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<p>Retail team members in Victoria, B.C. learned from Hereditary Chief Eric Pelkey of the Tswaout Nation about the W̱SÁNEĆ People, and their history and territory.</p>

Retail team members in Victoria, B.C. learned from Hereditary Chief Eric Pelkey of the Tswaout Nation about the W̱SÁNEĆ People, and their history and territory.

Continuing our learning journey

Across TELUS, various teams continue to deepen their understanding about the historical experiences of Indigenous Peoples while learning more about the present day practices, values and cultures of the Indigenous communities we serve. From TELUS Retail teams connecting with local Elders to learn about the lands their stores are located on or small groups coming together to discuss truths of Survivors shared through the Witness Blanket, we are proud of the TELUS team’s desire to continue learning alongside each other on our collective journey of reconciliation.

Canadian history through an Indigenous lens

TELUS is committed to providing team members with educational opportunities to support their personal reconciliation journeys. The customized Truth and Reconciliation Learning program, created in partnership with Chastity Davis-Alphonse (Tla’amin and Tŝilhqot’in Nations) in 2022, is the foundational course offered at TELUS and over 21,500 team members have completed it to date.

Chastity also offers a live training titled Canadian History Through an Indigenous Lens, which centers around creating dialogue and reflection as participants dive deeper into the impacts of the creation of Canada on Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous-led movements of resistance and current realities of the Indigenous experience.

Over 600 team members have participated in the facilitated sessions with Chastity to date.

“This course was immensely valuable, and I believe everyone at TELUS should complete it. The environment in which Chastity delivered the course materials was safe, respectful, and it was clear everyone was there to learn more about the historical and lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples and do better moving into the future. What I appreciated was the focus on looking ahead, and the supporting materials that enable us to look constructively at how we can advocate for reconciliation in our daily work and our own roles within the organization. I feel inspired to have these opportunities to listen and learn, and am very grateful to have gotten the opportunity to participate in this course.” 

Charne Creasey, Proud member of the TELUS team 

Learning how TELUS can respect the The Fundamentals of OCAP®

As part of TELUS’ commitment to respecting Indigenous data sovereignty, the Data & Trust Office (DTO) continues to sponsor The Fundamentals of OCAP® course for team members who directly support data privacy, ethics, governance and AI, as well as those who currently work with, or may work with data related to Indigenous Peoples. The course was developed by the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) in collaboration with First Nations thought leaders, subject matter experts, and online education professionals.

Understanding the First Nations Principles of OCAP™: Our Road Map to Information Governance*

Raisa Chowdhury supported the 2025 cohort of TELUS team members as the discussion lead, building thoughtful questions for the regular meeting and keeping the cohort on track. Chowdhury shared, “Learning about the historical context behind First Nations data challenges that drove the need for data sovereignty was fascinating. The course helped me gain clarity on the unique aspects of First Nations data and approaches to data sovereignty, including what differentiates First Nations data from other types of Indigenous data, and why OCAP® is such an important tool.”

The TELUS team members who have completed The Fundamentals of OCAP® course work on a range of relevant teams, such as legal services, data ethics and reconciliation strategy. During the cohort’s regular discussions, participants often reflected on current processes and started to build the foundation for making sometimes small but meaningful changes to their own work to ensure that they could assert OCAP® principles.

TELUS’ commitment to artistic integrity

We are committed to supporting the artistic practices of Indigenous Peoples while being mindful of the historic role organizations have played in the misappropriation of Indigenous art and culture. We have an obligation and responsibility to ensure that TELUS’ use of Indigenous art in our digital and physical spaces is respectful of Indigenous artists.

In 2024, expanding on our commitment to artistic integrity, we declared that we will not use AI technology to create or replicate the art of or imagery of Indigenous Peoples.