Unique Features of this Partnership

This partnership has taken a regional approach to First Nation-municipal collaboration, bringing two First Nations, two townships, a regional government, and an economic development corporation together. These partners participated in CEDI between 2017-2020.

Areas of Collaboration – Joint Themes

  • Established a Planning and Consultation Working Group. Co-developed a GIS tool to support consultation processes that responds to the Duty to Consult
  • Established a Regional Economic Development Working Group. Hosted a regional economic development workshop to identify joint community economic development initiatives; two initiatives were selected: mapping Indigenous tourism in the greater Peterborough area for promotion and developing a plan to integrate business incubators in Selwyn, Curve Lake, and at Peterborough the Kawarthas Economic Development.
  • Established an Indigenous Tourism Working Group to explore regional tourism collaboration opportunities. The group joined together with the Regional Economic Development Working Group to form one group focusing on Indigenous Tourism and Community Economic Development.
  • Education and Awareness: focussing on Treaty education and youth engagement about the importance of reconciliation.

Accomplishments

  • All councils and boards have passed resolutions committing to CEDI for three years
  • Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations now sitting as partners on the County of Peterborough’s Official Plan Technical Advisory Committee
  • Co-organized an educational event about the 200th anniversary of Treaty 20 that engaged Indigenous youth and Indigenous knowledge keepers
  • Co-presented at the FCM Annual Conference and Trade Show in Quebec City, June 2019
  • Signed Ezhi-Wiijikiwendiyang (Friendship Accord), November 2019
  • The partnership and the Friendship Accord is featured in a video that was filmed by Indigenous Services Canada.
  • Had a Wampum Belt created in March 2020 to honour their commitment to their partnership.

Videos

Treaty 20-Greater Peterborough: Strengthening Relationships (Transcript).

Treaty 20-Greater Peterborough: Free, Prior and Informed Consent and First Nations (Transcript).

Treaty 20-Greater Peterborough: The Duty to Consult (Transcript).

Treaty 20-Greater Peterborough: Youth Leadership (Transcript).

In the Media:

Why Work Together?

"In regards to economic development, I’d like to see more partnerships. We are in a beautiful area and I believe we can partner on quite a few items and make that successful for the First Nation and the townships. Those partnerships would be beneficial to everyone. It also creates the opportunity of knowing First Nations aren’t against development; what we are against is coming in and being told what is happening or just coming through our territory with no engagement process. When you work with First Nations it is about Free Prior and Informed Consent and Permissions. And that needs to happen. And that relationship needs to happen."

– Chief Laurie Carr, Hiawatha First Nation

"In my 21 years in municipal work, this CEDI partnership was among the most important and satisfying projects I have been a part of because of the importance of the relationships with Curve Lake and Hiawatha."

– Former Mayor of Selwyn Township, Mary Smith

"The process has been really helpful in building understanding between our communities. We now understand the reasons for one another’s positions. We will still disagree from time to time, but now we have the relationships to help us navigate that and find a solution that works best for all of us."

– Iain Mudd, Manager of Planning, County of Peterborough

Next Steps

This partnership graduated from the CEDI program and plan to continue to work collaboratively to develop and implement their identified joint economic development initiatives and to honor and live up to the Ezhi-Wiijikiwendiyang (Friendship Accord). Their areas of interest for the coming year, include:

  • Identifying regional economic development and Indigenous tourism opportunities with all governments in Greater Peterborough Area
  • Developing a plan to integrate business incubators in Selwyn, Curve Lake, and Peterborough.
  • Continued government-to-government relationship building
© 2024 Federation of Canadian Municipalities