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48-571: Semiahmoo First Nation ( / ˌ s ɛ m i ˈ ɑː m uː / SEM -ee- AH -moo ) is the band government of the Semiahmoo people , a Coast Salish subgroup. The band's main community and offices are located on the 312 acres (1.3 km) Semiahmoo Indian Reserve which is sandwiched between the boundary of White Rock, British Columbia and the Canada–United States boundary and Peace Arch Provincial Park . In 1790, Europeans estimated

96-727: A hereditary chief . As of 2013, there were 614 bands in Canada. Membership in a band is controlled in one of two ways: for most bands, membership is obtained by becoming listed on the Indian Register maintained by the government. As of 2013, there were 253 First Nations which had their own membership criteria, so that not all status Indians are members of a band. Bands can be united into larger regional groupings called tribal councils . A treaty council, or treaty association, has additional meaning and historically in most provinces represents signatory bands of treaty areas. British Columbia

144-543: A kindergarten teacher , to reflect on the realities of today's families and to teach his pupils about diversity and tolerance . A legal battle to overturn the decision to ban the three books went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada , where the school board's decision was overturned. The judgment, Chamberlain v. Surrey School District No. 36 , cited the need for families headed by same-sex couples to be respected. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin dismissed

192-423: A billion dollars for the 2023-24 school year consisting of $ 602 million for teacher costs and $ 451 million for all other costs. The largest sources of funds are $ 945 million in provincial government grants, $ 17 million in tuition, $ 9 million in investment income, $ 4 million in rental and lease income, and $ 3 million in federal grants. The Surrey School District was reported in the national news numerous times during

240-582: A chief councillor: this individual is not necessarily a hereditary chief or leader, though some are. Although the current policy of the Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) is to treat band governments as largely autonomous, under the Indian Act band council resolutions have no effect unless endorsed by the Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations . In addition to

288-572: A chiefs council may include bands that belong to one or more tribal councils and also individual bands that belong to none. For instance, the St'át'timc Chiefs Council serves as a common voice for all Stʼatʼimc and formally does not acknowledge Crown sovereignty. In other provinces, where treaties already exist, a treaty group or treaty association is composed of bands already signatory to existing treaties, such as Treaty 6 and Treaty 8 . There are also organized groups of Indian descent whose Indian status

336-652: A dozen bands. CSFS was originally a part of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council but is now a separate organization. Its members include bands that are not members of CSTC. During treaty negotiations, such as those attempted by the BC provincial government in the form of the British Columbia Treaty Process , bands claims are coordinated and negotiated, if negotiated, by treaty councils. The composition of these may correspond to

384-661: A politically active group with no legally recognized band government in Canada. Some of their members have federally recognized Indian tribal status (in the US) and ongoing land claims in British Columbia . In addition to tribal councils and special-purpose service organizations, bands may form larger organizations. The largest is the Assembly of First Nations , which represents the chiefs of over 600 bands throughout Canada. There are also some regional organizations. The Chief of

432-618: Is Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami . The self-governing territory of Nunavut is inhabited primarily by Inuit. The status of the Métis remains unresolved but has been the subject of negotiations in the early 21st century, which has resulted in the Métis Nation Framework Agreement between various Métis organizations and Canada. These have been negotiated as recently as 2019, for instance, by the Métis Nation of Ontario ,

480-501: Is a difference between endorsing a faith versus "accommodating" spiritual needs. A complaint was filed with the BC Human Rights Tribunal ; however, Jubenvill withdrew the complaint because he felt that the resulting media attention and the reaction it generated did not accurately represent his intentions and he preferred to address the matter with the school district out of the public eye. Some secondary schools in

528-512: Is an exception as treaties in most of the province have not been completed. There the treaty councils have been formed in order to negotiate future treaty claims. Another emerging type of organization in British Columbia is the chiefs' council, such as the St'át'timc Chiefs Council . These councils unite bands that are not included in tribal councils with those that are in tribal councils. Bands also typically belong to one or more kinds of provincial council or similar organization. They also belong to

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576-402: Is climate change, there's no question about that. Whether what Al Gore says about it is the truth, I have questions." In early November 2009, a Cloverdale father, Paul Jubenvill, requested an extra-curricular, non-instructional, voluntarily-attended Bible club be established during lunch-hour at his sons' school, Colebrook Elementary. The school would not permit the club on their property, and

624-678: Is not involved in treaty negotiations. However, a 2007 newspaper article said that the Semiahmoo First Nation and three other First Nations (Tsartlip, Tsawout and Pauquachin) make up the Sencot'en Alliance , which says their traditional territory stretches south to the northern end of Puget Sound , including both the San Juan Islands and the Gulf Islands , across southern Vancouver Island to include sites north of

672-636: Is not recognized by Canada. These are often the descendants of bands considered by Canada to have become extinct. Such groups have no official existence but may nonetheless have some degree of political organization. The Sinixt , who are now based mostly in Washington state as part of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation , but have a small group of representatives based at Vallican , BC, are an example. They are

720-721: Is the basic unit of government for those peoples subject to the Indian Act (i.e. status Indians or First Nations ). Bands are typically small groups of people: the largest in the country, the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation had 22,294 members in September 2005, and many have a membership below 100 people. Each First Nation is typically represented by a band council ( French : conseil de bande ) chaired by an elected chief, and sometimes also

768-749: The Chiefs of Ontario serve as the provincial-level organization; in Saskatchewan, the provincial-level grouping is the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations . From a constitutional point of view, not all indigenous people are First Nations people. In addition to Indians, the Constitution (section 35.2) recognizes two other indigenous groups: the Inuit and the Métis . The national Inuit organization

816-603: The Métis Nation—Saskatchewan , and the Métis Nation of Alberta . School District 36 Surrey School District 36 Surrey operates schools in Surrey , White Rock , and Barnston Island , British Columbia . It is the largest school district in British Columbia with 80,208 students and 195+ languages represented during the 2022-23 school year. District 36 includes 103 elementary schools, 21 secondary schools, 5 learning centres, and 3 adult education centres. While

864-465: The 1990s and 2000s, most notably for its stand on social issues. Surrey had 361 portable classrooms in use by the end of the 2022-23 school year. This number had increased by 20% over the 15 years prior. The District School Board was the focus of major media attention from 1997 to 2002 over its stand on not allowing books about families with same-sex parents to be included as optional learning resources. These books were requested by James Chamberlain ,

912-679: The AFN is referred to as the National Chief . The AFN also has a Vice-Chief for each region. In British Columbia, the First Nations Summit represents 203 bands in the province that are engaged in treaty negotiations with Canada and British Columbia. An older organization, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs , represents the bands that reject the current British Columbia Treaty Process . Some bands belong to both. In Ontario,

960-521: The Board's concerns that children would be confused or misled by classroom information about same-sex parents. She pointed out that the children of same-sex parents are rubbing shoulders with children from more traditional families, and wrote: "Tolerance is always age-appropriate, children cannot learn unless they are exposed to views that differ from those they are taught at home." The legal fees ended up costing Surrey taxpayers over $ 1,200,000. In 2005,

1008-751: The Boiled Water Advisory that was in effect since 2005 has been lifted. The Surrey detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police provides policing service through the Surrey First Nation Policing Service to both the Semiahmoo First Nation and Tsawwassen First Nation under tripartite framework agreements. The Provincial Auxiliary Constable Program has five Auxiliary Constables on the reserve. The Semiahmoo First Nation uses an Apology Ceremony to deal with minor offences committed within

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1056-784: The Canada/U.S. border, on the lower Fraser River and on all adjacent land. Members of the Sencot'en Alliance also indicate that they are signatories to the Douglas Treaties , taken with the British Crown from 1850 to 1854, and are not involved with the current B.C. Treaty Commission negotiations. In 2007, the Semiahmoo publicly expressed strong opposition to the Tsawwassen First Nation treaty, stating

1104-607: The Canadian government in 1887. Haida artist Robert Davidson currently works from a studio on the reserve. From 1942 to 1996, 172 acres (0.7 km) or more than half the reserve's area was leased by the band to the Municipality of Surrey for recreational "parkland" purposes. The City of White Rock and the City of Surrey both used the land, known as "Semiahmoo Park" for landfill and municipal infrastructure purposes. In 2014,

1152-534: The City of Surrey for connection to the Metro Vancouver water system after the City of White Rock announced future termination of their city's water system connection to the Indian Reserve. In 2018, Semiahmoo struck a deal with the City of Surrey, which will provide water and sewage connection to Semiahmoo from 2019. Construction started soon after and was completed by early 2021. On March 31, 2021,

1200-570: The First Nation announced that it was endeavouring to remediate the soil which was contaminated by the municipalities' usage. In 2003/04, the Semiahmoo received $ 243,500 in federal funding. In 2006, the Semihamoo reserve was listed by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada as a high-priority community for drinking-water improvements. The Canadian government committed to assisting the Semiahmoo with its high-risk drinking water system. In 2014,

1248-531: The First Nation criticized the federal government's new requirements for annual public transparency about the band's expenditures. Until the new regulations took effect, the most recent public financial documents were related to 2006 ($ 225,420 in federal funding). Although the band claimed to have mailed their report by the November 2014 deadline, the federal government had listed them among the 42 bands that had not submitted information. In August 2015, shortly after

1296-478: The First Nation threatened legal action if the City of Surrey approved construction of a $ 100 million casino (a developer's proposal eventually refused by city council) near King George Boulevard a few kilometres away from the reserve. Concerns were that it might affect the First Nation's plans to build a five-star hotel, conference centre and gaming centre on the reserve near the US border. In 2015, Semiahmoo appealed to

1344-641: The Inuit ( Reference Re Eskimos 1939) as well as to Métis and non-status Indians ( Daniels v. Canada 2013), but the relations of these groups with the federal government are not governed by the terms of the Indian Act . In Canada, the elected government of a First Nations band consists of a chief and councillors. Many bands, especially in British Columbia , control multiple Indian reserves , that is, multiple parcels of land. Although bands have considerable control over their reserve land, legally neither

1392-518: The School District have, or have had, overtly Christian clubs (for example, LA Matheson has a prayer club titled "PUSH", Semiahmoo Secondary had a Crossroad Christian club in 2008 and earlier years, and Fraser Heights Secondary had a Bible Club in 2007 ). At Colebrook Elementary in July 2010, a 75-foot portion of a roof over an exterior walkway collapsed, with no injuries reported. In 2011

1440-429: The Semiahmoo population at 300. By 1854, the band's numbers were reduced to 250 due to smallpox and warfare. In 1909 there were 38 band members in British Columbia. In 1963, the number had reached 28 and then just 25 by 1971. Between 1996 and 2001, the reserve population dropped 34.5 per cent, from 200 people to 131, and currently they have 98 registered members and 53 members who live on site The Semiahmoo remain one of

1488-748: The Surrey School District made national news for cancelling production of The Laramie Project , a play that deals with the murder of a gay university student, in Elgin Park Secondary. Advocates for the play noted that it is designed to teach tolerance toward LGBT people. The school district's administration said that the play contains sex, violence and foul language and is not appropriate as family entertainment. The decision met with outrage from LGBT advocacy organization Egale Canada . A school in neighbouring Vancouver , Lord Byng Secondary School , subsequently chose to stage

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1536-407: The Surrey School District supported the school's position. The father argued that this ban violated the provincial BC Human Rights Code by disallowing a normally available service on the grounds of discrimination against religion. The school district was concerned that permitting the club may have given the appearance of the school endorsing a particular religious ideology. Jubenvill argued that there

1584-426: The administrative convenience of Canada, or by consensual alliances between such groups, some pre-dating the Indian Act . The functioning of a band is controlled by the Indian Act , the legislation that defines the position of status Indians . The band government is controlled by a chief councillor and council. The number of councillors is determined by the number of band members, with a minimum of two in addition to

1632-582: The agreement with the Delta first nation could infringe on its territory and rights. School District 36 Surrey acknowledges that it operates in the Semiahmoo traditional territory. The First Nation sponsors a powwow organized by students at Earl Marriott Secondary School in Surrey. In 2009, the band removed a large and long-standing dog park located in an open park near the East beach area citing vandalism as

1680-482: The band itself nor its members hold aboriginal land title . Rather, the land is held in trust for the band by the Crown . The term band is historically related to the anthropological term band society , but as a legal and administrative unit the band need not correspond to a band in this sense. Some bands draw their members from two or more ethnic groups due to the disruption of traditional ways by colonization and/or

1728-482: The band. Non-status Indians , Métis , and Inuit are not part of the system of band governments and reserves. This is one of the major differences between their legal and social situation in relation to the federal government and that of First Nations governed by band councils. The courts have ruled that constitutional reference to "Indians" ( section 91(24) of the Constitution Act, 1867 ) does apply to

1776-671: The chief and council system mandated by the Indian Act , some bands have a traditional system of government that retains considerable influence. In some cases the two systems have come to an accommodation, such as the Office of the Hereditary Chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en . In other cases the two are in conflict. Two or more bands may unite to form a tribal council . Tribal councils have no independent status; they draw their powers entirely from their member bands. What powers are delegated to

1824-402: The chief councillor. The Indian Act specifies procedures for the election of the chief councillor and council. Some bands make use of a policy provision (called 'custom election', which allows them to exempt themselves from these requirements in order to follow traditional procedures for the choice of leaders. This is a matter of controversy. Proponents argue that it allows First Nations to adapt

1872-495: The community. The offender must make an apology to the victim and those who have been affected. The offender provides a gift to the victims and prepares a meal. After the gift is presented a meal is provided that is prepared by the offender. The Chief and Council, Elders, and community members are involved in the ceremony. Band government In Canada, an Indian band (French: bande indienne ), First Nation band (French: bande de la Première Nation ) or simply band ,

1920-541: The district was established in 1906 its first school opened in 1882. The district is Surrey’s largest employer with 12,540 employees including 6,716 teachers. The Surrey School District's administration hub is the District Education Centre and was officially opened on September 11, 2011. For the first time in history, the Surrey Board of Education passed an annual budget totalling more than

1968-418: The externally defined system to their traditions. Sometimes this means that 'hereditary' leaders become the chief councillor. Opponents argue that custom systems are frequently not traditional and that, traditional or not, they are unfair and undemocratic and have the effect of preserving the power of corrupt cliques. In many cases they exclude women and also exclude hereditary leaders. The term "Chief" refers to

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2016-763: The local tribal council, such as the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Tribal Council vs the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Treaty Council. But in that particular case American tribal governments belong to the former tribal council but not to the treaty council. Others, such as the Maa-nulth Treaty Association or the Temexw Treaty Group , span different tribal councils and individual bands, covering more than one ethnic group. Another organization called

2064-533: The pan-Canadian Assembly of First Nations (formerly called the Native Indian Brotherhood), chaired by a leader elected by the bands, each chief having one vote, rather than at-large by individual band members. Bands are, to an extent, the governing body for their Indian reserves . Many First Nations also have large off-reserve populations whom the band government also represents; it may also deal with non-members who live on reserve or work for

2112-474: The play. In May 2007, the Surrey School Board made national news when it voted to instruct teachers not to show Al Gore 's Academy Award -winning documentary on climate change , An Inconvenient Truth , until trustees were able to review the film. On the issue of climate change, Board Trustee and social activist Heather Stilwell stated: "I am not sure. I mean I see evidence. I think there

2160-500: The reason for removal. Removal of the remaining swings would follow soon after. In 2010, the Semiahmoo First Nation erected a 6 foot high fence that extends east from the reservation and follows the length of their land to prohibit access by non-band members. In addition to restricting access to band land, this fence also prevents access to all East beach areas and certain areas of the Little Campbell River. In 2013,

2208-473: The smallest First Nations in the region with about 74 band members, of whom 40 live on Reserve. In fact, Semiahmoo has more non-Aboriginals living on its reserve than band members. As of 2003, the median age of the Semiahmoo population was 42.5 years: higher than the average for all people living on Indian Reserves in Greater Vancouver (which was 39.2 years). The Semiahmoo Reserve was established by

2256-517: The start of the federal election campaign, the Semiahmoo First Nation's financial report received national attention due to the $ 267,309 tax-free remuneration in 2013/14 to Chief Willard Cook which may have represented the highest compensation to a politician in Canada. A June 2003 report for the Greater Vancouver Regional District indicated that the Semiahmoo First Nation is not affiliated with any tribal council and

2304-401: The tribal council and which services are provided centrally by the tribal council varies according to the wishes of the member bands. In addition to tribal councils, bands may create joint organizations for particular purposes, such as providing social services or health care. For example, in the central interior of British Columbia, Carrier Sekani Family Services provides social services for

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