Events

Dubayaax a ts’awalk – Everything Is One: The Need for Meaningful Engagement & Relationship Building

Register for our second in-person Indigenous Speakers Series session on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (PT) at the UBC Vancouver campus (venue to be determined). In this unique event, we are honoured to welcome members of the Ditidaht First Nation Chief & Council, including the Nation’s Treaty Negotiator. You are invited to learn from their perspectives and experiences on how to best engage with a BC First Nations community in an era of truth and reconciliation.

Dubayaax a ts’awalk - Everything Is One: The Ditidaht First Nation Speaks About the Need for Meaningful Engagement & Relationship Building
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Topic: Dubayaax a ts’awalk – Everything Is One: The Ditidaht First Nation Speaks About the Need for Meaningful Engagement & Relationship Building

Date: Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025

Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (PDT)

In person location: UBC Vancouver Campus (exact venue to be determined).

Live Stream | Register to receive the webcast link closer to the event date.

Description 

Written by Derek K Thompson – Čaabať Bookwilla | Suhiltun
, Director, Indigenous Engagement

In my role with the UBC Faculty of Medicine, I am often asked how to best engage with First Nations – Indigenous communities. There is an intense interest in establishing and sustaining meaningful relations with Indigenous—First Nations, Inuit, Métis—communities in an era of truth, reconciliation, and redress. There’s an equal intensity for Indigenous peoples and communities to reciprocate these efforts with the interest to further a number of key academic goals including recruitment, research, cultural safety, and inclusive excellence.

In addition to holding the title of hereditary chief in my family and community, I am also an elected member of the Chief & Council for the Ditidaht First Nation. I am fortunate and honoured to be working with Chief Judi Thomas, fellow Council Members — Ms. Christina Joseph, Ms. Shelley Edgar, and Mr. Terry Edgar—and Mr. Robert Joseph, Treaty Negotiator. I have invited these great, good people to come and speak to their perspectives and experiences on how to best engage with a BC First Nations community in an era of truth and reconciliation.

You are invited to bear witness to how we, as First Nations, understand this important work within the context of our culture, our ceremonies, our spiritual work, and the way that we do things in our communities. You are invited to be a part of our efforts to heal, to come together, to work with each other, and to anchor our commitments to do and be better. You are invited to experience the unique features of our culture, our identity, and our sensibilities around this important work. You are all invited to be a part of telling the truth, of reckoning with the truth, and reconciling for the present and for the future.

Speakers

  • Chief Judi Thomas
  • Councilor Christina Joseph
  • Councilor Shelley Edgar
  • Councilor Terry Edgar
  • Mr. Robert Joseph, Treaty Negotiator

Bios and photos coming soon — stay tuned!

Cultural Support

Shane Pointe - Ti-te-in

Shane Pointe – Ti-te-in
Speaker & Cultural Support

Ti-te-in | Sound of Thunder – Shane Pointe is a Musqueam Knowledge Keeper, and his motto is Nutsamaht! – We are one. Ti-te-in is a proud member of the Salish Nation, the Pointe family, and the Musqueam Indian Band. In addition to being a proud grandfather and a great-grandfather, he is a facilitator, advisor, traditional speaker, and artist. Shane has worked for five different school boards, Corrections Canada, Simon Fraser University, The University of British Columbia, and the First Nations Health Authority. He provides advice and guidance on ceremonial protocols for local, national and international cultural events.

Moderators

Derek K Thompson – Čaabať Bookwilla | Suhiltun
, Director, Indigenous Engagement

Derek K Thompson – Čaabať Bookwilla | Suhiltun
, Director, Indigenous Engagement

Maï Yasué

Maï Yasué, Associate Director, Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

What Will I Learn?

You will learn about the unique perspectives and experiences about the context of truth, reconciliation and redress from members of a BC First Nation Chief & Council.

Continue Learning

“The time to make things happen is now. The time to seek out our individual and shared power is now.”

Learn more about REDI’s Indigenous Initiatives here

Discover more about REDI’s Indigenous Initiatives Speakers Series here

Find REDI’s Indigenous-Specific Resources here

Inclusive Leadership in Healthcare Symposium

Creating a Safe Space for Indigenous Patients in Primary Care

Oh No! Not Another Workshop On Feedback In Clinical Education!

REDI’s Indigenous Media and Book List

REDI's Indigenous Media and Book List

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada, a time to recognize and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience, and diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities across Canada. In honour of this day, we are thrilled to share a curated list of our favourite Indigenous book and media. We encourage you to explore our curated collection and participate in local festivities throughout British Columbia.

Films & Documentaries
TV Shows
Books

Films & Documentaries

Our People Will Be Healed
CBC Gem

Stories from the Land
CBC Gem

Dancing Around the Table 
NFB

The Washing of Tears
NFB

Red Path
CBC Gem

Bimibatoo-win: Where I Ran
CBC Gem

Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
NFB

Future History
CBC Gem

Now is the Time
NFB

The Road Forward
NFB

Oshkikishikaw: A New Day
CBC Gem

Indian Dialogue
NFB

TV Shows

North of North
CBC Gem

Tribal
CBC Gem

Mohawk Girls
CBC Gem

Books

Where Wolves Don’t Die
by Anton Treuer

Indians on Vacation
by Thomas King


Potlatch as Pedagogy: Learning Through Ceremony
By Sara Florence Davidson & Robert Davidson

JEDII Courses

Deepen your understanding of Justice, Equity, Decolonization, Inclusion and Indigenization (JEDII) — and how to apply these principles in your own work — with this newly-curated page of courses from UBC and beyond. Designed to help you build the knowledge and skills needed for more equitable and inclusive practices, consider taking a course with your team or unit, reflect on your learning together and explore ways to embed it into your everyday practice.

JEDII Courses: New REDI page

Indigenization and Decolonization
EDI Foundations
Accessibility
Anti-Racism
Conflict Engagement
Gender & Sexuality

Indigenization and Decolonization

  • Weaving Relations (UBC Faculty of Applied Science and the Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
    Weaving Relations explores Indigenous histories, people, and contexts, as well as settler colonialism in Canada, through the lens of Indigenous-Canadian relationships. The course considers how we got to where we are now, and how we can build a better future together.
  • Indigenous Learning Pathways (ILP) program (CTLT Indigenous Initiatives)
    A multi-course suite supporting respectful engagement with Indigenous histories and perspectives. It includes:
    • Beginning Your Learning Journey – introduces learners to cultural principles guiding the program, how to best use the courses based on your own role and learning areas, and the community involved in creating ILP as well as grounding the learning journey ahead in our place on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) land. 
    • Engaging with Indigenous Knowledges and Perspectives – supports learners to reflect on their own professional development needs, orients them to the various types of Indigenous-focused resources available at UBC and tips on how to engage with Indigenous resources effectively and respectfully. 
    • Truth Before Reconciliation – explores the impacts of colonization in post-secondary settings and identifies tools and resources to build foundational awareness and necessary truths and collective healing. 
    • Land Acknowledgements at UBC – provides foundational knowledge about what land acknowledgements are, why we do them, and the basic elements of what makes a meaningful, accountable acknowledgment.   

Indigenization & Decolonization in Healthcare

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EDI Foundations

  • Grounding Anti-Oppression (UBC Faculty of Applied Science and the Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
    Grounding Anti-Oppression is designed to delve into the intricate dynamics of power and oppression at individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels. The course empowers participants to cultivate a robust understanding of anti-oppression principles and strategies, and facilitates critical reflections on personal roles and experiences within systems of power and oppression.
  • Fairness 101 (Ombudsperson British Columbia)
    This course provides employees of public bodies in BC with an introduction to fairness in the public sector. It provides an overview of administrative fairness and teaches participants how to recognize and apply the key elements of fairness in their everyday role.

EDI & Admission

EDI, Teaching & Learning

EDI & Research

EDI & Hiring

EDI & Healthcare

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Accessibility

  • Disability at Work 101 (UBC Centre for Workplace Accessibility)
    This course is a resource for all UBC employees who’d like to deepen their disability inclusion literacy. It will support you in strengthening your understanding about disability and identifying different strategies to promote disability inclusion in the workplace.
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Anti-Racism

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Conflict Engagement

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Gender and Sexuality

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Co-Creation for Equity in Health Research

Am I Ableist? Disability Awareness in Healthcare

Disability in the Workplace! Interactive workshop

Are you ready to deepen your understanding of disability awareness and inclusion in the workplace? We are excited to announce an online workshop developed for faculty, staff, and learners at the Faculty of Medicine, led by Dr. Jon Breen, Equity Advisor with the Dean’s Office.

Disability in the Workplace! Interactive workshop

“Building our awareness and understanding of disability and inclusion within the Faculty of Medicine community is essential to creating respectful and equitable learning and work environments that are free of discrimination, where all people are accepted, valued and empowered to thrive.”

  • Dr. Dermot Kelleher, Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Vice-President, Health, University of British Columbia

Workshop Details

🎓 Facilitator: Dr. Jon Breen, Equity Advisor, Dean’s Office, FoM

🗓️ Dates: Register below for any of the following sessions. (Each session offers a repeat of the workshop.)

🕒 Duration: Two hours per session

📌 Platform: Live via Zoom

Interested in a tailored session? If you are unable to attend any of the dates listed above, or you’re interested in a session tailored for your department, unit, or team, please contact Dr. Jon Breen directly at jon.breen@ubc.ca.

Workshop Facilitator

Dr. Breen boasts a wealth of experience within the realm of disability and employment. With a career spanning both private and public sectors, he has served as a practitioner, researcher, and author. Dr. Breen’s expertise promises an engaging and enlightening workshop experience.

Read Dr. Breen’s bio

Dr. Jonathon S. Breen, PhD, MSW, BA, is an Equity Advisor with the Dean’s Office and an Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, UBC.

His research interests focus on the theoretical and practical understandings of disability, particularly as these apply in the workplace. Included in this work has been the development of a self-report questionnaire designed to measure workplace attitudes toward people with disabilities (PWDs) and a new model of disability that supports organizational reform regarding disabled job seekers and employees.

Dr. Breen’s academic work follows an extensive career in both the public and private sectors. He has served as the Executive Director of a supported employment agency, as the Yukon Government manager of disability employment services, and as the principal of an ongoing consultancy within the field of employment and disability. He began his career in Winnipeg as the owner and operator of a healthcare manufacturing and export company, within which he implemented a policy of hiring only individuals who identified as PWDs.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Breen has served as the chair of a number of boards of directors within the non-profit sector. These have included the Yukon Health and Social Services Council, the Yukon Council on Disability, and Options for Independence (a housing project serving adults living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). He has also served as the chair of the Yukon Human Rights Commission. In 2013, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his community service work.

View Dr. Breen’s publications

Breen, J., Shiffman, V., & Forwell, S. (2024). Disability, pity, and the workplace. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-024-10247-2

Breen, J., & Forwell, S. (2023). Disability and the workplace: The politics of difference. New York, NY: Routledge.

Breen, J., & Forwell, S. (2021). The difference model of disability: A focus on employment. In N. Ferreira, I. Potgieter, & M. Coetzee (Eds.), Agile coping in the digital era: Emerging issues for research and practice. (pp. 275-298). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Breen, J., & Forwell, S. (2020). The Difference Model of disability: A change in direction for vocational rehabilitation practice. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 26(1), 12-17. 

Breen, J. (2019). Developing the Co-Worker Acceptance of Disabled Employees (CADE) Scale. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 25(1), 1-14.

Breen, J., Havaei, F., & Pitassi, C. (2019). Employer attitudes toward hiring persons with disabilities in Armenia. Disability and Rehabilitation, 41(18), 2135-2142. Published online (2018) at doi:10.1080/09638288.2018.1459882

Breen, J. (2018). Attitudes toward employees with disabilities: A systematic review of self-report measures. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 24(2), 67-87.  

Breen, J. (2018). The co-worker acceptance of disabled employees (CADE) scale: A study to gather evidence of content validity. (PhD dissertation) http://hdl.handle.net/2429/67749

Breen, J. (2017). Disability as difference – a fictional representation. The Qualitative Report, 22(10), 2722-2741.

Breen, J. (2015). The exoskeleton generation – disability redux. Disability and Society, 30(10), 1568-1572.

Breen, J. (2015). On-demand American Sign Language interpreting services: Creating social policy in the Yukon. Sign Language Studies, 15(3), 348-362.

Workshop Highlights

  • Interactive discussions with fellow participants
  • Insightful interviews with researchers and individuals with disabilities
  • Key resources for inclusive workspaces
  • Exploring the concept of disability
  • Analyzing workplace realities related to disabilities
  • Addressing the impact of low self-report rates on performance and morale
  • Navigating challenges of disability disclosure
  • Identifying structural and procedural barriers
  • Exploring solutions and organizational strategies
  • Discussions on integration at individual, departmental, and faculty levels within the FoM

Active Participation Required

Come prepared to contribute your thoughts, insights, and recommendations to enrich our discussions.

Registration & Additional Information

Upon successful registration, you will receive a confirmation email and a link to a brief questionnaire ahead of each session.

Accessibility Needs

If you have any accessibility requirements for these sessions, please contact the Centre for Workplace Accessibility at 604.822.8139 or workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your awareness, understanding, and commitment to disability inclusion in the workplace. Join us on this enlightening journey towards a more inclusive FoM community.

REDI’s Book & Media List on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People

REDI’s Book & Media List on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People

In recognition of Red Dress Day on May 5, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the disproportionately high rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people in Canada, we invite you to explore our curated selection of books, media, and resources. Engaging with these resources is a step toward acknowledging the injustices faced by Indigenous communities and supporting the ongoing efforts for justice and reconciliation.

Content about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People can be deeply emotional. If you find yourself overwhelmed, please refer to this comprehensive list of healing and wellness resources for Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals, including learners, staff, and faculty. 

Books
Podcasts
Indigenous Speakers Series
Foundational Reports
Resources for Health-Care Providers

Books

Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls
by Angela Sterritt

Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
by Jessica McDiarmid

My Privilege, My Responsibility: A Memoir

by Sheila North

Stolen Sisters: The Story of Two Missing Girls, Their Families, and How Canada Has Failed Indigenous Women
by Emmanuelle Walter

Rematriating Justice: Honouring the Lives of Our Sisters in Spirit
by Jennifer Brant & Dawn Memee Lavell Harvard

Becoming a Matriarch: A Memoir

by Helen Knott

Podcasts

Stolen: The Search for Jermain

In 2018, a young Indigenous mother named Jermain Charlo left a bar in Missoula, Montana, and was never seen again. After two years and thousands of hours of investigative work, police believe they are close to solving the mystery of what happened to her. We go inside the investigation, tracking down leads and joining search parties through the dense mountains of the Flathead Reservation. As we unravel this mystery, Stolen: The Search for Jermain examines what it means to be an Indigenous woman in America.

Missing & Murdered: Who Killed Alberta Williams?

This eight-part podcast investigation uncovers new information and potential suspects in the cold case of a young Indigenous woman murdered in British Columbia in 1989. 

Stolen: Trouble in Sweetwater

Violence. Retaliation. Disappearances. The Navajo Nation is 27,000 square miles of remote terrain with just over 200 tribal police officers. This season on Stolen, Connie Walker’s investigation into the cases of two missing women leads her on a search for justice in a place where people say you can get away with murder.

Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo

This podcast joins a family as they search for their sister Cleo Nicotine Semaganis. In the early 1970s, Cleo and her five siblings were apprehended by child welfare authorities in Saskatchewan. The children were adopted into white families across North America. All but one of the siblings have reconnected and have been told various mysterious stories about what happened to Cleo, but they can’t find her.

Indigenous Speakers Series

Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls

Watch a recording for a conversation with Angela Sterritt, an award-winning investigative journalist, TV, radio, and podcast host, and national bestselling author for her book Unbroken. Angela is from the Wilp Wiik’aax (we-GAK) of the Gitanmaax (GIT-in-max) community.

My Privilege, My Responsibility: A Higher Calling To Do Better in an Era of Truth, Reconciliation & Redress

My Privilege, My Responsibility: A Higher Calling To Do Better in an Era of Truth, Reconciliation & Redress

Watch the recording of a conversation with Sheila North, the creator of the widely used hashtag #MMIW – a movement that advocates for the end of violence against First Nations/ Indigenous women and girls. 

Foundational Reports

Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
(2019)

Forsaken: The Report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry
by the BC Missing Women Commission of Inquiry
(2012)

Highway of Tears Symposium Report
Community-led
(2006)

Resources for Health-Care Providers

Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care

Two-Spirit Health

Women’s Health