The 2018 BC Tripartite Education Agreement (BCTEA) includes commitment by BC, Canada and FNESC to an innovative approach to ensuring adequate and appropriate transportation services for First Nations students who attend public schools. BCTEA introduces new tools such as Joint Transportation Plans and the targeting of transportation funding to ensure that First Nations students receive the transportation services they need.

About the First Nation Student Transportation Fund – Schedule G of BCTEA

As per Schedule G of BCTEA, the Parties established a First Nation Student Transportation Fund (“Fund”) to address the transportation needs of First Nation Students who live on-reserve and attend BC Public Schools. Boards of Education (“Boards”) and First Nations are encouraged to work together to determine First Nation Student transportation needs (including transportation to extracurricular activities) and co-develop Joint First Nations Student Transportation Plans (“Transportation Plans”). Transportation Plans are to include strategies to address various modes of transportation, such as walking, driving, bussing, ferry or water taxi, depending on local needs. The Joint Plans should be informed by the Guiding Principles and criteria established by the BCTEA Parties.

Important Dates

To support the Joint Plan submission process, and to respond to questions, the third Annual (Virtual) Meeting on Transportation and three Joint Transportation Plan and Reporting drop-in information sessions have been scheduled:

  • February 7, 2023: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon PT Annual Meeting on Transportation (AMT)
  • March 1, 2023: 10:30 am – 12:00 noon PT – Transportation Joint Plan Drop-in session #1 Register here.
  • April 12, 2023: 10:30 am – 12:00 noon PT – Transportation Joint Plan Drop-in session #2 Register here.
  • May 17, 2023: 10:30 am – 12:00 noon PT – Transportation Joint Plan Drop-in session #3 Register here.

NOTE: representatives from First Nations and school districts are not expected to attend more than one information session but they are welcome to do so if they have further questions.

Reporting for the 2022/23 School Year Joint Plans

As noted in the 2022/23 Transportation Funding Approval letters, there are specific reporting requirements for the transportation funding. The documents below may be used by school districts to complete and submit reports:

Data collected through the BCTEA Reporting Template (introduced for the 2021/22 reporting period) that included Board spending, description of transportation services and student count information is being used to understand school baseline spending on First Nation Students transportation, to inform the BCTEA Transportation Research initiative underway and to inform Joint Committee decision-making related to Joint Plans.

Sharing the completed Reporting Template will demonstrate to First Nations that school districts are using available funding sources to transport First Nation Students living on reserve to public schools.

Please submit completed reports along with the 2023/24 Joint Plans by May 24, 2023 to BCTEA@gov.bc.ca.

Development and Submission of 2023/2024 Joint First Nation Student Transportation Plans

First Nations and Boards of Education may use the following documents and templates for the development of 2023-24 Joint Plans.

School districts may submit co-signed Joint Transportation Plans by May 24, 2023 to BCTEA@gov.bc.ca.

Learn More

  • Transportation News Release, Indigenous Services Canada, March 2, 2020.
  • See BCTEA Schedule G – Transportation for details about the transportation commitments.
  • For questions about the Joint Plan submission requirements, First Nations may contact Christian Gonzalez, Manager, Local Education Agreements, FNESC, at christiang@fnesc.ca, and Boards of Education may contact Jane London, Project Director, Funding and Financial Accountability Branch, Ministry of Education, at Jane.London@gov.bc.ca.