The purpose of the St’át’imc Chiefs’ Council (SCC) is to represent the position of the nation and to uphold and maintain St’át’imc title and rights on a political front. In order to achieve this, St’át’imc Government Services (SGS) was created and structured to try and fill part of the technical capacity-type needs that have been encountered.
The SCC has reached a some significant steps this year. Monthly meetings were held where good discussions on the range of issues in communities and the nation were brought up. The SGS has been recommended and formulated to better manage and organize the affairs of the business sector and the obligations concerning business within the nation.
SEEDS was a very significant conference, where the SCC was given an opportunity to see what all the communities have been doing on the business front. It showed a broader look at what’s happening in the territory and provided everyone with a chance to have some dialogue with companies interested in doing business with St’át’imc. Splitrock Environmental was the first recipient of the St’át’imc business award, which was given out for the first time this year.
This year, the SCC has maintained and refined how SGS operates, now that there is clear understanding of what they are capable of. After two years, they are going strong and are making great progress.
The St’át’imc Trust is also in its second year and has finally refined its roles and responsibilities. This has helped it to excel and to move forward.
The number of St’át’imc employees that have been hired through the BC Hydro Agreement is quite significant, and the SCC looks forward to making further improvements as organizations grow and become stronger.
In the coming year, the SCC is hoping to improve communications with communities by reporting on a consistent basis for activities and new development. Finding out ways to relay these messages has been a challenge, and the SCC is very aware of the gaps and is working on solutions.
The SCC is also looking at how to take greater advantage of opportunities coming up with education and training, and how to implement these opportunities with the St’át’imc Education and Training (SET) strategies and initiatives. It’s time for St’át’imc to invest in themselves and their future.
The SCC and SGS are working hard to fulfill as many opportunities and as much of the vision as possible, and ask for the continued patience and support of members as they learn through this process and work towards a better future.