reverse larger historical wrongs while also trying to heal the broader fabric of society.

"Our Indigenous Justice Centres will help navigate the criminal justice system and child welfare systems that were never designed for us, that are foreign to us," he said. "They will reclaim space for our legal (traditions) and they will transform current reality in which Indigenous people are over-incarcerated, provincially and federally, cycling in and out of prison, without the support they need to truly end their contact with the justice system." 

Peters acknowledged that more work needs to be address these systemic issues, but also predicted that these centres will help First Nations reconnect to their communities. 

"That is why our services are not only geared towards providing legal support, but reconnecting people back to their communities, that kinship," Peters added.

Peters said the location of the centres reflect need and demand. He also pointed to the existence of the virtual IJC that allows individuals to connect with services regardless of location.

Figures from the provincial government show that Indigenous people account for almost six per cent of B.C.91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s adult population, but also 36 per cent of the individuals within the custody of BC Corrections. A comparable divergence also exists on the federal level. Whereas First Nations represent four per cent of Canada's population, they account for almost 30 per cent of federal inmates. 

Thursday's announcement came the acknowledgement that the range of services and the focus in each location may vary based on the needs, strengths and services available in each community with an initial focused on criminal defence and child protection matters.