Meaningful Engagement with First Nations
Too often, the news reports focus on conflict and controversy between First Nations and other governments or organizations. The recent report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has sparked debate and discussion about the chosen wording or process involved, rather than the positive outcomes that can stem from acknowledging a fact in our history, showing respect and consideration to those who were affected, and looking to rebuild in a positive way from here – hopefully learning from our past to prevent future atrocities of this nature. Too often, the negative news takes the spotlight, when in fact, there are a lot of very positive actions being taken, with multiple success stories.
One of the things I enjoy about being the editor of the LGMA’s Exchange magazine is we can dig past the shallow news stories that thrive on controversy and report to members about the significant progress and powerful changes taking place at a local level, where local and regional governments are connecting with their neighbouring First Nations to create successful new initiatives based on trust and respect. There’s a growing recognition that living side-by-side means that there are opportunities to work together for shared benefits in all communities. And by taking a moment to shift the lens to be more open-minded, learn from each other and spend time building relationships, a number of areas across the province are demonstrating that there is power and reward from these partnerships.
In Meaningful Engagement Based on Trust and Respect, local and regional governments and their First Nations partners share their stories, including what prompted them to take steps to open doors for meaningful discussions, build trust and leverage their working relationships to benefit their communities. They also share the challenges they’ve experienced and what they have learned that can help others.
As well, in Tsilhqot’in Decision: Impetus for New Relationships, the key components of the Supreme Court of Canada decision to grant Aboriginal title to the Tsilhqot’in First Nation are highlighted from the perspective of impacts on local government and how this landmark decision may affect planning, bylaws, operations and taxation in the future.
In many ways, this province is showcasing multiple case studies that prove working together can be a win-win for everyone and that neighbours are neighbours, regardless of whether they are a Town, District, City, Regional District or First Nation, or anyone else with an interest in supporting communities in a shared area. And it’s notable that most of the progress lies outside a court room and instead is about reaching out, taking time to gain understanding and exploring the opportunities rather than dwelling on the challenges.
It is interesting to learn about the variety of successes in our province and refreshing to focus on positive outcomes and progressive steps towards solid working relationships with First Nations at a local and regional level.
Tackling disrespect in the workplace
Tackling issues like a disrespectful workplace is tough enough in a magazine story. It’s so much worse to hear about coworkers and colleagues across the province who are experiencing harassment, bullying and general disrespect in real life. Even worse are the situations leading to health concerns and people being fired without cause. I believe we all learn better behaviour in kindergarten, yet for some reason those solid lessons are being ignored in the workplace.
It used to be elections were jokingly referred to as the “silly season” due to the specific pressures and issues that arise as candidates lobby for positions. Now it seems that instead of just dealing with the the silly season, local government managers are dreading the months following elections as newly elected officials flex their muscles and make knee-jerk decisions that affect careers and impact people personally and professionally. There also appears to be a growing sentiment in the community that citizens are entitled to rant at and insult government employees. It’s wrong and it should not be ignored or accepted.
Maybe all BC municipalities will need to adopt a bylaw like the one recently approved in Taber, AB, which includes a $75 fine for spitting in public and a $150 penalty for yelling, screaming or swearing in a public place. Maybe there could be an extra fine when the spitting and yelling is directed at local government employees. Maybe just a few people taking a stand, and flexing their muscles using their legal rights will help shift this tide.
A shift of some kind is certainly needed. Everyone in local government knows that politics can make job security for managers a bit dicey at times, but the truly disrespectful work place scenarios seem to be on the rise. When we did the first Exchange story on bullying (December 2010: When the Bully is Your Boss), we used experiences shared by retired local government managers. We wanted to provide tools just in case the stories and related advice would be helpful. In many ways, it was alarming when the LGMA office staff received numerous calls from people across the province who thought we had somehow heard about what they were going through and wrote the story about them.
In the Spring 2015 edition, we pulled from news coverage about municipalities in the US and general experiences from the past. But I again suspect that we will hear from local government managers who think the story is about them. It’s not. But sadly, it if it feels familiar, it’s likely because this is happening too often in our communities.
If you’re experiencing a tough time due to a disrespectful workplace – whether it’s due to the way your citizens treat you, or elected officials or colleagues – I hope that the advice from experts in this edition helps, as well as the resources and tips provided. I also believe that there is a lot of support available through the LGMA and your network of friends and colleagues. I hope you reach out for help when you need it, and reach out to offer help when you see others in need.
It’s somewhat reassuring to know that there is some progress towards building respectful, healthy workplace standards in larger organizations in the private sector, because even if local governments have a way to go, the lessons learned and positive examples available will provide a guide to success.
Communities that make change happen
I think a lot of us have seen exciting initiatives for the community fizzle out. There’s a burst of enthusiasm at the start, but taking ideas and maintaining momentum to translate ideas into actions can be a major challenge. Sometimes it’s hard to get Council or Board support. Sometimes the community is either ambivalent or critical. And sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the day to branch out into special projects.
Gaining support from Council is clearly the first essential element for any project. That’s a given. But finding the other elements in a formula for successful projects isn’t always as clear. What does it take to move ahead with something like a downtown revitalization? In Ideas that Ignite Downtown Revitalization, three communities share their experiences. The outcomes of their success in terms of significant investment and the change in their downtown core are proof that they are on the right track.
They all made ongoing community engagement a priority, and they applied some creative approaches to engage their community members rather than just using traditional tactics. They took their community’s priorities and translated those ideas into achievable actions, and they have delivered some quick wins for their community to show early success. Based on their outcomes, it would appear the second element to success is engaging the community (even after you have their support for the project), and the third element is having some quick success stories you can showcase to keep your community and your elected officials on board with the project.
Taking on projects that may not have been on the radar of local government a decade ago can also pose challenges for local government. Food security is one of those areas that is gaining interest and support at the community level. As citizens push for more measures to increase local food production, local governments are finding themselves tasked with looking at how they can facilitate these types of projects.
A number of communities have found that they have a valuable role to play in removing impediments to local food production and have become a key partner in promoting food security in their communities. Their advice and experiences shared in Food Security: A Growing Imperative show how making a few regulatory and zoning changes along with working with partners in the community can help support food security initiatives.
There’s definitely a community appetite for food security to support being more self-reliant locally, and creating opportunities to ensure that local, healthy food is available broadly in the community seems to be a growing trend (and yes, I’m having too much fun with the puns). It’s also becoming increasingly apparent that we should not assume that we’ll always have a reliable food source from external markets. Both factors suggest that food security will continue to be something local governments need to take on for their community’s quality of life in future.
In a sense, the theme in this edition is about taking care of our communities – either through creating a safe, attractive and vibrant downtown or by establishing policies and partnerships that protect and expand our capacity to produce a reliable source of healthy food locally. These are important goals for many communities, and I hope the experiences and insights shared through Exchange add value that can be applied throughout the province.