Public Notice

Seabird Island Community and Cultural Centre Project – Public Comments Invited

February 6, 2024 – Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) must determine whether the proposed Seabird Island Community and Cultural Centre Project, located near Agassiz, BC is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this determination, Indigenous Services Canada is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. All comments received will be considered public and may be posted online.

Written comments must be submitted by March 7, 2024 to:

BC Environment Team

Indigenous Services Canada

bcciarpubliccomments@sac-isc.gc.ca

The Proposed Project

• The Seabird Island Indian Band Band is proposing to build a Community and Cultural Centre on Seabird Island Indian Reserve.  
• The project scope is to build a community services and cultural center with a footprint of roughly 34,000 square feet. The new building will provide safe and confidential consult space for 10-15 child and family service and mental health staff, including youth and family support workers and counseling staff: counseling and meeting space of 5000 square feet over two storeys. Services provided are preventative in nature and also address intergenerational trauma that affects each and every member of our community. There will be space for our Elders, so that they can heal their trauma and share their wisdom and teachings, so that our young people can work and play alongside them, hear their stories, share in activities like food preservation, weaving, beading, cedar basketry etc.
• It will provide space for cultural activity in the round room and large gathering room, as well as a commercial kitchen, for traditional food preservation methods of drying, canning, medicines, and preparation. It will provide cultural education space with respect to the  historical / cultural displays and archival materials. The service model is thus center-based, inclusive and of diverse benefit. We will hold our baby ceremonies and naming ceremonies here, as well as our community feast days, our graduations and festival events, our end of life events and all community engagement activity.
• The proponent has applied for funding from Indigenous Services Canada's First Nations Child and Family Services Program for the construction of the proposed community centre.