OTTAWA, June 21, 2019 — June is National Indigenous History Month – a time to celebrate the heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.

Professional planning in Canada continues to have significant relevance for Indigenous communities of all sizes, as well as with Indigenous people living in urban settings or displaced from traditional homelands. CIP is committed to ongoing reflection, not only about how these communities are affected by planning, but what lessons planning practitioners can learn from Indiginous practices.

Acknowledging that in Canada there is still much to be done following Federal acknowledgement of injustices suffered by Indigenous communities, CIP’s recently published Planning Practice and Reconciliation Policy states, unequivocally, that:

“Planners have a unique role to play in reconciliation, as their profession connects people, land, livelihoods, and governance.”

As well as reflecting on the past, there are many examples of Indigenous planning initiatives to celebrate today and CIP is committed to l­earning from and sharing these examples with our members.  We are also committed to celebrating the great work that Indigenous planners and aspiring planners do. On June 25th and 26th, CIP will be hosting three webinars featuring current Indigenous planning issues. The 60-90 minute webinars will be live streamed, allowing participants the opportunity to contribute using a chat feature. Only one registration is required to access the full webinar series, and the sessions will be recorded and posted on the CIP website at a later date.  For more information please click here.

More activities

In addition to these webinars, members can find more material on CIP’s learning HUB and resource pages. Other activities and materials to look out for include:

  • The City of Saskatoon’s ayisīnowak: A Communications Guide. The Guide, which recently won CIP’s Award for Planning Excellence, provides a comprehensive overview of best practices for municipal engagement with Indigenous communities.
  •  CIP’s GENERATION conference features keynote speaker, Dr. Hayden King, an Anishinaabe professor and writer, and over 15 Indigenous-oriented sessions and workshops, including a full-day “Urban Design Beyond Generations” charrette highlighting Ottawa-area Indigenous communities and their planning approaches.
  • Plan Canada’s Centenary Edition includes comprehensive articles on the professsion’s past relationships with Indigenous communities, as well as forward-looking perspectives on future relations.

To read more on CIP’s Planning Practice and Reconciliation policy and to access other resources, visit https://www.cip-icu.ca//cip-icu.ca/Indigenous-Planning.

To find out more about activities during Indigenous History Month and Indigenous Peoples Day around Canada on June  21st click here.