Update: While the two year mark has now passed since this agreement was signed, the Nation and the Johnson family requested a reconsideration by the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner in a case involving the same set of facts. The Commissioner is hoping to allow this process to complete before providing a final review of the systemic components of this agreement given the overlap in factual context.

This report reviews the progress of an agreement between the Vancouver Police Board (VPB), the Johnson family (who were directly impacted by actions of the Vancouver Police), and the Heiltsuk Nation to address systemic anti-Indigenous racism in policing. The findings underscore the need for improved relationship and collaboration between the parties involved, and the need to respect Heiltsuk law. 

The agreement was struck in 2022 to settle a human rights complaint filed by Maxwell Johnson on behalf of himself and his granddaughter, after Vancouver police wrongfully handcuffed the pair without first looking into the allegation made against them. As part of the settlement, all parties agreed to collaborate on a series of steps to address systemic issues in the Vancouver Police Department—and to have Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender act as an independent third-party reviewer of their efforts to do so. 

More resources

• Press release: Vancouver police, Johnson family and Heiltsuk Nation should collaborate to realize the promise of systemic racism settlement: Human Rights Commissioner (March 6, 2024) 
• Press release: B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner will audit the implementation of settlement agreement between Vancouver Police Board and Heiltsuk grandfather and granddaughter with critical human rights implications (September 2022) 
• Report: Equity is safer: Human rights considerations for policing reform in British Columbia (November 2021)