Carrier Sekani Tribal Council

The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council brings together seven member nations to unify our voices and strengthen our inherent indigenous rights, title, and interests in our territories.

News

We’re Hiring: Fisheries Program Technicians

Open until all positions are filled.

The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council is seeking up to twelve (12) technicians to assist with completing the Fisheries program suite of projects. Field projects include white sturgeon studies, sockeye enumeration, chinook enhancement, enumeration and brood capture. The successful applicants should be comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic and detail-oriented environment and have excellent communication and time management skills. 

Job Posting PDF

Duties include: 

Preparing gear, taking training, and gathering data accurately and in a timely manner.

Data will be gathered from radio telemetry, egg mats, fyke nets, set lines (via boat), DIDSON files, stream walks, river floats and aerial enumeration (via helicopter).

Technicians will work in a team environment with either the Senior Technician, a trained biologist and/or other technicians to provide field support for collecting, monitoring, preserving and processing samples and data.

The projects that technicians may work on are: 

  • White Sturgeon spawn monitoring (Mid-April- June) 
  • Endako Chinook trap and fence (July- August) 
  • Stellako DIDSON enumeration (Mid July – end of October) 
  • Nadina Sockeye enumeration (Mid-September- mid October) 
  • Endako Chinook enumeration (mid-August- early September) 
  • White Sturgeon juvenile index sampling (August-October) 

Required Qualifications

  • A valid class 5 Driver’s License and driver’s abstract. Will consider Class 7N. 
  • Experience working on fish enumeration, fish monitoring, or similar projects. 
  • Must be comfortable working in and around water and in all weather conditions. 
  • Physically fit, able to lift 55 pounds repeatedly. 
  • Available to work evenings and weekends. 
  • Available to travel to remote work sites and work long days. 
  • Possess phone and email. 
  • Possess own vehicle to travel to the worksite (Vanderhoof, Endako River or Stellako) 
  • A criminal record check. 

Desired Certificates (not mandatory):

  • Occupational Level 1 First Aid 
  • Occupational Transportation Endorsement
  • Swift Water Rescue
  • Pleasure Craft Operators Card
  • Helicopter Egress and Ditching
  • Jet Boat operations. 

Additional Assets: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

  • Fish and Wildlife Technician diploma or equivalent
  • Experience operating boats and ATVs and driving on radio-controlled gravel roads
  • Experience working with First Nations
  • Knowledge of general mechanics / small engine repair 

Work will take place from mid-April until the end of October 2023. Full-time with variable work hours, e.g., typically 8-hour days, working 6 days on/1 day off. Occasional longer days, evenings and weekends. There will be some downtime from approx. late June to mid-July. The work schedule varies for each project. 

Starting wage is $19.00/hour, commensurate with education and experience. 

Although preference will be given to Indigenous applicants (including First Nations, Métis and Inuit), all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply per Section 16(1) of the Canadian Human Rights Act. 

Please submit your cover letter and resume with references to: 

Christina Ciesielski, Fisheries Program Manager 
Carrier Sekani Tribal Council
Email: cciesielski@cstc.bc.ca 

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

We’re Hiring: Financial Coordinator

Apply by: 4:00 pm on November 25, 2022 

Reporting to the General Manager and supporting the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) Board of Directors, the Financial Coordinator will be responsible for providing day-to-day financial administration in Payroll, AR and AP. This role will complete account reconciliations and financial reporting per legislation, policies and procedures, and generally accepted accounting principles. 

The Financial Coordinator analyzes department budgets, ensures actions are in line with legal requirements, monitors cash flow, and reports the appropriate financial matters to the General Manager and/or the applicable areas of the CSTC, including CSTC Membership. 

This role represents the CSTC on various financial matters internally and externally, provides financial reports in written and oral form to the CSTC Board of Directors and General Manager, and helps lead the financial strategy for the CSTC.

Job Posting PDF

Job and Duties include but will not be limited to: 

  • Accounting and Payroll. Process payroll in Criterion. Completes reconciliations and processes all A/R and A/P transactions using Sage Intacct. 
  • Financial Administration and Reporting. Prepares and monitors budgets. Administers and monitors CSTC’s financial system and maintains it in an accurate and timely manner, in accordance with established accounting practice and CSTC’s policies and procedures. Coordinates and assists outside agencies with auditing, certification, and fund compliance reporting. 
  • Audit. Coordinates the preparation for the year-end audit(s) and supports external auditor(s) in the collection and compilation of information required for the preparation of annual financial statements and reports.
  • Other duties as related. 

Qualifications

For consideration of your application, you must demonstrate how you meet the education and experience as outlined below: 

  • Completion of Grade 12, a Diploma in Business Administration, or a Degree in Commerce/Finance from a recognized College/University. Preference may be given to applicants working towards their professional accounting designation (CPA) or Certified Aboriginal Finance Manager (CAFM).
  • Experience working with First Nations, Government and Public sector (GPS) is preferred. 
  • A minimum of 3 years of related experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
  • Experience managing all aspects of Payroll, AR, AP and GL reconciliation.
  • Advanced computer skills are required.
  • Knowledge of Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS). 
  • Ability to promote a performance-focused environment aligned with CSTC values, culture and strategic goals.
  • Strategic Thinker with strong organizational, financial, and analytical skills. 
  • A strong communicator, both verbally and in writing
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, which enable you to build positive relationships with all internal and external stakeholders. 
  • Highly organized and task and detail-oriented, with a high level of sensitivity and discretion and the ability to maintain confidentiality with all records, materials and communications.
  • Proactive and adept at problem-solving.
  • You will be ideally suited for this role if you are self-motivated, highly organized, detail and task-oriented and capable of working independently and as part of a team. 

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

  • Some travel, including overnight and or weekends. 
  • Valid Driver’s License 
  • Willingness and ability to work overtime, including evenings and weekends. 
  • Successful background checks, including employment verification, reference checks, credit inquiries and education/credential verification. 

Please submit your cover letter and resume with three (3) references by 4:00 pm on Friday, September 9, 2022, to: 

Carrier Sekani Tribal Council
Attention: Lucy Martin, General Manager
Suite 200 1460 6th Ave, Prince George, BC V2L 3N2
generalmanager@cstc.bc.ca

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Preference will be given to applicants of Aboriginal Ancestry per Section 16 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. People of Carrier Sekani ancestry are encouraged to apply.

Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Supports Wet’suwet’en in Calls for Immediate Access to Vaccine Booster Shots

(Unceded Territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, Oct. 22, 2021) Carrier Sekani Tribal Council supports Wet’suwet’en First Nation in its call on B.C.’s Ministry of Health and the Northern Health Authority to immediately begin administering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to eligible members of the community. 

Wet’suwet’en First Nation is facing immense grief with the COVID-19 deaths of two of its members in fewer than two weeks and four Wet’suwet’en elders now testing positive for the Delta variant of COVID-19. 

“We grieve these losses with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation and we are standing together in this fight for adequate health care, knowing full well that when an elder or any community member is lost to this virus, it has deep, lasting impacts on the entire community,” says CSTC Director and Saik’uz Chief Priscilla Mueller.

“It is unacceptable that Wet’suwet’en and other First Nations communities cannot expect to receive boosters of the life-saving vaccine until next year when the need for this health care is urgent.”

CSTC urges the Minister of Health and the Northern Health Authority to adequately provide the care needed to protect the member nations of the Tribal Council and to immediately deliver COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to the communities and the vulnerable members within them.

CONTACT:

Priscilla Mueller, Chief, Saik’uz First Nation/Director, Carrier Sekani Tribal Council; priscilla.mueller@saikuz.com, 250-567-9293

Audrey McKinnon, Communications Officer, Carrier Sekani Tribal Council; communicationsofficer@cstc.bc.ca, 250-617-3862

CSTC recognizes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

(Unceded Territory of Lheidli T’enneh First Nations – Sept. 29, 2021) Carrier Sekani Tribal Council will recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this Sept. 30 as a solemn reminder of the horrors experienced by residential school survivors and of those children who did not survive.

The impacts of the residential school system are ongoing and felt throughout our member nations. This day is set aside to honour survivors, their families and communities.

CSTC will be closed Sept. 30 to give staff and members much needed time to spend with loved ones and to participate in reflection and healing.

If you are in distress and need support, please contact the Indian Residential School Survivors Society 24-hour Crisis Line at 1-800-925-4419.

Regional Dakelh Language App Builds Sense of Identity for Carrier Sekani First Nations

(Stellat’en First Nation, Nadleh Whut’en and Ts’il Kaz Koh – Aug. 3, 2021) Three Carrier Sekani First Nations have collaborated to develop a regional, central dialect Dakelh language app aimed at increasing the number of Dakelh speakers and addressing loss of language in Dakelh communities.

Stellat’en First Nation, Nadleh Whut’en and Ts’il Kaz Koh jointly developed the app for Android users with funding from the Pathways Forward Agreement, an agreement made between the provincial government and the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council to increase economic opportunities for Carrier Sekani First Nations while addressing decision-making, management and revenue sharing of lands and resources, and healing communities through socio-cultural work.

“Your language is your sense of belonging and identity,” says Eleanor Nooski, Nadleh Whut’en Language and Culture Coordinator. “Once the children start learning, there’s so much pride when the elders see it, and there’s a ripple effect in the whole community.”

The app is called ‘Dakelh nekhunik yats’ulhduk,’ which translates to English to mean ‘we will speak like our ancestors.’ It interfaces users with recorded pronunciations of the words spoken in a regional dialect of Dakelh. Traditional learning through oral history has been easily incorporated into the app.

A previous version of the app was developed strictly for iPhone, but was cost prohibitive for community members who cannot afford Apple products. The new app includes over 900 newly recorded words in a shared dialect between the three nations and is fully owned and copyrighted by the communities.

“Our language was never recorded and never written,” says Stellat’en First Nation Language Assistant Dennis Patrick. “It’s been a generation that’s lost virtually everything, and it’s important to know that when we learn this language, we’re learning about the land and who we are.”

Development of the app began in 2014, when elders and youth stayed in a hotel together to record Dakelh words for things like body parts, animals and phrases. In 2018, the three First Nations began collaboration on building the app for Android.

Collaboration between the three communities was key because the number of fluent speakers in each community varies, with Nadleh Whut’en having such low numbers, developing the app independently would have been very difficult.

Ts’il Kaz Koh Language Program and Culture Coordinator Sherry Tibbetts believes this app is an important part of healing through language and cultural activities. She is happy to be a part of the collaborative approach to teaching language in new ways.

“We live in a time when we have to be creative and innovative in everything we do,” says Tibbetts, who credits her close colleague for empowering her to take bold action to help her community. “I’ve been inspired by Karen Sharp. She taught me that everything you want to do, think beyond the impossible. When opportunity’s thrown at you, you take it.”

‘Dakelh nekhunik yats’ulhduk’ is available for download on Android.

Tutorial: Dakelh nekhunik yats’ulhduk

CONTACT:

Audrey McKinnon
Communications Coordinator
250-617-3862
communicationsofficer@cstc.bc.ca

CSTC, DFO, Inch Hatchery, and Local First Nations Team Up For Fish Release

(Unceded Territory of Lheidli T’enneh First Nations – July 6, 2021) After over 10 years of low returns for the Early Stuart sockeye salmon run, hope may finally be on the horizon for a resurgence. With the aid of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Inch Creek Hatchery, and the Takla and Tlazt’en First Nations, 60,000 sockeye smolts were released on June 8 in Gluskie Creek to help rebuild the salmon population.

Sockeye smolts released in Gluskie Creek

While the Early Stuart sockeye run has been low for over a decade, the Big Bar landslide in 2019 further endangered the species’ migration routes and population. This encouraged the Big Bar Landslide Response Team, a collaboration of DFO, The Province and First Nations, to team up with Inch Creek Hatchery and First Nations Groups from the Spawning grounds to help improve the population. Over 60,000 eggs were taken, fertilized, hatched and raised at the Inch Creek Hatchery in Dewdney, B.C. Once the smolts had reached 10 months of age, Inch Creek Hatchery brought the smolts up to Middle River to release the fish at Gluskie Creek. Representatives from Takla Lake First Nation, Tl’azt’en Nation, CSTC and DFO attended the release.

Kayleigh Patrick, Kimberely Alec, and John Alec Sr. looking over the release with DFO officer Kevin Laarman

The hope is that a portion of these 60,000 smolts will return in 3 years as full-sized salmon to breed and help raise the fish population. With easier passage through Big Bar, good ocean conditions and the right environmental conditions during migration, we should see an increase in the fish population for years to come.

Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Stands with Cowessess First Nation and Residential School Survivors Across Canada

For those in need of counselling concerning the trauma caused by the Residential School System, please contact the Indian Residential School Survivor Society Emergency Crisis line at 1-800-721-0066.

Carrier Sekani Tribal Council stands in solidarity with the Cowessess First Nation and survivors of the Indian Residential School System after the confirmation of hundreds of unmarked graves at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan.

Seven-hundred-and-fifty-one unmarked burial sites have been confirmed by the Cowessess First Nation. The Marieval Indian Residential School was closed in 1997 and partially demolished in 1999. This is recent history, and the scars these schools have produced live on in the lives of survivors and their families who now live with the memories of these atrocities.

These graves are blaring markers of colonial violence and a stark reminder of the genocide the Canadian government and the Catholic Church have committed against Indigenous peoples across Canada. The Catholic Church removed the headstones in a blatant attempt to erase the names and lives of those buried and to hide their crimes against Indigenous peoples.

CSTC prays that those who were taken can find peace, and honours those whose lives were taken from them. 

Our community can never forget the horrors inflicted upon our people, but we must be strong. We must come together to heal and to forge a better future. We must make sure these actions are remembered, and more importantly, that they can never happen again.

If you are in need of support as the truth is confirmed, please speak to somebody you trust. For those in need of counselling support, you can reach the Indian Residential School Survivor Society Emergency Crisis, which is available 24/7, by calling 1-800-721-0066.

Our hearts are with the Cowessess First Nation and all survivors of the Residential School System today and every day going forward.

Statement From the Tribal Chief in Response to Discovery of 215 Children’s Remains at the Site of the Former Kamloops Indian Residential School

If you are in need of counselling support, the IRSS Emergency Crisis line is available 24/7. Call 1-800-721-0066 for support.

Carrier Sekani Tribal Council is devastated to learn that the remains of 215 children were discovered buried on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School last weekend.

This Thursday, May 27, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc band confirmed the remains were found with the help of a ground-penetrating radar specialist. Work is still being done on the site to potentially find more remains.

Some of our people spent their childhoods at this school, which closed in 1969, and it is possible our own members are among the unidentified remains found there last weekend. This is a painful reminder of an unspeakable injustice on our people through the Residential School System that aimed to erase us from our land and from history.

These 215 lives ended in childhood were the result of an act of colonial violence and genocide; we will never know who these children would have become to us.

We as Carrier Sekani First Nations must say a prayer for much needed healing and to honour the children who were forcibly separated from their families before having their lives taken from them too soon.

As a community, we will never forget the atrocities done to our people, but we have the strength of many to heal and pray together. We are reminded to also ask for healing for those who still carry the scars of Residential School today.

Our hearts are with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc band as we spend time this weekend reflecting on this horrifying discovery.

With great sadness,

Mina Holmes,

Tribal Chief, Carrier Sekani Tribal Council

Carrier Sekani First Nations Support Apportionment Decision by Minister Conroy

(Carrier Sekani First Nation Territories – May 21, 2021) –The Carrier Sekani First Nations applaud Minister Katrine Conroy’s apportionment decision for the Prince George Timber Supply Area that was announced today. It represents the culmination of a collaborative decision-making process between the Carrier Sekani First Nations and the Minister on the apportionment decision.

Today marks a milestone for all British Columbians as the Minister has apportioned 1,240,233 cubic metres in the Prince George Timber Supply Area to First Nations, which represents nearly 15% of the Allowable Annual Cut. This is the largest percentage of an Annual Allowable Cut that the Minister has apportioned to First Nations in the history British Columbia, representing yet another precedent forged through collaboration between the Carrier Sekani First Nations and the Province.

“Minister Conroy’s apportionment decision is a meaningful step towards true and lasting reconciliation,” said Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Chief Mina Holmes. “We finally have a say in what happens in our territories through the collaborative decision-making process set out in the precedent-setting Pathway Forward 2.0 Agreement.”

The success of this collaborative decision-making process is another step the Carrier Sekani First Nations have taken with the Province towards consent-based decision-making in Carrier Sekani Territories. The first step was taken when the Province recognized Carrier Sekani Aboriginal title and rights in the Collaboration Agreement in 2015.

The Carrier Sekani First Nations look forward to working with the Province and neighbouring local governments in building a new forest economy, creating more value from every tree harvested. Working together we can protect our stewardship values while maintaining vibrant communities.

For further information contact: Audrey McKinnon, Communications Officer, Carrier Sekani Tribal Council; communicationsofficer@cstc.bc.ca, 250-617-3862 

Carrier Sekani Tribal Council celebrates a successful 38th Annual General Assembly with gratitude

(Unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, Prince George, B.C. – Feb. 10, 2021) — Mussi cho to all the membership who attended the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council’s 38th Annual General Assembly online. More than 100 members of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council member nations attended on Jan. 29, 2021 via Zoom, making this an engaging event and an overall success.

“On behalf of the CSTC Staff and Board of Directors, thank you for taking time to join us, we appreciate that many, if not all communities have pressing priorities and matters to attend. This online format seems to be the new standard of outreach and engagement.” – CSTC Tribal Chief Mina Holmes

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the AGA was held online for the first time, allowing members to attend from their homes and communities. This initiative was intended to assist with social distancing and to avoid increasing the risk of infection during this global pandemic.

The eight-hour presentation was a success in large part due to CSTC staff and leadership, community members, sponsors and many contributors who joined us to share their knowledge as speakers.

Several resolutions were passed during the AGA. Because the volume of resolutions was higher than usual, which we are grateful for, and because we were not able to maintain quorum for the full length of time, some resolutions did not make it to the floor to be voted on. CSTC will inform the communities promptly on how this will be resolved and will also release the resolutions that were already voted on. Community engagement and access to information are high priorities for the Tribal Council, so we are working to ensure the remaining resolutions are handled with careful consideration. An AGA Report will be provided to the CSTC Board of Directors including resolutions and action items for the CSTC Tribal Chief and General Manager.

Tribal Chief Mina Holmes and General Manager John Lewis provided great insight into the many developments and accomplishments of CSTC in the last fiscal year, within which the CSTC member nations began to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, CSTC has continued to work tirelessly to serve the communities through projects funded by the Pathways Agreement 2.0, as well as some new initiatives designed to serve those in need of housing and access to food.

CSTC is also grateful for the contributions of Kym Gouchie, Camille Callison, Regional Chief Terry Teegee, Chief Clarence Louie, the Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Dr. Judith Sayers and Zandra Ross. Each of these contributors added their unique element of depth, inspiration, energy and wisdom to the AGA. Our theme, Resilience Through Unity: since time immemorial, was strengthened by all of their thoughtful words and care.

We thank our many sponsors for making this event possible and enriching it through the generosity of financial and material donations: Capri CMW Insurance Services, MNP Financial, Gowling WLG, Forest Eco System Solutions Ltd., TC Energy, Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, Radloff & Associates, Royal Bank of Canada and Canfor. Because of you, CSTC was able to create an unforgettable experience during our 38th Annual General Assembly.

Finally, CSTC thanks each and every community member who made the time to engage with us through this event. All of the work we do here at CSTC is for the benefit of members and it is our pleasure to report to you and to hear your feedback whenever possible.

-30-

Carrier Sekani Tribal Council calls for federal action and condemns acts of violence directed at Mi’

(Unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, Prince George, B.C. – Oct. 19, 2020) — The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) and Tribal Chief Mina Holmes stand in support of the Sipekne’katik Nation’s protected right to fish under the Constitution of Canada, and calls on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take definitive action against escalation of destruction and violence against the Mi’kmaq people.

CSTC member nations have witnessed the apathy and inaction of RCMP in response to acts of violence towards the Mi’kmaq people. It is the responsibility of the federal government to immediately ensure Canadian laws that protect treaty rights to earn a living from fishing are enforced.

The escalating events in the Atlantic lobster fishery dispute are further revealing a deeply flawed standard of justice that is fueled by systemic racism.

Immediate action from the highest level of government must be taken as those inciting hatred and fear have instilled and perpetuated an environment of lawlessness and little action has been taken to prosecute this criminal behavior.

CSTC works hard to build on promises of reconciliation from all levels of government and continues to support meaningful progress and respect for the rights, title and jurisdiction of it member First Nations. We stand in solidarity with Mi’kmaq communities and call on the federal government to exercise its power in upholding the constitution.