Planning in Indigenous communities : lessons learned from the comprehensive community planning process

Abstract

Planning in Indigenous communities is taking on greater importance as land claims are settled, legal victories force governments and industry to consult with and accommodate Indigenous peoples and interests, and development happens on Indigenous lands. Whereas planning was once the vehicle through which Indigenous peoples were oppressed, marginalized, and confined to reserves in the pursuit of colonial aspirations for land and territorial acquisition, today planning is increasingly becoming a method through which Indigenous peoples are achieving greater degrees of sovereignty and self-determination. Interestingly, the framework that many Canadian Indigenous communities use to engage in planning is a product of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). The INAC Comprehensive Community Planning (CCP) Framework was developed in 2006 and piloted with several First Nation communities in British Columbia. This research project sought to review the CCPs of First Nation communities that have engaged in planning using the INAC CCP Framework in order to identify lessons learned from their experiences. The lessons learned form the basis for my recommendations to support other Indigenous communities in their planning efforts.