Fraser Valley Regional District staff will soon have better access to information about Indigenous culture and history.
The district is collecting books that will comprise a small library in a break room at its Chilliwack offices. Staff have compiled a list of 63 titles that would ideally be included.
“The focus of the selections will be titles by Indigenous authors, both fiction and non-fiction, as well as non-fiction titles which promote Indigenous cultural understanding, accurate histories, and local Indigenous awareness,” states the FVRD report recommending the library.
The library comes in response to one of the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which calls for government bodies to provide education to public servants on Indigenous history, including that of residential schools.
While many of the titles are expensive or unavailable, FVRD’s spokesperson Jennifer Kinneman said the Indigenous Reads Library will hopefully have 50 titles by mid-August.
The Library will provide a supplement to existing training and education available to FVRD staff and elected officials, according to the report recommending it. A $1,750 budget has been set aside to buy the material.
