Canadian Council of Indigenous Business PAIR Certification
PAIR is a three-year certification program, run by the Canadian Council of Indigenous Business (CCIB), that measures and confirms corporate performance in Indigenous relations. It certifies organizations at Bronze, Silver, or Gold level.
In September 2024, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority received a Gold rating from PAIR. GVHA had been certified at Silver since 2021. The program measures performance in four areas: leadership action, employment, business development, and community relationships.
Organizations submit reports to PAIR describing their relations with Indigenous communities and their work to further reconciliation. This information is reviewed through an independent third-party verification process. The final rating is determined by a jury of Indigenous business people.
GVHA manages 11 properties in the heart of Lək̓ʷəŋən territory in Victoria and has a long history of partnerships with the Xʷsepsəm Nation and Songhees Nation. Members of both nations have sat on GVHA’s Board of Directors since GVHA’s inception in 2002.
“It’s been an incredible journey with the rights holders from the Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation,” said GVHA Robert Lewis-Manning. “We are proud and thankful for this trusting relationship, reflected in GVHA’s Gold certification. We are excited about future opportunities together.”
The Canadian Council of Indigenous Business will review GVHA for re-certification in 2027.
Leadership Statement on First Nations Relations
For thousands of years, the Lək̓ʷəŋən People have lived and prospered in the area known today as Greater Victoria. They hunted, gathered, and fished in their traditional lands long before settlers arrived and recognized Victoria as a strategic trading post.
Today, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) manages properties in the heart of Lək̓ʷəŋən territory – the deep water terminal, Fisherman’s Wharf, Inner Harbour Lower Causeway, Ship Point and Wharf Street and Johnson Street marinas.
GVHA was established with the belief that First Nations knowledge and participation must be integrated into the foundation of our work. We are proud to have had Xʷsepsəm Nation and Songhees Nation representation on our Board of Directors since our inception in 2002, providing critical input and feedback on strategic business and policy decisions.
In 2005, we developed five Guiding Principles, which guide the actions and decisions of GVHA. One of these five principles is our commitment to developing and fostering First Nations Relationships:
We commit to working in partnership with the Lək̓ʷəŋən People as they pursue their cultural and economic aspirations in the harbour.
Over the last decade, we have tried—often succeeded and sometimes failed—with different initiatives to realize our commitment. Today, we are reaffirming our commitment to this guiding principle. We want to ensure our efforts are meaningful and provide lasting benefits to Indigenous communities. We want to fully realize our commitment to work in partnership with the Xʷsepsəm Nation and Songhees Nation and play a role in reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in British Columbia.
We are proud to announce our participation in the Canadian Council of Indigenous Business’ Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations program (PAIR). We look forward to demonstrating our commitment to this program through our actions and decisions in the coming months, years, and well into the future.
GVHA was conceived with Indigenous relations in its core mandate. The organization has shown continued effort to engage, involve and support the efforts of Songhees Nation and Xʷsepsəm Nation as it relates to the harbour. PAIR certification will ensure ongoing improvement and will demonstrate GVHA’s leadership in Indigenous relations.
Christina Clarke, Songhees Nation