About All Nations Driving Academy
From Community Response to Capacity-Building and Systems Change
All Nations Driving Academy began in 2018 following years of conversations with Tsimshian Chiefs along the west coast of British Columbia. When asked about the most significant barriers to employment and opportunity in their communities, the answer was consistent: access to a driver’s licence.
Located along the Highway of Tears, these conversations could not be separated from the broader realities of safety, mobility, and the ongoing impacts of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people. Access to safe, reliable transportation was not simply a matter of convenience—it was, and remains, a matter of equity and safety.
In response, All Nations Driving Academy stepped into community-based driver education, supporting Indigenous communities across British Columbia to navigate licensing systems that were not designed with their realities in mind. What began as a practical response quickly revealed deeper, systemic barriers related to geography, enforcement-based systems, inconsistent access to instruction, and the legacy of mistrust tied to institutions.
Through this work, we learned that driver licensing is not an isolated skill—it sits at the intersection of employment, education, caregiving, safety, and community connection.
What We Learned ...
Over time, our work highlighted the limits of addressing access solely through in-vehicle instruction. While individual support mattered, the barriers communities faced were structural and recurring. Lasting change required not only teaching, but building capacity, sharing knowledge, and supporting systems to better reflect Indigenous realities.
These insights informed both our delivery and our broader contributions to policy and advocacy, including authorship of UBCIC’s Road to Reconciliation paper.
Our Work Today ...
Today, All Nations Driving Academy focuses on capacity-building and systems-informed support that strengthens Indigenous-led approaches to mobility and road safety.
Our work includes:
- Online driver education for Class 7L and Class 4 licensing
- Grant writing and funding alignment support for Indigenous communities and organizations
- Policy, advocacy, and advisory support informed by lived delivery experience
We no longer provide in-vehicle driving instruction. Instead, we focus on expanding access, sharing hard-earned insights, and supporting communities and partners to design sustainable, locally appropriate solutions.
Our Commitment ...
While the form of our work has evolved, our commitments have not.
We remain guided by:
- Community trust and long-standing relationships
- Culturally safe, plain-language education
- Community choice and control
- Indigenous leadership as best practice
All Nations Driving Academy exists to support individuals, communities, and systems in creating safer, more equitable pathways to mobility—grounded in experience, accountability, and respect.