Strategy

Government

The Quality of Life (QoL) strategy is an initiative of the Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government (NLG) to provide strategic support on policy procedures and practices for the government.

Project Scope

Under budgetary allocation from NLG, the Quality-of-Life strategy collects and records data from within NLG and among Nisg̱a’a Village Governments and Nisg̱a’a Urban Locals. Other regional, provincial, and national data is compared to the context of the Nisg̱a’a communities in the Province of British Columbia. Efforts are made to understand how collected relevant information connects to the region’s labour market conditions and dynamics. Equal measures are applied to group local data, analyze this data, and compare information against BC Provincial, Canadian, and international performance measurement standards. At the same time, efforts are made to contextualize the importance of relevant local knowledge to the current realities and heritage of the Nisg̱a’a people, including contemporary social practices. The QoL initiative incorporates several unique methodologies pertinent to the context of NLG and Nisg̱a’a culture. 

Supporting Data Management

Within NLG, the Quality of Life Department offers several services to NLG staff, Nisg̱a’a Village Governments, Urban Locals, Nisg̱a’a citizens, the public, and other stakeholders (e.g. private sector, academics, civil society, non-business entities) engaging the Nisg̱a’a Nation. 

QoL Services & Supports

 

  • Assistance in articulating NLG’s perspective on Data Ownership (OCAP)
  • Collects project data in a consistent manner
  • Reuses data for project results, analysis, or relevant longitudinal studies 
  • Stores and protects data (with IT support)
  • Retains and analyzes results for performance evaluation, interpretation, and for public consumption
  • Shares results with relevant stakeholders and with Nisg̱a’a citizens
  • Encourages open dialogue and discussion on social and economic issues through participatory research and public engagements
  • Reports and publishes conclusive findings (both positive and negative) to help refine public policy in describing and articulating project initiatives
  • Assists with governance practices and strategies to the benefit of all Nisg̱a’a citizens
  • Provides social and economic research as required by NLG

Responding as Government

NLG’s Quality of Life strategy tracks social and economic developments (i.e., either positive outcomes or as outcomes point to areas where policy direction and change need to occur). It provides a measurement approach and communicates this approach and results to Nisg̱a’a citizens. This helps support NLG’s open communication and transparency goals. By observing NLG’s systematic procedures and gathering and interpreting data across departments enables stakeholders to monitor and track success while providing a strategy for how to address challenges.

Global Perspective

The QoL initiative supports inter-departmental strategies for measuring performance based on quantitative and qualitative best practices. The QoL strategy assists NLG by focussing on specific baseline criteria used for evaluating contemporary social and economic conditions—both in the Nisg̱a’a context and as these conditions connect to the region and wider world.