Roy Francis made a salient comment at a recent meeting of service providers and partners – from police to health care – in the new Governance House at Tla’amin Nation.

“Who’s responsible?” he asked and answered his own question when he said: “We’re really new self-government, but the answer is that we are.”

Francis knows a lot about self-governance. Until the Tla’amin treaty was celebrated in April, he was chief negotiator for years as the nation met with BC and Canada over an agreement.

But since May, Francis has been the nation’s community development officer, a job that’s perhaps equivalent in scope to that of a chief negotiator: doing a little bit of everything.

“We came out of negotiations with BC and Canada with a fiscal financing agreement. That’s important because for years all we had were annual funding agreements with governments.

“Now there is a new funding stream. We are documenting and identifying needs, coming up with strategies and new approaches for accessing funding.”

But lest one thinks that Tla’amin Nation is now on its own, Francis points to the long, solid relationship with both the city and regional district of Powell River. He mentions partnerships with Vancouver Island University and the local school district as well as a variety of alliances in health, social services and other areas.

“All the history and relationships that we built through treaty negotiations are a benefit now,” Francis said. “It’s exciting stuff, building Tla’amin. There are lots of areas that I’m delving into that are still evolving.”

He is certainly broadening his own horizons in his new job. But he’s also working on a professional development program for staff and looking at ways to build capacity for members of the Tla’amin legislature.

“Getting approval of treaty was a huge, challenging task,” Francis said. “But now there is a whole new layer of work. I’m always asking myself: How do we carry on beyond treaty and get into the next stages of the work?”

He turns in his office chair and looks out the window at a bare parcel of land next to Governance House. And with that glance, another big subject comes to mind – housing.

“Two or three years ago, housing was one of our biggest concerns, but now it’s under control thanks to our housing department. They explained how those members who were in arrears could get good standing and even own their own homes under treaty. That was a big thing.

“Now we’re building an approach for future home ownership. We’re building 15 serviced lots, helping members secure financing and holding workshops for those interested. We have a great relationship with First Credit Union with long-term support on all our lease lands, mortgages and other financing.”

Francis leans back in his chair and says: “There is a lot to do in this new job. I just always have to be aware of the big-picture vision and things will work out.”