MVUAS Steering Committee Composition and Governance

The Metro Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy Steering Committee is a volunteer committee comprised of 17 members, with the majority of those (13 of the 17) representatives from the urban Aboriginal community of the Metro Vancouver region. There are two co-chairs; one Co-chair from the Office of the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, and one Co-chair from amongst the urban Aboriginal community representatives.

It serves as an advisory committee to oversee and guide the work of the UAS activities in the Metro Vancouver area. Along with the 13 representatives from the Urban Aboriginal community, there are four representatives from the three levels of government: Federal, Provincial and Municipal.

Aboriginal Community Representatives

The 13 urban Aboriginal community seats of the MVUAS Steering Committee will be comprised of 3 Youth, 2 Elders,1 Life Skills Advocate,1 Job Skills/Entrepreneurship Advocate,1 Women/Children/Family Advocate,1 Representative of the United Native Nations,1 Representative of the Métis Nation BC, and 3 Members at large. 

Past MVUAS Steering Committee Representatives (2011-2012)

MVUAS Aboriginal Community Members

• Phil L'Hirondelle, Elder
• Ken Fisher, Elder
• Cori Klesinger, Life Skills Advcoate
• Winston Thompson, Job Skills Advocate
• Jacquie Adams, Women, Children, and Families Advocate
• John Webster, Member At Large
• Jennifer Mervyn, Member At Large
• Artemis Fire, Member at Large
• Melissa Frost, Youth
• Christina Gray, Youth
• Melinda Bige,Youth
• Henry Hall, MNBC Representative

MVUAS Federal Government Representatives

• Wanda Stachura, BC Office of the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians

MVUAS Provincial Government Representative

• Juanita Berkhout, Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation

MVUAS Municipal Representatives

• Aileen Murphy,  City of Surrey
• Mary Clare Zak, City of Vancouver