Coast Mountains School District has received a proposal that would see its board changed to improve Indigenous representation and ensure funds designated for Indigenous education are used effectively. The Northern Sentinel reports that Inter-Tribal Education Committee (ITEC)—an Indigenous education group representing First Nations students in the district—has called for the district to create four new electoral zones. These zones would represent the Haisla, Tsimshian, Gitxsan, and Wet’suwet’en Nations; each respective nation would elect their trustee during municipal elections. ITEC representative Monica Sims commented that there is a $571K surplus in the funds designated for Indigenous students that remain unallocated, despite the fact that there are students in need. Simms presented the proposal to the city council for Kitimat, which expressed its support. CFNR FM reports that the school board has acknowledged the proposal but not yet taken a position on its contents; the Northern Sentinel added that the proposal has been submitted to the Government of British Columbia, which is responsible for legislative and electoral changes.
