Indigenous Research Support Initiative

Information for Interested Applicants

The Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation at UBC is committed to supporting community-based Indigenous research for and with Indigenous communities working in partnership with UBC. As part of this commitment, the Indigenous Research Support Initiative has been established. To ensure that the work of the new initiative is reflective of the needs and processes of the Indigenous communities with whom we collaborate, we will establish an Advisory Committee that is comprised of individuals from Indigenous communities, faculty and staff from UBC.

Purpose of the Committee

The Indigenous Advisory Committee is a formal advisory body to the Indigenous Research Support Initiative. Its purpose is to provide culturally-relevant advice, leadership and guidance to the staff and leadership team of the Indigenous Research Support Initiative on matters relating to but not limited to: strategic direction of the network, research and ethics protocols, community outreach, governance, procedures and processes of the network.

Appointments and Composition

The Advisory Committee will be made up of up to 5 community members, 2 faculty members, 1 staff member and 1 student member. Committee members will serve 2 to 3-year terms with staggered end-dates to ensure continuity of the committee roles and responsibilities.

Selection criteria

The Indigenous Advisory Committee shall be comprised of individuals with relevant expertise, demonstrated knowledge and community perspectives that pertain to effectively carrying out the committee’s functions. Roles and responsibilities include:

• Demonstrated commitment to community action through involvement in one or more of the following areas:
• Health Housing and Infrastructure
• Natural Resources Language, Education and Culture
• Community Planning Governance
• Economic Development and Business Other (please specify)
• Understanding and interest in collaborative, community research.
• Experience working with post-secondary institutions.
• Skills and knowledge that will assist the Indigenous Research Support Initiative in achieving its outcomes with a focus on new and improved partnerships between Indigenous communities and UBC.
• Availability and commitment to attend scheduled and extraordinary committee meetings.

Meeting times

The Indigenous Advisory Committee will meet a minimum of 2 times within a one-year period, in addition to special meetings called by the staff and leadership of the Initiative on specific issues that require immediate attention.

There are expectations that there will be some work required to be undertaken by committee members between meeting times and the need for flexibility to attend in the case of special or extraordinary meetings.

Expression of Interest Application

Indigenous Advisory Committee members will be appointed by a selection committee that includes members of the interim advisory group in accordance with the committee’s Terms of Reference.

The Expression of Interest should include the following:

Maximum two-page letter.

• Full name, address and contact information.
• Community or organization affiliation.
• Reason(s) why you would like to be appointed to the Indigenous Advisory Committee.
• Brief summary of skills, expertise, knowledge and attributes you would contribute to the Committee.

Interested applicants are asked to refer to the Terms of Reference (https://research.ubc.ca/IRSI-Advisory-TOR) for more information before submitting Expression of Interest.

Expression of Interest Closing Date:

For those interested please submit your Expression of Interest by email by June 15 to qatuwas.brown@ubc.ca
or by mail to:

’Qátuw̓as Brown
Indigenous Research Support Initiative
University of British Columbia
Rm 4150 – 2260 West Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4

The Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation at UBC is committed to supporting community-based Indigenous research for and with Indigenous communities working in partnership with UBC.  As part of this commitment, the Indigenous Research Support Initiative has been established. To ensure that the work of the new initiative is reflective of the needs and processes of the Indigenous communities with whom we collaborate, we will establish an Advisory Committee that is comprised of individuals from Indigenous communities and faculty and staff from UBC.

The Indigenous Research Support Initiative seeks to work in ethical and respectful ways with Indigenous communities and looks to build respectful, long-term relationships of integrity between Indigenous communities and researchers at UBC.

This document outlines the Terms of Reference of an Indigenous Advisory Committee for the Indigenous Research Support Initiative.

TERM

Appointed committee members will serve 2 to 3-year terms with staggered end-dates to ensure continuity of the committee roles and responsibilities.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Provide culturally-relevant advice, leadership and guidance to the staff and leadership team of the Indigenous Research Support Initiative on matters relating to but not limited to: strategic direction of the network, research and ethics protocols, community outreach, governance, procedures and processes of the network;
2. Address, give advice and make recommendations about issues that relate to their roles and responsibilities.
3. Provide advice and recommendations about the continuous development of engagement and research protocols with Indigenous communities;
4. Provide recommendations in relation to functions, best practices and future performance of the initiative;
5. Occasionally meet, upon request, with internal and external partners of the Indigenous Research Support Initiative (subject to availability of the committee members);
6. Normally, it is expected that the Indigenous Advisory Committee will operate on the basis of consensus;
7. The Indigenous Advisory Committee may establish ad hoc sub-committees, as required, to address particular /special interest issues.

APPOINTMENTS AND COMPOSITION:

• The Indigenous Advisory Committee will be made up of up to 5 community members, 2 faculty members, 1 staff member and 1 student member. Committee members will serve will serve 2 to 3-year terms with staggered end-dates to ensure continuity of the committee roles and responsibilities.
• The Indigenous Advisory Committee shall be comprised of individuals with relevant expertise and community perspectives that pertain to effectively carrying out the committee’s functions.

MEETINGS

• The Indigenous Advisory Committee will meet a minimum of 2 times within a one-year period, in addition to special meetings called by the staff and leadership of the initiative on specific issues that require immediate attention.  
• There are expectations that there will be some work required to be undertaken by committee members between meeting times and the need for flexibility to attend in the case of special or extraordinary meetings.
• Meetings of no more than 4 hours will be held at the University of British Columbia or elsewhere in BC.
• Meeting participation by telephone or video is available upon request.
• Meeting information materials will be sent to committee members at least one week before each meeting.
• Minutes will follow each meeting.

REPORTING AND COMMUNICATIONS

• The staff and leadership of the Indigenous Research Support Initiative are responsible for reporting on the Indigenous Advisory Committee’s recommendations to the members of the network.
• A staff member will serve as the main contact person for the Indigenous Advisory Committee.
• An internal monthly e-newsletter covering news and initiatives of the Indigenous Research Support Initiative, will be distributed to the Indigenous Advisory Committee and other partners.

RESOURCES AND BUDGET

• Committee members acting on their own behalf will be paid an honorarium of $2000 for the term of one year.
• The annual honorarium compensates committee members for their time and expertise, and participation on the Indigenous Advisory Committee including but not limited to attendance and preparation for Initiative related meetings.
• The Indigenous Research Support Initiative will assume all travel-related expenses for the committee members to attend meetings and any network-related function(s) they attend in accordance with UBC policy.

Nestled on the central coast of British Columbia, Bella Bella is a First Nations community on Campbell Island and the home for the Heiltsuk Nation. With over 2,400 members, the Heiltsuk population has grown steadily over the past 20 years, but the population of Bella Bella has remained relatively constant, due to the lack of available housing. The Heiltsuk First Nation has the same problems as many remote communities- too little housing for a growing population and a building stock that falls into premature disrepair. When new construction does take place, it happens with labour and materials that come primarily from outside the community. This is a lost opportunity given the need for more employment in the community. Many of the Heiltsuk people who live outside the community are interested in returning to the village as the local economy continues to grow, but in order to meet housing demand over the next 10 years, the community will need 150 mold remediation, 160 home renovations, 100 new homes, and 120 new lots.

To address the urgent housing shortage issue, the Heiltsuk Tribal Council reached out to the Indigenous Research Support Initiative (IRSI) to facilitate a research collaboration with UBC and for support to find implementation partners for the design and building needs for the Nation.

The Heiltsuk Nation has partnered with the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia (UBC), FPInnovations, and Mitacs. The research team at UBC was guided by Dr. Stefania Pizzirani, a Post Doctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Forestry. The design process was led by a UBC graduate student Ryder Thalheimer, from the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, who engaged the community in a participatory research process to develop culturally relevant housing designs. The main objective was to have Heiltsuk community members provide their input about what they held valuable for their living spaces and to incorporate their ideas into the housing designs. Community ideas were collected through; housing open houses, surveys, multiple community dialogue sessions, one-on-one interviews and continuous feedback on each phase of the design.

The community selected one type of housing solution to proceed with: a ‘tiny’ home that is culturally and environmentally-suitable and approximately <500sq feet. This Heiltsuk-designed solution meets a need in the community by providing an independent living style to individuals, couples, and even young families. The Heiltsuk Nation, with the support of the IRSI, has created further partnerships with implementation partners: BC Architect Scott Kemp and Builders Without Borders. This has led to eight Heiltsuk ‘tiny’ homes scheduled to be built in May 2018. Future phases of this project will address home designs for larger families using the established community engagement process and intend to partner with external networks.

The Heiltsuk Nation is currently in reconciliation agreement negotiations with the Federal and Provincial Government. Given the government’s increased attention to housing as a priority, this project represents important opportunity for the Heiltsuk Nation to demonstrate their ability to design, construct, and maintain culturally and environmentally appropriate housing.

Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia: http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/
School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture: https://sala.ubc.ca/
Heiltsuk Nation: https://www.heiltsuknation.ca/
FPInnovations: https://fpinnovations.ca/Pages/index.aspx
Mitacs: https://www.mitacs.ca/en

Coastal First Nations (CFN) and the Indigenous Research Support Initiative signed an MOU in November of 2017 and are partnering together to explore opportunities for collaboration in two areas:

1. Community-based research that includes opportunities for mentorship and mutual learnings. Specific research projects potentially include projects in Oceans and Fisheries, Business and Commerce (with emphasis on entrepreneurship), Infrastructure, Clean Energy, Alternative Energy Systems, Language and Culture. To date CFN and UBC have jointly completed 2 research projects comprising of 7 internship units funded through Mitacs.

   Additionally, between 2010 and 2013, UBC and the member First Nations of CFN jointly completed 8 projects comprising of 38 internship units funded through Mitacs.

2. Education and training opportunities that includes opportunities for mentorship as well as capacity and leadership development. The specific research projects potentially include components of technical training, implementation facilitation and technology solutions.

The IRSI wishes to partner with CFN in an effort to establish and define a collaborative relationship to achieve research as well as education and training outcomes that are mutually beneficial to the Parties, and to support the co-development of relevant and effective research for the member First Nations of the Coastal First Nations.

A summary of the individual projects and internship units funded through Mitacs for each participating member nation of CFN:

1. Gitga’at Nation 1 project (6 internship units) 2010
2. Haida Nation (Skidegate) 1 project (4 internship units) 2010
   Haida Enterprise Corporation 2 projects (9 internship units) 2013
3. Heiltsuk Economic Development Corporation 1 project (6 internships units) 2013
4. Metlakatla Development Corporation 2 projects (4 internship units) 2012
5. Nuxalk Nation 1 project (9 internship units) 2013