Agenda

Day One: Tuesday, September 17, 2019

08:00

60 min

Registration and Continental Breakfast

09:10

50 min

Compassionate Leadership - Supervising in an Environment Impacted by Intergenerational Trauma

Dena Zavier, Founder and HR Consultant for several Yukon First Nations , Summit Vision Communication

  • Traditional vs. western organizational structures/processes 
  • Impact on employee performance
  • Performance management: mediation vs. discipline
  • Going beneath the obvious to address foundational issues around performance
  • Difficult conversations – practical communication methods to get the desired results
  • Techniques for harnessing the observer effect – the impact of noticing

10:00

15 min

Networking Break

12:15

60 min

Luncheon

14:00

45 min

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast

Cori Maedel, CEO, Jouta Performance Group

  • Exploring the impact of HR not being aligned to your intentional organizational culture
  • Integrating community culture into your organizational culture
  • Creating policy within a cultural framework
  • Managing within a cultural framework

14:45

30 min

Recruitment of Indigenous People in the Federal Public Service

Soleil Dempsey, Manager of HR Operations, Public Service Commission of Canada

Kim Blanchet, Manager, Aboriginal Centre of Expertise, Public Service Commission of Canada

  • How recruitment in the federal public service works
  • Learn about the Indigenous recruitment practices in the federal public service
  • Various recruitment programs are available for Indigenous job seekers
  • Best practices for promoting job opportunities to Indigenous Peoples

15:15

15 min

Networking Break

15:30

60 min
Celeste Haldane

Preparing for Self-Governance: A Capacity Building Framework

Celeste Haldane, Chief Commissioner, BC Treaty Commission

  • HR planning supports good governance and needs a community-driven approach to ensure success
  • The BC Treaty Commission has worked closely with numerous First Nations in BC to support capacity building and community engagement. This presentation will discuss the Treaty Commission’s HR Capacity Tool and a four-phase process for HR planning that is applicable to all First Nations governments

16:30

End of Day One

Day Two: Wednesday, September 18, 2019

08:00

60 min

Registration and Continental Breakfast

09:10

50 min
Case Study

Managers & Overtime and the Federal Law

Diana Hamilton, Human Resources Manager, KFN Enterprises LP and Saskay Land Development LP

  • Examining a wage complaint from an ex employee manager
  • Flipped rulings by the Federal Government Supervisor
  • Managers were not actually managers in a First Nations Administrative Office
  • The importance to have policies in place with regard to overtime 
  • Getting all staff including managers to take time in lieu of any time worked over and above the regular work day
  • Time in Lieu Form

10:00

15 min

Networking Break

11:15

60 min

Legal Overview – Essentials of the Duty to Accommodate

Mitchell Couling, Principal, Barrister & Solicitor

  • Prohibition of Discrimination generally in employment under Human Rights Legislation
  • Duty to Accommodate  
  • Employer and Employee Obligations
  • Scope of Duty to Accommodate
  • Undue Hardship Threshold
  • Legal Test for Discrimination

12:15

60 min

Luncheon

13:15

60 min
Adam Munnings Jennifer D. Wiegele

Managing and Accommodating Invisible Disabilities in the Workplace – A Community Based Approach

Adam Munnings, Founder & Indigenous Lawyer, Munnings Law

Jennifer D. Wiegele, Partner, Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark LLP

Managing and accommodating employee mental health and/or substances issues present an increasing challenge in the contemporary workplace. Given the stigma surrounding such issues, it can be challenging to know when employees are struggling with mental health or substance issues and how to best manage and/or assist such employees. We will discuss the steps an employer should take when it suspects that, or is advised that, an employee has a mental health or substance abuse issue. We will learn what steps should be taken if an issue of accommodation or performance management arises and discuss traditional and contemporary approaches to addressing these issues in the workplace.

This seminar will use case studies, interactive discussions of fact patterns and group exercises to gain a deeper understanding of effective ways to manage and accommodate employees with mental health and/or substance abuse issues.

  • Identify invisible disabilities and understand employer obligations such as the Duty to Enquire and the Duty to Accommodate;
  • How to prepare requests for medical information and how to identify when you may require further medical information;
  • To implement effective return to work arrangements, including drafting 3return to work agreements; and
  • Skills and tools to effectively support and manage an employee in recovery once he or she returns to work.

14:15

60 min

Best Practices for Supporting an Employee’s Recovery and Return to Work Following a Leave for Mental Illness and/or Substance Abuse

  • Preparing effective “Ulysees” agreements and Return to Work Agreements;
  • Monitoring and Working with Employees once he or she is Back at Work; and
  • Dealing with Relapses or Set Backs

15:15

15 min

Networking Break

15:30

60 min
Maxime Faille

First Nation Employee Income Taxation: a Guide for First Nation Employers and Employees

Maxime Faille, Partner, Gowling WLG, Indigenous Law Group

  • A brief history of the Indian Act Tax Exemption
  • Legal update
  • How to structure your operations to allow First Nation employees to be tax exempt
  • Managing risk & uncertainty surrounding the tax exemption
  • Managing re-assessments and disputes with CRA

16:30

End of Day Two

Day Three: Thursday, September 19, 2019

08:00

60 min

Registration and Continental Breakfast

09:10

50 min
Diane Carriere

Indigenous Community Nation Building Through Effective Human Resources

Diane Carriere, President, Canadian Aboriginal Human Resources Management Association (CAHRMA)

  • Realities:  human resource management IS different within Indigenous organizations than other Canadian workplaces due to location, cultural relevance and the communities socio-employment stories  
  • Economics: building strong Indigenous communities requires effective alignment at the forefront with the strategic alignment of leadership, economic development, and human resources that work together as one at the design table 
  • Leadership: HR is a core function & requires the support of leadership to deploy resources and be provided with a responsibility of trust to operate in the best interest of the employer  
  • Development: due to the specialization of their situations, Indigenous HR managers need their own ‘space & place’ to connect, network and share practices to maintain their motivation and stay ‘sharp’
  • Future: with the evolution of human resource practices and workplaces globally, the experiences and expertise among Indigenous approaches to HR, offer Indigenous agencies the opportunity to become the models of what it takes to operationalize truly inclusive workplaces

10:00

15 min

Networking Break

10:15

60 min
Kim Humphreys

Workplace Wellness

Kim Humphreys, President, Workforce by Design

  • Understand the components of a comprehensive Workplace Wellness approach, why it’s important and how to achieve it in your workplace.
  • Learn how to anchor Workplace Wellness in a relational worldview where everything is connected – using the concept of ‘two-eyed seeing’ to better understand where the best of Indigenous and western perspectives and practices are combined to maximize quality, benefit and unity.
  • Understand what a Health and Safety Management System (HSMS) is – why it is important; how to use it as a framework to meet legal obligations and establish organization standards that exceed requirements; and, how and where to implement it in your organization

11:15

60 min
Kerry A. Jothen

Strategic HR Planning, Strategy Development & Execution for Indigenous Communities

Kerry A. Jothen, CEO & Principal, Human Capital Strategies

  • Determining where you are, where you are going and how you are going to get there are critical questions to answer before Indigenous communities take action on HR and workforce priorities
  • Working in a respectful, trusting way with Indigenous communities and taking the time to learn and understand their governance, history, language, culture are the first requirement in building capacity and an effective strategic approach to HR and workforce strategy
  • Information – data and knowledge collection, information management and utilization – is a key part of Indigenous capacity building and HR and workforce strategy development. This has to be conducted in a culturally sensitive way, adhering to CAPTM principles
  • Execution of Indigenous HR and workforce strategy requires a solid implementation plan that clearly articulates leadership, project management, roles, resources, timelines and phasing, monitoring and reporting, evaluation, etc. of the HR and workforce strategy
  • Accountability for use of resources and results of HR and workforce strategy and execution are critical. Having a clear logic model, data tracking/monitoring/reporting procedures, clear, relevant KPIs, and reliable performance evaluation will give Indigenous governments’, community members’, funders’ and partners’ needs confidence in your accountability

12:15

60 min

Luncheon

14:15

60 min

Supporting Apprentices within Indigenous Communities

Shannon Hanson, Apprentice Advisor, BC Industry Training Authority

Donna Anderson, Apprenticeship Advisor, Customer Experience, Industry Training Authority

  • The benefits of apprenticeship training in First Nation communities
  • Understand how the trades training system works
  • Aligning trades training opportunities with economic development
  • Applying the community-based training model
  • Collaborating with partners to train your local workforce

15:15

15 min

Networking Break

16:30

End of Day Three