The RM of Corman Park is working to strengthen partnerships with the nine First nations that own land within the municipality, according to Corman Park Reeve Judy Harwood.
Speaking during an online workshop session on ‘economic reconciliation’ with fellow panelists Aberdeen Mayor Ryan White and Milton Tootoosis of the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) November 10, Harwood said First Nations need to be at the planning table from the start, not simply consulted after the fact.
“As an RM, we are early in our journey to reconciliation,” Harwood said during the ‘Walking Forward Together: Rural Reconciliation’ conference organized by the Prairie Rivers Reconciliation Committee. “The most important step for us is to listen and learn. It’s important for everyone’s well-being that we move forward with understanding.”
The nine First Nations that own land in Corman Park include English River, Cowessess, Yellow Quill, Muskoday, Little Pine, Moosomin, Saulteaux, Peter Ballantyne and Fishing Lake. Each First Nation has their own plans for future development, with some, but not all, opting for reserve status.
Harwood said the RM is currently working with First Nations stakeholders to plan future growth in the area south of Saskatoon.
“By involving First Nations and shaping a shared vision together, we can come up with a solid plan provides opportunities for shared prosperity,” she said. “The first step toward increased understanding and communication is to improve relationships.”
She said the RM council and administration is committed to ‘Indigenous Awareness Training’ in 2022. She said municipal governments must be “mindful and responsive” to individual First Nations’ goals of self-governance.
SREDA Director of Indigenous Development Milton Tootoosis told the workshop that every First Nation has “different ideas and thoughts on economic development” and that their visions and leadership styles can vary widely.
“It’s no different than towns,” said Tootoosis. “Some small towns are dying while others are thriving. It’s much the same way for First Nations.”
They also have different styles of self-governance and understanding of sovereignty, he added.
“When you’ve been repressed under the Ministry of Indian Affairs for decades, it’s a long haul to work your way out of that paradigm,” he said. “Those nations that have figured it out will not be oppressed by the Minister of Indian Affairs and his agents any longer, they will do what they want to legally.”
Tootoosis said communication and understanding are key to breaking down prejudices and fostering partnerships.
“Eleven years ago, when I worked for the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, I first approached the Lloydminster City Council and Chamber of Commerce business leaders,” said Tootoosis. “I expected some resistance. But with ongoing relationships and building trust, we made real progress in overcoming barriers. Now, that little city ten years later just held its 9th annual Indigenous Economic Partnership Summit.
“There’s also a new casino in Lloydminster and Lakeland College campus there has programs and a Treaty Six Reconciliation Committee going.
“From where they were ten years ago to now, they’ve done a 180. They’re starting to produce metrics and tracking meetings and outcomes and results to measure Indigenous contracts and employment levels.
“That’s a great example of economic partnerships.”
Aberdeen Mayor Ryan White said his community is also in the learning phase.
“We have some great things going on with the school,” said White. “We’re starting at the ground level in terms of learning and listening.
“For me, personally, it was hard to learn what reconciliation was, and to listen to the stories. I didn’t fully understand what people went through. But hearing the experiences of the residential schools, I was able to go beyond what I had previously thought.”
White said when community leaders acknowledge the past, and not try to shy away from it, then the community as a whole can get behind it.
“We’re learning what we can do by including Indigenous people in the future planning of our community,”’ said White. “We can only reach our full potential when we all come together and support each other.”