Reconciliation and relationship building with Indigenous peoples
National Truth and Reconciliation Day is less than a month away (September 30), so now is a great time for your municipality to consider its approach to reconciliation and relationship building with Indigenous communities and peoples. Alberta Municipalities is committed to helping members build positive and meaningful relationships with Indigenous neighbours and residents.
An online session on municipal-Indigenous relations was delivered to ABmunis’ standing policy committees earlier this year on June 27. The session was recorded and has now been posted on the association’s Indigenous peoples web page for members to view. Click here to go directly to the video.
The session featured:
- Elliott Young, Director of Engagement, pipikwan pêhtâkwan
- Jaimy Miller, Director of Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Relations Senior Executive Advisor, City of Edmonton
- Rachelle Venne, CEO, Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women
The three presenters shared their knowledge and recommendations on:
- Making municipal policies and procedures more respectful of Indigenous people, most notably for Indigenous people living within a municipality.
- Adopting protocols and practices to support relationship building with Indigenous communities and peoples.
- Guidance on relationship building with Indigenous communities and peoples for municipalities with no reserves or settlements nearby.
- What to do when Indigenous communities are overwhelmed with engagement requests from municipalities.
ABmunis’ website includes a link to a resource developed last year for our members called ‘A Municipal Guide to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action’. The guide helps municipal leaders understand the calls to action that are most relevant to local governments in terms of scope of responsibility and applicability to municipal service delivery.
