First Nations Data Governance Strategy

The Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre (Alberta FNIGC) promotes, protects, and advances OCAP® principles for First Nations within the regional treaty territories of Treaty no. 6, Treaty no. 7, and Treaty no. 8. Alberta FNIGC’s mandate includes data management, analysis, and data sharing support to each of the forty-eight (48) Treaty First Nations.

As an Assembly of Treaty Chiefs (AoTC) and treaty First Nations mandated and established the incorporated non-profit Regional Information Governance Centre since 2010, we are focusing on stronger capacity development and efficiency to implement the needs and goals of the nations. See About Us for more information.

Take a deeper dive into this initiative from a national perspective with “A First Nations Data Governance Strategy: A Response to Direction Received from First Nations Leadership In Support of the New Fiscal Relationship Strengthening First Nations Institutions and Community Capacity.” The First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC), under the leadership of its Board of Directors, prepared this report and the recommendations within it. The need for a First Nations data governance strategy has been discussed at the FNIGC’s Board table for many years, and is supported through several resolutions at the Chiefs-in-Assembly, who have set out the priorities for this important initiative.

The Main Objectives of the Alberta First Nations Data Governance Strategy are:

1. Building more capacity and efficiency for the Alberta regional information governance centre (RIGC), the Alberta FNIGC, will continue to engage and maintain vital relationships with our member First Nations.

2. Implementing a solution for secure, scalable ingestion, storage, and analysis of First Nations’ data from different regional, provincial, and federal sources.

3. Facilitating roles and use case-based sharing of data between Alberta FNIGC and First Nations communities.

4. Providing tools and training to support data analysis by First Nation community data users based on each community’s unique needs.

Utilizing a hub and spoke model, this initiative will ultimately consist of a series of linked community-specific data environments, each able to securely ingest, share, and analyze data received directly from external data sources or Alberta FNIGC. Read more here: Supporting First Nations Data Repatriation and Sovereignty

Regional Information Governance Centre (RIGC)

We’re excited to share this powerful FNIGC video, “Inside a Fully Functional Regional Information Governance Centre (RIGC),” because this is exactly what we are proud to focus on as we operate here at the Alberta FNIGC.

As our local RIGC, Alberta FNIGC is working towards a future where we support First Nations across the province with the full spectrum of information governance services: digitizing and protecting records, repatriating community data, ensuring secure access and control, and creating clear visual tools and analysis for planning, service transfer, self-government work, and nation building.

To fully meet the unique data needs of regional First Nations, Alberta FNIGC, in partnership with Indoc Systems, has begun a multi-phase initiative aimed at deploying a SaaS data platform solution. You can visit our platform here: https://fnrigc.indocpilot.io/. During our first phase, we are working with 8 First Nations to start, with future expectations of having a portal for all 48 First Nations in our region.

Just like the video shows, every RIGC is shaped by the unique needs and goals of the region it serves, and our work in Alberta reflects the priorities of our communities and Nations. We are part of the national network, but our centre belongs to the First Nations in this territory.

The video reinforces the principles we follow every day: First Nations make the decisions. Communities stay in control. We move at the speed of trust. And we are stronger together.

For more information, contact us at fndgs@afnigc.ca