Fort Nelson First Nation invites members to shape community and reparations plans

Fort Nelson First Nation is asking members to engage in a relaunch of its Reaching For Our Vision plan and a new Four Pillars Plan for using reparations funding; a community dinner and meeting are scheduled for Feb. 4 for residents.

Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN) is asking members to take part in shaping its community plans. The band posted on Facebook on Jan. 27 inviting engagement on two efforts: a relaunch of its Reaching For Our Vision (RFOV) plan and a new Four Pillars Plan. The RFOV is described as a community plan for the next 10–20 years covering governance, land, health, culture and the economy. The Four Pillars Plan is presented as a community-driven approach to how FNFN will access and use funding from the 2021 band reparations settlement. Key details: - The Facebook post dated Jan. 27 invited FNFN members to fully engage with the RFOV relaunch and the Four Pillars Plan. - The RFOV is described as a 10–20 year community plan built from community priorities and input and covers multiple departments of governance. - The Four Pillars Plan is intended to guide access to and use of funds from the 2021 band reparations settlement, which was announced as $2.8 billion in 2023 and will be shared among 325 bands. - A community dinner and meeting for FNFN residents are planned for Wednesday, Feb. 4 at Chalo School, with dinner at 5:30 p.m. and a meeting at 6 p.m. - Energeticcity.ca reached out to FNFN representatives for comment but had not received a reply by publication time. Summary: These outreach efforts are intended to involve members in long-term community planning and in decisions about the use of reparations funding. A community meeting is scheduled for Feb. 4; further developments were undetermined at this time.