Public Safety Report October 2023 to March 2024

Public Safety Report October 2022 to March 2023

Public Safety Annual Report 2021-2022

Public Safety Report April 1 to September 30, 2022

Public Safety Report October 2021 to March 31, 2022

Public Safety Report April 1 to September 30, 2022

Public Safety Report October 2021 to March 31, 2022

Public Safety Annual Report 2020-2021

Public Safety Report April to September 2021

Public Safety Report October 2020 to March 2021

Public Safety Report April to September 2020

Resources

This toolkit is a heartfelt prayer for the safety and well-being of all sqilx’w impacted by ongoing colonial violence our community continues to face. It is our responsibility to collectively contribute to your belonging of safety in our homelands.

Check out the Community Safety Toolkit for Youth here.

As the feet of our young ones touch the ground, we pray that they feel a deep sense of connection, safety, and worthiness of loving kinships and relationships. This toolkit is a result of the collective voices of our community, local experts with lived experiences, who poured their hearts into this project to support the well-being and personal safety of our beloved sqilx’w. Together, let’s continue our journey of nurturing our strength as a community where everyone can feel safe.

Click Here to read the Phase 2 final report

Daily an individual may experience an emotional trigger by another person’s behaviour, attitude, or inappropriate actions. The emotional trigger is anything including memories, experiences or events that sparks an intense emotional reaction-regardless of current mood.

Since COVID began within the community and outlying areas, the fire, evacuation and losses; the many OKIB members who had passed on, also the news of communities who began sharing about the Indian Residential Schools of children being buried within their premises, on-going of Murdered and Missing Women and Men – all these experiences had an effect on individuals.

The healing process begins within oneself to share their truth of their experiences which helps one to overcome feeling anxiety, fear and to help one to find their voice. The workshop is a safe place with no judgement and each member is asked to keep confidentiality as it is up to the individual to share their story of truth with those that they feel safe in doing so. An individual has a choice of saying the name of a person(s) who affected them however no questions asked when individual chooses not to.

The two-day Mending Broken Hearts Healing Circle is scheduled monthly and an opportunity for OKIB members to participate in so one can start to process the effects of past or current experiences that has/had caused oneself to feel anxiety, or afraid to share.

It is important for an individual to process these past/current experiences through workshops, and one on one counselling, group healing circles. Wellbriety Meetings is a healing circle that is held every Wednesday at Public Safety. Contact Michael Ochoa at 250-309-0353.

The two-day Cultural Safety Education with Eric Mitchell and Chris Marchand as presenters with one/two staff members present as supporters. The educational workshop gives oneself information that will include Pre-contact, Canada’s Hidden History, Understanding Truth and Reconciliation etc. Information, discussion on how the Indian Act was implemented, the Indian Residential School, Day Schools, 60 scoop.

When an individual chooses to not process their past/current issues then it is passed onto others that may have triggered them; the unresolved issues or grieving that was endured over time has been passed on for generations since our Indian people have attended the Indian Residential Schools. There have been surveys, meetings where community members have expressed the need to feel safety, therefore as an individual we can do our best to heal self with the help of others.

To participate register on-line: [email protected]

Overview: Traumatic events are common, and most people will experience at least one during their lives.

Traumatic experiences may include:

-Being in a serious accident

-Being involved in war-either as a civilian or as part of military operations

-Being involved in a natural disaster, such as bushfire, flood etc.

-Being assaulted

Traumatic events include things that happen to you directly. Or to someone you are close to.

An event can be traumatic if you witnessed it happening to someone else or if you were involved in the course of your work. For example:

-If you were the first on the scene of a serious accident, or after a natural disaster.

-If you learnt that a friend or family member was in a life-threatening event, was seriously injured or died suddenly and unexpectedly.

In the first days and weeks after a traumatic event, people often experience strong feelings of fear, sadness, guilt, anger, and grief. As they begin to make sense of what happened to them, these feelings usually begin to subside. For some people though, a traumatic event can lead to mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, alcohol, and drug use, as well as impacting their relationships with family, friends and at work.

Examples of childhood trauma could include:

-Being hit or smacked by your parents/grandparents.

-Having an emotionally unavailable parent who withholds affection.

-Being “punished” by kicking, shaking, biting, burning, hair puling, pinching, scratching etc.

-Being the child of divorce

-Being given inappropriate or burdensome responsibilities (such as caring for your parents)

-Not being fed or provided a safe place to live from your parents.

-Abandoned (your caretakers leaving you alone for long periods of time without a babysitter)

-Emotional neglect, ie: not being nurtured, encouraged, or supported.

-Being deliberately called names or verbally insulted

-Denigration of your personality

-Destruction of personal belongings

-Excessive demands

-Humiliation

-Car accidents, or other spontaneous traumatic events.

For one-on-one counselling contact Linda Williams 250-308-6662.

Overdose: Take Charge…Take Care

The Beginning for Recovery

Usually, it is overcoming denial that starts the process, or hitting “rock bottom” that often leads the user to treatment. But direct intervention works as well. Healing then becomes a lifetime process. Relapse is a focus at every level of treatment.

Principles & Goals

Principles may include a variety of treatment options such as medication used along with individual and group therapy- peer groups, facilitated group therapy and educational groups are components of treatment and support recovery. Treating co-existing conditions along with addiction. Goals motivate clients toward abstinence and rebuilding lives without drug use.

Michael Ochoa, Justice Worker has group therapy- Wellbriety Meetings every Wednesday evening at the Public Safety Office from 5:30pm to 7:30 pm.

There is availability for Alcohol and Drug Counselling sessions and completion of forms to enter a treatment center. Linda Williams, Syilx Cultural Liaison, contact 250-308-6662 to set up an appointment.

Click here to read the full text on ‘The Beginning for Recovery’

Read the information by clicking here.

The CCG meets every other month (usually at Public Safety Office). The CCG is made up of OKIB community members, and Indigenous Policing Services (RCMP). The CCG acts as a liaison role between the community and the RCMP. The CCG members identify and advocate for community policing priorities and community safety, promoting dialogue and good communication between police services and community members. CCG attendees meet for a few hours, to identify issues, projects, events, gap in policing, etc. within the OKIB community and work with RCMP to resolve identified concerns.

Please let Cst Neil Horne, know if you are interested in joining the CCG and able to attend the next meeting (time TBD). Email at [email protected]

I want to thank Chief and Council and the members of OKIB for the opportunity to be your RCMP Liaison Police Officer, through RCMP’s First Nations Policing Program. The program has three main goals:

-To enhance community policing services

-To support culturally responsive policing in First Nation and Inuit communities

-To recognize input from Indigenous communities of policing services received.

I would like to acknowledge that I have the privilege to work on the unceded territory of Syilx Okanagan peoples.

I have spent 20 years in social work prior to joining the RCMP, and I understand the importance of positive community engagement. I am a husband, father to 4 beautiful children and enjoy being active in their lives through coaching various sports they partake in. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to say hi, please feel free to connect with me, anytime you see me out and about in your community or at the Public Safety Office.

Also starting February 2023 I will have dedicated office hours every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30to 3:30 at the Public Safety Office.

Remember: Anytime you require police services call 911 for all emergencies and for any non-emergency reports, you can call the Armstrong RCMP Detachment at 250-546-3028.

I look forward to hearing from you and working with everyone, to help maintain OKIB as a safe community to live, work and play.

My Contact Information:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 250-546-3028

The Public Safety unit has published the following documents on the subject of youth homelessness in the region. Please check out the report. If you are seeking housing or counselling, the Resource Library is a comprehensive list of resources that may be able to help.

The Challenges Youth Face and the Movement to Over Come Them

Housing and Counselling Resource Library

Calling 9-1-1 can be stressful, when you need help and things are happening quickly.

Here’s a few tips on what you can do to make sure emergency personnel get the information they need so you’re prepared next time you need to dial 9-1-1.

9-1-1 Calling guide

RCMP 4th Quarter (2022) Policing Report for Vernon North Okanagan Detachment

Follow this link to see a list of free resources that you can use to learn, support and self-manage mild to moderate mental health concerns. Information regarding the programs is taken directly from their websites and is in their words, wherever possible.

Click here to read some tips on keeping your home, family and the community safe.