AN IMPRESSIVE LINEUP OF EXPERTS will be on hand when Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council hosts a work- shop entitled ‘Exploring Self-Government’ for leaders from its 11 member nations on March 2-4.

Regional Chief Jody-Wilson Raybould from BC’s Assembly of First Nations as well as former Tsawwassen chief Kim Baird will be on hand to help provide participants a vision for self-governance and the tools to help get them there.

Other featured guests at the three-day workshop at the Coast Bastion hotel in Nanaimo include: Gwen Phillips from Ktunaxa Nation and Westbank councillor Chris Derickson and Dr. Tim Raybould. The latter two worked on the Westbank agreement in 2005, the first stand-alone self- government agreement under Canada’s inherent right of self-government policy.

The multi-day workshop is geared toward administra- tors, governance managers and elected officials. Participants are asked to attend with exist- ing community materials related to self-governance including vision statements, nation objec- tives, and existing plans and priorities.

In addition to developing tools for self-governance, the workshop will also be an opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned from nations who are already self-governing. NmTC’s governance coordinator Valerie Cross-Blackett is a Tsawwassen member and was involved in her nation both before and after its 2009 treaty came into effect. She said: “The tribal council is pleased to support its member nations in working to- wards their respective visions for self-government. Within the 11 member nations, one has a completed modern treaty and another’s treaty comes into effect in April 2016.

“Other member nations have completed comprehensive community plans (CCPs) or have their own land management codes. NmTC can provide a platform for sharing the experiences of these and other nations and supporting member nations in the development of a vision for governance and a plan for how to get there.”

She said space at the workshop is limited, so those interested should apply as soon as possible.

Contact Valerie Cross-Blackett at 604-329-6815 or Bronwen Geddes at 778-999-5924 or by email at either valeriecb@nautsaw- mawt.com or [email protected]. More information is on the NmTC Events site at www.nmtcevents.com.