Why this site exists
About this site
The information about First Nations Court is scattered across many websites, and most of it is written in dense legal language. This site pulls it together and says it plainly.
FirstNationsCourt.ca was made for Indigenous people who are facing a charge and want to know if this court might be for them, and for clients of the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic. Law students starting at the clinic may find it useful too, and a separate section for them may come later.
This site was created by Ash Akbari, a UBC law student who worked with clients through the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic and attended First Nations Court in New Westminster.
How this site was checked
Every fact on this site was traced to the official sources listed below, and the checking was done in August 2026. Anything that could not be verified was left out.
The firsthand details about the New Westminster court, like what the room at the Inn at the Quay feels like, come from attending that court in person.
Sources
Courts and government
- Provincial Court of BC, Indigenous sentencing courts
- Provincial Court of BC, court locations and schedules
- Provincial Court eNews on the tenth court, December 2025
- Provincial Court eNews on starting the Lillooet court, 2023
- Provincial Court eNews, clients' stories from the New Westminster court
- BC Government news release on the Chilliwack Indigenous Court, 2025
- Criminal Code, section 718.2, official text
- Department of Justice Canada, Spotlight on Gladue
- Department of Justice Canada, Cknúcwentn First Nations Court case study
Legal aid and legal information
- Legal Aid BC fact sheet, "What Are First Nations/Indigenous Courts?"
- Aboriginal Legal Aid in BC, First Nations Court
- Aboriginal Legal Aid in BC, Gladue rights
- Legal Aid BC, criminal law services
- Legal Aid BC, First Nations/Indigenous Court services
- Legal Aid BC, Gladue report program
- Legal Aid BC, breach of a court order
- Clicklaw Wikibooks, legal information for Indigenous people
- R v Gladue, [1999] 1 SCR 688, on CanLII
- R v Ipeelee, 2012 SCC 13, on CanLII
Organizations
- Indigenous Community Legal Clinic, Allard School of Law, UBC
- Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of BC
- BC First Nations Justice Council, Indigenous Justice Centres
- BC First Nations Justice Council, Gladue services
- BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres
Crisis lines
- Hope for Wellness Help Line
- Métis Crisis Line, Métis Nation BC
- National Indian Residential School Crisis Line, Indigenous Services Canada
- KUU-US Crisis Line Society
- 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline
The fine print
This site is general legal information, not legal advice. Every case is different, so talk to a lawyer about your own situation.
The site speaks for no Nation and no court. Ceremony and protocol differ between communities and between court locations, and the only people who can speak to them are the communities themselves.
Phone numbers, addresses, and schedules change. Call before you travel.
Last updated August 2026.