News
New Upcoming Trainings 2026-2027
Case Management Training/Conference (July 14-15, 2026). Case Management – A Trauma-Informed Approach to Client-Centred Care. Conference workshop will focus on best practices with insights from other First Nations communities.
De-escalating Potentially Violent Situations & Decolonizing Your Helping Practice (May 26-27, 2026). Learn trauma-informed interpersonal strategies to de-escalate emotionally heightened situations and prevent violence. Learn how to weave Indigenous and Western approaches into your helping practice and apply a decolonized lens to your role. Decolonize their helping practice and learn wholistic healing methods.
Past Trainings
2-Day Case Management Workshop (June 9th-10th, 2025). Gather all Case Managers and/or SDAs, along with Directors, to build connections and relationships, discuss best practices on empowerment, and to develop workplans. Case Management Overview, Policy Review, Implementation Strategies – focus on empowerment and develop Workplans.
Addictions and Mental Health – Strategies for Complex Issues /Motivational Interviewing Communicating to Support Change (June 11th – 12th, 2025). This is a two day workshop and will explain the impact of stigma, silence, and shame. Describe theories of change and address individual needs from a unified, person-centred perspective. Describe steps for working collaboratively with people to integrate treatment approaches from both the mental health and addiction fields. Motivational Interviewing will describe the principles and recognize ambivalence and resistance and identify change talk in clients with strategies that support a client’s own motivation.
Advanced Case Management Skills (January 21st – 23rd, 2025). A workshop dedicated to communication, problem solving and progression planning with recipients to engage and motivate change and progression to help facilitate individuals to reach their employment goals.
Motivational Strategies of Change Management (March 4th – 6th, 2025). This workshop is to understand the stages and theories of change and explore tools an strategies to support the transition of change for individuals and organizations. Will focus on conflict, resistance to change and explore various personality traits.
Coaching from a Trauma Informed Care Lens is being held (November 5th – 7th, 2024). Held at the Crown Plaza in Moncton NB. This workshop is an understanding of how historical trauma an experiences can impact an individual, community, and front-line workers. It will provide an overview of core principles of trauma informed care, and to help coach and motivate an individual.
SAIL Modules 1-3 that was held (September 10th – 12th, 2024). Supportive Approaches through Innovative Learning, module 1 Coaching, Engagement, and Problem Solving. This workshop was to help staff to develop and understanding of how personal perspectives can impact how people interact with one another.
Press Release
New Brunswick First Nations Launch Social Development Support Organization
July 2023 (Fredericton, New Brunswick)—As part of its multi-year efforts toward social assistance reform in the 15 First Nations of New Brunswick, the Lead Chiefs are very pleased to announce that the Mi’gmaq/Wolastoqiyik Social Development Support Lodge (hereafter referred to as the Support Lodge) has been officially launched. The Support Lodge will reside in the Kchikhusis Commercial Center building in Sitansisk Wolastoqey First Nation (St. Mary’s First Nation), in Fredericton.
Research undertaken in partnership between the 15 First nations and ISC from 2016-2018 showed the need for reform of the current social assistance policy and rates which have been in place since the 1990s, and the need for the creation of the Support Lodge. Since this time, work has been happening to develop a culturally appropriate Income Assistance Policy and rate structure, and design the Support Lodge. The funding of the Support Lodge was approved by Canada in March 2023. Negotiations on funding the new Policy remain ongoing.
The Support Lodge is intended to provide a centralized source of advice and specialized assistance to the Social Development and associated personnel in each of the 15 First Nations. The responsibilities of this Support Lodge include: administering an objective appeals process; conducting research on social assistance policies and best practices resulting in providing recommendations to ensure the continued relevance of the Social Development Policy; supporting First Nations undertaking compliance reviews; managing the rental housing inspections process; providing advocacy and liaison functions to ensure services are being provided at a comparable level across jurisdictions; etc.
“The creation of this Social Development Support Lodge is a big improvement for our communities and is the result of many years of work”, stated Chief Ross Perley of Neqotkuk First Nation who also sits on the organization’s Board of Directors. “There is still work to be done to ensure that social assistance rates, that are 30 years old, reflect the needs of our communities in 2023 and beyond. But the Support Lodge also fulfills important needs of the communities’ social programs and is one step in the right direction.”
An inclusive and objective hiring process was followed in the Spring, to select an inaugural Executive Director as the first full-time employee of the Support Lodge. The Lead Chiefs and Support Lodge Board members are further pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Ruth Levi in that role. In addition to her Master of Arts in Social Work from Dalhousie University and professional development courses, she brings many years of directly relevant delivery activities and management of social development programs. “When I joined the research team working on examining the application of income assistance on and off reserve in 2016, I was inspired by being able to be a part of this important reform work”, said Ms. Levi. “I am honoured to be given this new opportunity to further the work through this new role.”
The coming months will see the evolution of support tools, advice, and training the Support Lodge will provide to individual New Brunswick First Nations. Another important component to facilitate the overall reform of social development programs towards self-governance in our Mi’gmaq and Wolastoqiyik communities.
The following are the Lead Chiefs who have been involved in the social assistance reform and Support Lodge development process, as elected by the Chiefs of the 15 First Nations in New Brunswick:
Chief George Ginnish
Natoaganeg First Nation
Chief Ross Perley
Neqotkuk First Nation
Chief Rebecca Knockwood
Amlamgog (Fort Folly) First Nation
Chief Alan Polchies Jr.
Sitansisk Wolastoqey (St. Mary’s First Nation)
For more information: Ruth Levi, Executive Director, Mi’gmaq/Wolastoqiyyik Social Development Support Lodge 506.523.5086