Engaging and collaborating with Indigenous partners, including those who are First Nations, Inuit and Métis, is an important part of local community safety and well-being efforts. Ontario has the largest Indigenous population in Canada, with 85 per cent of Indigenous peoples in Ontario living in urban and rural areas (Statistics Canada, 2016 Census). Indigenous peoples are also the youngest, most diverse and rapidly growing population (Statistics Canada, 2016 Census) in Canada and continue to present unparalleled opportunities through their values, innovative practices and approaches that can enhance the lives of all Canadians.

Cultural responsiveness is crucial to the community safety and well-being planning process and should be captured in the development of strategies and programs that are identified in local plans. By including community specific culture and identity as part of planning, it will enable the development of sustainable and strategic programming at the local level. Communities should acknowledge that effective planning involves understanding and responding to the unique factors and inequalities that different groups face. For example, Indigenous peoples may face specific risk factors due to the impact of historical events, such as colonialism and assimilation policies. In addition, social emergencies that overwhelm services in Indigenous communities can also impact services delivered by surrounding municipalities.

Building relationships with Indigenous partners early in the planning process can help ensure that local plans incorporate the strengths, perspectives, contributions and needs of Indigenous peoples, organizations and communities. By respecting each other’s priorities and perspectives, municipalities can build trust with Indigenous partners. This can also help to develop relationships, respond to potentially challenging issues and work collaboratively to achieve social and economic well-being for all community members.

This section has been developed as a guide for municipalities that are undertaking the community safety and well-being planning process in understanding how to meaningfully engage and collaborate with Indigenous partners.

Outcomes of Indigenous engagement

The following are some of the positive outcomes that can be realized by working with Indigenous partners as part of the community safety and well-being planning process:

  • creating and supporting communities where Indigenous peoples feel safe, have a sense of belonging, and are seen as equal contributors to the decisions that affect community safety and well-being
  • establishing partnerships and positive relationships founded in mutual respect
  • gaining an understanding of, and better responding to, the lived realities of Indigenous peoples and the intergenerational trauma that they face
  • acknowledging and addressing systemic biases within existing systems and breaking down stereotypes impacting Indigenous peoples
  • co-developing culturally relevant solutions to meet the unique and diverse needs of Indigenous peoples
  • creating new or supporting existing grassroots community strategies that are well-grounded in cultural recognition, led by Indigenous peoples and communities, and have shared, long-term benefits for all community members

Key principles for engagement

When engaging with Indigenous partners, there is not a one-size fits all approach, as each partner offers a unique perspective and may have specific governance structures, engagement processes or protocols that should be respected.

The following are some key principles to consider when engaging and collaborating with Indigenous partners during the community safety and well-being planning process:

  • Take time to build trust and understanding: When engaging with Indigenous partners, it may take several meetings to build a strong connection, due to factors such as historical events, cultural protocols and availability of resources. Successful engagement occurs in the context of effective working relationships, which are developed over time and built on respect and trust. Be willing to develop lasting relationships.
  • Know the history: Before you enter the conversation, you should have some understanding of the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Learn from local Indigenous community members, political/organizations’ leadership, provincial Indigenous organizations, Elders, youth and others, to understand the historical and present day circumstances. The Report and Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada can also be a useful resource to guide discussions.
  • Understand the impact of lived experiences: Recognize that many Indigenous peoples, communities and organizations are dealing with the intergenerational and on-going impact of colonization. Indigenous partners may be at different stages in reconnecting and reclaiming their cultural traditions and teachings and therefore engagement and collaboration may have different outcomes for everyone involved. Consideration of additional diversities that exist within and between Indigenous peoples and communities will also strengthen the outcomes of this work.
  • Be prepared for the conversation: Step into your conversations with a good sense of what you can bring to a partnership and establish clear expectations. Invest in your staff to be ready for the conversation, for example a starting point could include participating in Indigenous cultural competency training.  Further, knowledge of protocol creates a stable foundation of mutual respect, and sets the tone for the engagement. It is common practice when meeting with Indigenous partners to acknowledge the territory and follow any cultural protocol to start new relationships in a positive way.
  • Identify shared priorities and objectives: Engagement is an opportunity to collaborate with Indigenous partners. When determining objectives for engagement, a best practice is to work with Indigenous partners to develop an engagement process that works for everyone. Be open to creating a joint agenda of issues and priorities and work together to develop initiatives and strategies.
  • Engage early and often: Indigenous partners are often engaged at the end of a project’s development when there is little opportunity to provide meaningful input. Engage Indigenous partners early on in a project’s development and work together to determine the best approach for engagement. Ask Indigenous partners how they would like to be involved and develop clear roles and responsibilities that will support and strengthen mutual accountability. For example, invite Indigenous community representatives or organizations to participate on the advisory committee as part of the community safety and well-being planning process.
  • Have reasonable timelines and create safe spaces for engagement: Effective planning requires you to build in adequate timelines for partners to respond to requests for engagement. Recognize that different Indigenous partners may have unique circumstances which impact their ability to participate in engagement sessions. Engagement should be culturally safe and accessible for all who want to participate.

As a starting point for engagement, reach out and ask if and how Indigenous partners may wish to be involved. Municipalities may look to engage members and/or leadership of urban Indigenous communities within the municipality, neighbouring First Nation communities (for example, Band/Tribal Councils), First Nation police services, local Indigenous community organizations (for example, local Métis Councils), provincial Indigenous organizations (for example, Tungasuvvingat Inuit) and local Indigenous service providers (for example, Indigenous Friendship Centres).