Security systems for First Nations and Métis communities
For band managers, Chief and Council, tribal councils, Métis Settlement councils and administrators, and the housing, health, education and public works teams of First Nations and Métis communities in Alberta and BC.
Updated
The quick answer
We design, install and support security systems for the buildings a First Nation or Métis community runs: band and settlement offices, health centres, schools, community halls, water plants, public works yards and community-owned businesses. Projects start with the people your community chooses, go to Chief and Council or the settlement council for approval, and are built so the community owns its systems, its video and its access logs, with admin access and training for your own team.
Buildings we secure in First Nations communities
| Building | What it usually needs |
|---|---|
| Band administration office | Access control on finance, records and council areas, cameras at the entrances and a video intercom at the front desk. |
| Health centre or nursing station | Access control and logs on medication rooms, panic buttons at reception and vaccine fridge temperature alarms. |
| School and daycare | A video intercom at the front entrance, locked inner doors, lockdown buttons and cameras. See school security. |
| Community hall, arena and youth centre | Cameras, alarms and access on schedules, plus sound systems for events. |
| Water and wastewater plant | Cameras, door alarms and intrusion alarms with alerts to staff. The plant’s process controls stay with its operator. |
| Public works yard, fleet and fuel | Gate access, licence plate cameras and solar-powered or cellular cameras where there’s no power. |
| Nation-owned businesses | Gas stations, stores, hotels and lodges. See retail and hotel security. |
| Apartment buildings and Elders’ lodges | Entry intercoms, fobs and cameras in common areas. We don’t work on single-family houses. |
How we work with a Nation
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. First contact | Usually the band manager, a director or the tribal council’s technical services team. We work with whoever the Nation asks us to. |
| 2. Site visit and listening | We meet the staff who use each building and walk every site. The Nation decides who else joins, such as Elders or community members. |
| 3. A written plan | Device locations, what each building gets and phased options, in plain language for Chief and Council and for funding applications. |
| 4. Approval | The decision is the Nation’s, often a Chief and Council motion or a Band Council Resolution (BCR). Work starts once it’s approved. |
| 5. Install | Scheduled around school days, ceremonies, community events and the seasons, following the Nation’s rules for working in the community. |
| 6. Handover and training | Admin access, full documentation and training, so the Nation’s own staff can run the system day to day. |
Métis Settlements and Métis communities
Alberta’s eight Métis Settlements are the only recognized Métis land base in Canada, spread across the north and central east of the province. Each Settlement has its own council and administration, and the Metis Settlements General Council is their central governing body. We work the same way with a Settlement as with a First Nation: the settlement council approves the plan, the Settlement owns its systems and data, and its own staff are trained to run them.
We also work with Métis Nation organizations and Métis-owned businesses in Alberta and BC on their offices, community centres, housing buildings and worksites. See remote site security and oil and gas site security.
Your data stays with your Nation
Video and access logs belong to the Nation. We can record on equipment kept in the community, put every admin account in the Nation’s name, and set the system so only the people the Nation chooses can view or export footage.
Many First Nations follow the First Nations principles of OCAP® (ownership, control, access and possession) for their information. We plan the system so your Nation can apply its own rules to its video and logs.
OCAP® is a registered trademark of the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC). This is general information, not legal advice. Privacy rules for First Nations governments can differ from those for businesses, so check with your Nation’s own advisors.
Respect for the community
Where cameras go
- Camera locations are decided with the Nation, building by building
- Cameras cover buildings, doors, yards and parking, not homes or private yards
- Sacred sites, ceremonial grounds and cemeteries are the Nation’s decision; we don’t put cameras there unless asked
- Signs where cameras record, as the Nation wants them
Working in the community
- We follow the Nation’s protocols and visitor rules
- Work is planned around ceremonies, funerals and community events
- We train the Nation’s own staff to look after the system
- One team to call afterwards, for every building
Remote and fly-in communities
Many communities are a long drive, a winter road or a flight away. We plan for that: solar-powered and cellular cameras where there’s no power or internet, recorders that keep working when the connection drops, remote access for your staff, spare parts left on site and staff trained for first-line fixes. Travel is planned with the Nation around roads, weather and flights.
Funding and approvals
Many community buildings are funded through Indigenous Services Canada programs, such as the Capital Facilities and Maintenance Program, or through other federal, provincial or Nation programs. Indigenous Services Canada’s Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative funds Indigenous-designed community safety and well-being projects and lists First Nations and Métis Settlements among eligible recipients; its calls for proposals open and close, and it doesn’t fund enforcement, so check what’s open and eligible. Not-for-profit organizations may also qualify for the Canada Community Security Program. Our written plan and quote are laid out so they can go into a funding application. We can’t guarantee funding approval; eligibility is decided by each program.
If your Nation tenders the work, our team can prepare a tender-ready design so every bidder prices the same system. Already have a system nobody supports? Our System Rescue team can take it over.
Where we work
We work with First Nations across Alberta, in Treaty 6, Treaty 7 and Treaty 8 territory, with Métis Settlements and Métis communities, and across BC, from our head office in Edmonton and our offices in Calgary, Red Deer and Kelowna. We also support communities in Saskatchewan, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. See our service areas.
Planning security for your community?
Tell us which buildings you’re thinking about. We’ll plan with your team and prepare what Chief and Council need.
Related: security system designremote site securityschool securitysystem rescue
Stuck with a system nobody will fix?
We repair and take over cameras, access control, intercoms and alarms installed by other companies, when your current provider has fallen short.
Help: Export Avigilon video
First Nations and Métis community security questions
Do you work directly with First Nations?
Yes. We work with band administration, tribal council technical services teams and Nation-owned companies, whoever the Nation asks us to work with.
Who approves the project?
The Nation does, often through a Chief and Council motion or a Band Council Resolution (BCR). We prepare a written plan in time for the meeting.
Do you work with Métis Settlements?
Yes. We work with Alberta’s Métis Settlements, Métis Nation organizations and Métis-owned businesses. The settlement council approves the plan, and the Settlement owns its systems and data.
Is there funding for security in Indigenous communities?
Sometimes. Programs such as Indigenous Services Canada’s Pathways Initiative and the Canada Community Security Program have their own rules and intake dates. We can’t guarantee funding approval; eligibility is decided by each program.
Who owns the video and access logs?
The Nation. Admin accounts are in the Nation’s name, and only the people the Nation chooses can view or export footage.
Can you help with our funding application?
We provide a written plan, device list and quote laid out for a funding application. Funding decisions belong to the funder, so we can’t promise funding.
Do you work in remote or fly-in communities?
Yes. We plan for solar-powered and cellular cameras, recorders that keep working offline, spare parts on site and travel around roads, weather and flights.
Can our own staff run the system?
Yes. We hand over admin access and documentation, and train your staff to add users, find video and handle first-line fixes.
Who decides where cameras go?
The Nation. We suggest locations for buildings, doors, yards and parking, and nothing goes up without the Nation’s say.
Can you secure our water treatment plant?
Yes, the building and site: cameras, door alarms and intrusion alarms with alerts to staff. The plant’s process controls stay with its operator.
Do you work on housing?
On apartment buildings and Elders’ lodges: entry intercoms, fobs and common-area cameras. We don’t work on single-family houses.
Can you take over a system another company installed?
Yes. Our System Rescue team regains admin access to systems the Nation owns and supports them from there.
More answers: Questions about working with HightowerGlossary: access controlIP camera
Talk to us about your community
Tell us which buildings and systems you’re thinking about and who we should work with. We’ll follow up to plan a site visit.
Call and a real person answers, 24/7 for emergencies.