Speaker Bios

Terry Teegee is the elected Regional Chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations and proudly serving his second term in this position.

Terry’s ancestry is Dakelh, Gitxsan, and Sekani descent. He is a member of Takla Lake First Nation. As a former Registered Professional Forester responsible for looking after the forests, forest lands, and forest resources, Teegee is deeply involved in natural resources development. As Regional Chief, he was an instrumental voice in the development and historic passing of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

Teegee’s strong leadership, both provincially and nationally, has been vital on the following portfolios and issues:

• AFN Chair of Chiefs Committee include: Economic Development, Employment and Training, and Cannabis
• Co-Chair of the AFN National Fisheries Committee
• Co-Lead on the AFN Justice Portfolio
• Lead for Gaming Nationally and member of BC First Nation Gaming Commission
• Co-Chair of the Forestry Sub-Committee with Province of BC
• Co-Chair for the Champions Table with BC Business Council
• The Political Lead for First Nations Leadership Council for co-developed Environmental Assessment Act (Bill 51)
• Tripartite Working Group member to implement Bill C-92, Indigenous Child Welfare Jurisdiction Bill to implement the Commitment Document Provincially
• AFN Representative on the UN Convention of Biodiversity

Teegee is known for his caring and collaborative leadership. He worked to unify and support people working together towards the recognition of First Nations’ inherent rights.

Previous to becoming the Regional Chief, Teegee was the elected Tribal Chief of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) from 2012 to 2017. Before his political aspirations, Teegee held forestry and natural resources roles with the CSTC and Takla Lake First Nation. He holds a BSc in Natural Resources Management (Forestry) and a Natural Resources Technology Diploma.

RC Teegee and his wife, Rena Zatorski, have been married for 20 years and have two children, Rylie and Rowan. They reside on Lheidli T’enneh Shelley Reserve, 22 kilometres up the Fraser River from Prince George.

Dr. Gwen Point holds a BEd from UBC, an MEd from the University of Portland, a Doctorate in Education from SFU, and an honorary doctorate from UVic. Her connections to our University stretch back decades. She’s been a student, a member of the Board of Governors, a faculty member, and an Aboriginal Curriculum Coordinator, to name just a few of her roles. Dr. Point has also held a number of provincial government and regional posts supporting education, child and family services, and First Nations communities. She is a respected Stó:lõ leader, mentor, and cultural advisor who has contributed her cultural knowledge and experience to numerous books, conferences, workshops, and communities, and earned many accolades and awards. Her ceremonial experience as BC’s Chatelaine for five years will serve her well in this role.

Dr. Gwen Point has been developing and delivering courses at UFV in the School of Social Work and Human Services since 2005 (and was a sessional instructor at UCFV from 2002–04).  She also served as UCFV’s Aboriginal Curriculum Coordinator in 2001. She has been the coordinator and an instructor in the Early Childhood Education program at the First Nation Training and Development Centre in Prince Rupert, and, in her position as a faculty associate in the Faculty of Education at SFU, coordinated the supervision of student teachers, developed and delivered programs and served as liaison with public school administrators and sponsor teachers. As Manager in the Stó:lō Nation Education Department she was responsible for K-12, postsecondary, and First Nations language and culture programs. She has also worked as an elementary school teacher in Chehalis and as a native support teacher for School District 33.

Dr. Point has extensive government and community experience. From 2007–12, as spouse of the Lieutenant Governor, she served as BC’s Chatelaine. This role demanded her participation in numerous and diverse public engagements, social as well as ceremonial.  She served as official host of visiting members of the Royal Family, heads of state and other dignitaries, as patron of organizations such as the BC Council of the Girl Guides of Canada and First Peoples House, and as an Officer of the Order of St. John.

She served in the Ministry of Education, Skills and Training, Aboriginal Services Branch, as the regional coordinator for the Fraser Valley, 1997–99, and for the Northeast and Northwest Regions, 1999–2000.  She currently serves on the Board of the First Nation Education Steering Committee (formerly vice-president).  She has also served as independent chair of the Fraser Valley Aboriginal Interim Board of the Ministry of Children and Families, and numerous other community and educational committees, councils and societies, frequently as chair. She is currently Chair for the Fraser Valley Aboriginal Children and Family Services.

She is a well-respected and well-recognized Stó:lō leader, mentor, and cultural advisor. She has contributed her deep cultural knowledge and experience to numerous books, conferences, workshops and communities, often as an invited keynote contributor.

Dr. Point has received numerous prestigious awards. In 2012, the University of Victoria awarded her an honorary Doctorate in Education. UFV (then UCFV) awarded her the Betty Urquhart Community Service Award in 2003. She has also received the Ambassador Award from Aboriginal Tourism BC, and was recognized as Honorary Witness by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. She has received a number of community awards for her contributions to Stó:lō language and cultural education, including recognition by the Stó:lō Nation, the Seattle Art Museum and others. In 2006, the Chilliwack School District set up two bursaries in her honour.

Mr. Ghislain Picard is Innu from the community of Pessamit. Between 1976 and 1989, he dedicated most of his time in the area of communications. He was responsible for communications and media relations for the Conseil Atikamekw Montagnais (CAM). He published a periodical called “Tepatshimuwin” intended for Atikamekw and Innu communities.

At the beginning of the 80’s, Mr. Picard was President of the Quebec Native Friendship Center. In 1983, he was very active to implement a community radio stations network for his nation. He is one of the founding members of the Société de communication atikamekw et montagnaise (SOCAM). SOCAM produces radio shows in Aboriginal language.

n the middle of the 80’s, Mr. Picard participated to a UNESCO international study on the role of communications in rural communities.

After he was appointed Vice-President of the CAM in 1989, he was elected Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) in 1992. He has been the AFNQL Regional Chief since then. As AFNQL Chief, he sits on the Assembly of First Nations’ Executive Committee and Management Committee and he is the spokesperson for the Comprehensive claims, Urban population and International Issues portfolios. On July 15, 2014 in Halifax, the Chiefs in Assembly unanimously appointed him as National Chef. He occupied this function until December 2014 and then resumed his position as Chief of the AFNQL.

On October 28, 2003, Mr. Picard received the National Order of Quebec. On January 24, 2005, he received the distinguished insignia of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur from the Consul Général de France.

The Honourable Marion Buller is a member of the Mistawasis Nehiyawak, a Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan.  Ms. Buller was a lawyer, practicing criminal and administrative law for six years before being appointed as a BC Provincial Court judge.

Ms. Buller was the initial First Nations woman to be appointed as a judge in any level of British Columbia courts.  She presided in Provincial Court in many locations across BC, including the northern circuit court.  Ms. Buller founded and presided in the First Nations Court, in New Westminster, BC.  This was the first Indigenous Court in BC.  She also built the foundation for BC’s first Indigenous Family Court.

After presiding in BC Provincial Court for twenty-two years, Ms. Buller was appointed as the Chief Commissioner for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.  The National Inquiry was the first truly national inquiry in Canada and created precedent-setting procedures and practices.  The National Inquiry’s strongly-worded Final Report and Calls for Justice have attracted both national and international attention.

After the National Inquiry, Ms. Buller returned to the practice of law.  She is now the Chancellor of the University of Victoria.

Ms. Buller has been Director and President of the Indigenous Bar Association.  She has served as Director for numerous other organizations, including the Law Foundation of BC.  In recognition of her work, Ms. Buller has received several awards, including an Honourary Doctor of Laws degree from Thompson Rivers University.

Doug Routley was re-elected as the MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan in 2020. He served as MLA for Cowichan-Ladysmith from 2005 until the riding boundaries were re-drawn, and was re-elected in 2009, 2013 and 2017.

Doug served as the Official Opposition critic for Citizens’ Services and deputy critic for Forests and Forest Futures. He previously served as Opposition critic for skills training.

Doug was born May 9, 1961, in New Westminster, B.C., and grew up in Duncan, B.C.

He comes from a family of educators and attended the public schools of the Cowichan Valley, then Camosun College, before travelling to Japan, where he lived and worked for one year.

Doug’s close friendships and connections to the Cowichan First Nation people began as a boy playing road hockey and attending school with his friends from Cowichan. He has continued building on that connection in politics, first as a school trustee and now as MLA.

Doug’s work experience is diverse and gives him a very broad understanding of so many of his constituents’ lives and challenges. Doug has experience in construction and in logging, having worked as a sawmill worker and treeplanter. He also has been a business owner and operator, school custodian and school trustee.

While in Japan, Doug taught English and studied Sumea, traditional Japanese ink painting. He was a bicycle racer and while training in Japan, met a bicycle manufacturer. After his return to Canada, Doug established a bicycle retail and wholesale company which had dealers throughout Canada and the U.S. Doug is still an avid cyclist, riding average of 1000 km per month. Doug is a member of the BC Masters Cycling Association and races occasionally. In 2012, he also participated in the 140km Ryder Hesjedal Tour de Victoria and the 120km Vancouver-Whistler Gran Fondo. Doug also enjoys track riding. Doug and his partner Leanne can often be seen training on the roads of mid-Vancouver Island.

Doug’s diverse background in industry, business, labour and politics gives him the understanding that working together cooperatively is the key to success.

Doug lives in Duncan with his partner, Leanne Finlayson. He has a daughter, Madeline, and a step-daughter, Brooklynne. The family enjoy cycling, hiking (with Husky dog Kato), camping and boating together.

Dan was elected MLA for Peace River North in 2017, and re-elected in 2020. He currently serves as the Official Opposition critic for Social Development and Poverty Reduction. He previously served as the Official Opposition critic for Education and was a Member of the Select Standing Committees on Education and Health.

Prior to his election to the Legislature, Dan served as a Fort St. John city councillor for 12 years. He was also a fulltime teacher with School District 60, a reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces Cadet Instructors Cadre, and regularly worked in the construction industry in the summer.

Dan has long been involved in his community, serving as chair of the North Peace Justice Society, vice-president of the Legion, and as a member of the North Peace Shrine Club to mention a few. He has served as a Canadian Forces reserve officer for the past 21 years and also sat on the professional development committee of the teacher association.

For his service in the community Dan received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal and has a Canadian Forces Decoration for his service in the Armed Forces.

Dan enjoys the outdoors through hiking and fishing.  He enjoys travel, experiencing cultures and sampling ethnic foods.

Dan earned his Master’s Degree in Leadership and Administration from Gonzaga University and has a Bachelor of Education from Simon Fraser University.

Dan is a life-long resident of Fort St. John. He and his wife Erin have two children.

Professor Val Napoleon (Indigenous Peoples’ Counsel, LLB, PhD) is the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Law, UVIC, and the Law Foundation Chair of Indigenous Justice and Governance. She is the co-founder of JID/JD (dual degree program in Indigenous legal orders and Canadian common law), and the founding director of the Indigenous Law Research Unit.

Napoleon is Cree from Saulteau First Nation and an adopted member of the Gitanyow (northern Gitxsan). Her areas of research include Indigenous legal traditions and methodologies (e.g., land, water, governance and democracy, human rights, gender, dispute resolution, and intellectual property), Indigenous legal theories, Indigenous feminisms, legal pluralism, Indigenous democracy, and Indigenous intellectual property.

She teaches common property law and Gitxsan land and property law trans-systemically in the JID/JD.

Katie θə ne skʷix təl̓li cən ʔəƛ̓ Tsawwassen, ʔəy̓ nə šxʷqʷeləwən kʷenes ʔi k̓ʷecətalə.

My name is Katie and I am from Tsawwassen. I am happy to see you all.

I am a settler on these lands of Jewish, European descent. I have worked for the Tsawwassen First Nation for just over a decade and I am the Manager of Health and Social Services. My professional background is in Social Work and I am pleased to be here to speak with you.

Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation

Chief Jerry Jack is Klakwagiila and comes from the House of Tsee-sah-aht. He is a Hereditary Chief from Mowachaht/Muchlaht First Nation (MMFN). Chief Jack has over 40 years of experiences in working on First Nations issues including justice, policing, governance, fisheries and environmental management.

Chief Jack was born on Vancouver Island, and served 21 years of police service with the RCMP. He also served with the Quinalt Tribal Police and Makah Tribal police in Washington State. In 2000, his late dad (Jerry Jack) held a 2-day potlatch and gave him his Chieftainship. When Jerry Jack, Sr. passed in 2006, hisuncle, Ben Jack acted as Chief Councillor at MMFN in his political seat. Five years ago, Chief Jack reclaimed his political roll with MMFN and supports his people to defend their rights and title, under their hereditary system and under the Indian Act.

Chief Jack has been involved with various political organizations including the BCAFN, UBCIC and First Nations Summit; his nation is also part of the Nuuchah-nulth Tribal Council which is active in protecting the nation’s forestry, fisheries and marine resources. In addition, he has worked with the First Nations Health Council and FNHA throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Jack brings valuable insight to the BCAFN Board and Regional Chief on issues surrounding fisheries, policing, forestry and governance. Specifically, he’s very familiar with the marine spill response having acted as the lead for MMFN in Nootka Sound when a 60 year old vessel began leaking oil – he worked on the ground in collaboration with community members, DFO and the Coast Guard to ensure the environment, and First Nations’ rights and responsibilities were respected, protected and supported. He lives in Gold River and can often be found in Campbell River, Nanaimo, or Friendly Cove on the west coast monitoring territorial waters.

Delaine is a Treaty 8 Métis from the Peace River Valley on the traditional territory of the Blueberry River First Nations. She has been working with Indigenous law and policy for over a decade, beginning her journey at the Aboriginal Studies program at Langara College in 2010. After working at the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, Delaine graduated in 2015 from the UBC Faculty of Law with a juris doctor degree and began working with the BC Assembly of First Nations on a variety of portfolios, including justice issues and environmental assessments.

For the last four years, Delaine has worked full-time as a civilian in a policing environment, developing proposals, policy, and programming in different areas for the BC Policing and Security Branch and the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner. At the same time, Delaine worked part-time as a writer for Alderhill Planning, an Indigenous planning firm in BC. As a writer for Alderhill, Delaine supported projects such as the Path Forward: Women and Girls Community Safety Sessions and other reports and planning documents to support Indigenous communities and organizations, including children and family wellness, employment challenges, and governance materials. After joining Alderhill in March 2022 on a full-time basis, Delaine is thrilled to be back doing community-based work with her Alderhill family. She is based in Lək̓ʷəŋən territory on southern Vancouver Island where she lives with her husband.

Chief of Police Keith Blake is proud to lead alongside the sworn and non-sworn members of Tosguna, and to serve the beautiful community of Tsuut’ina Nation. Chief Blake believes in the importance of providing community centered policing, adapting to meet the cultural and socioeconomic needs of the Tsuut’ina Peoples and to address root causes of crime.

After serving 24 years in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Keith Blake was sworn in as the 5th Chief of Police of the Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service on May 16th, 2013.
Keith has been privileged to have completed all of his service in the Province of Alberta and experienced firsthand the culture, pride and honour in being a part of the policing in seven different First Nations communities across Alberta.

Keith’s operational and investigative policing experience includes both front line uniform policing, and plain clothes duties in specialized units which included postings as a General Investigation/Major Crime Investigator, Federal Drug Unit Investigator and Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) Investigator and Supervisor, Detachment Commander, Emergency Response Team Leader and Professional standards.

Chief Blake is invested in advocating for First Nations Policing, raising awareness and supporting solutions related to the challenges and triumphs of Indigenous Policing across our Country and he remains truly humbled to serve the visionary people of the Tsuut’ina Nation.

Corporal Chris Gosselin has been a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for last 22 years. In 2010 Corporal Chris Gosselin was recognize nationally with Order of Merit for Police  in Ottawa by the Governor General of Canada,  for his work with Indigenous communities. Presently Corporal Chris Gosselin over sees the first Urban Indigenous policing team in BC for the RCMP.

Corporal Chris Gosselin is a band member of Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve in Manitoba.

Cal Demerais is a First Nations member of the Muskoday First Nation from Saskatchewan. He served with the RCMP for 32 years throughout BC and Alberta retiring at the rank of Inspector. He was engaged in all aspects of contract operational policing throughout his career including specialized teams
however focused on developing an expertise in providing policing services to Aboriginal communities.

His duties have included the role as Advisory NCO for Aboriginal Policing for Northern BC, Advisory NCO for Aboriginal Policing in Southeastern BC, and as the Officer In Charge of Aboriginal Policing for the
province of Alberta. Some of his key accomplishments include implementing a Public Safety Protocol between the RCMP and Treaty 6, Treaty 8 and the Metis Nation of Alberta, developing the Aboriginal component of the Alberta Gang Reduction Strategy, and negotiating and managing over 25 Community
Tripartite Agreements between the federal, Provincial, and First Nations governments. His focus has always been safe homes and communities, the use of alternative justice programs, and the establishing of policing priorities by the communities. He also has two years experience as an Assistant Deputy Warden with BC Corrections.

Cal is married with three children and resides with his family in West Kelowna.