Regional Partnerships

Session proposed by Chief Issadore Day.

Questions for Consideration:

1.  With the diversity of Northern Ontario, can we use urban centres to represent all communities?   

Consensus is "no" because all have unique issues.  All needs are different.  One doesn't represent them all.

With regards to First Nations issues, treaty's are the foundation of this nation.  If you nullify the treaty's we don't have a country anymore.
There is going to be a push on the negotiations with regards to treaty's.  The issues are collective rights and not individual rights.   


2.  What are our next steps and strategies with this whole notion of partnerships? How can we use partnerships to identify issues and solutions and next steps in the economy?

*  Someone raised an issue of the treaty's - he is really surprised that treaty's are still with us today, as they were a last resort.  He identified himself as Francophone.  
*  Someone else stated that he didn't think that the treaty's were a last resort.  They are negotiated settlements and some were mismanaged.  They are there.  They have to be dealt with and not thrown out.

Partnerships - It is a decision to partner.  We have had this culture of exclusion and we must create a culture of inclusion and valuing the other parts of our economy and start accepting it.  We are much better together than we are apart.  In each of the different cultures and communities, we are weaker for it.

Partnerships & Working Together is the focus.

*  Developed a joint relationship committee to establish a set of principles to work together.  Let's develop a tool and vehicle to work together.  It consisted of 5 key points:

1.  Economic Development and Employment
2.  Heritage  
3.  Programs and Services
4.  Land Use and Land Acquisition
5.  Joint Lobby Efforts and Communications with other Governments

(See Thunder Bay on Role of Municipalities in aboriginal economies. TB has established an aboriginal liason office)

Decision to move from the past and create the groundwork and framework and partnership to move forward.  

Mutual respect and joint decision-making was key.  A bona fide process that is designed to work together.

Develop an alliance to go to the Province of Ontario to work together.   First Nations and Municipalities work together.  First Nations are relevant in the process and legitimate but this discussion is not just about First Nations issues and partnerships are encouraged in all areas.

What Do We Feel are the Solutions to Work Together:  education, awareness, acceptance of other perspectives, deciding that we cannot change the past no matter how hard we try, and it is more productive to accept our diversity and decide to form partnerships and move forward.

*  Issue raised about how do we create industry when some communities are so far from existing industry?

Suggestion that reservations can be landlords leasing out property to opportunities and has there been consideration for economic development?  

SOLUTIONS:

*  talk about the issues and get out the issues that are concerning them or causing them fear
*  start discussions about business and development
*  create the forum to open these lines of communication
*  not knowing who to go to for these discussions
*  networking with others to raise the discussion "Here's what we have available, how can we work together?"


When forming partnerships and when you are trying to resolve an issue and one of the players, who holds all the cards, doesn't want to play, what do you do?

How do we do it so that one of the partners doesn't feel left out?  It may be they parties don't agree on the basic issues and there is always a partner that feels left out.  How do we do it so that we will be creating an environment of inclusion.  

Process in Government:  Usually it is considered a negative process; however, it is a human process and the process is not a barrier, but a path.  How do you use levers of power to get power from senior levels of government who don't want to give it up?

"Let's go together, with partnerships having legitimacy, working together to benefit all of us."

Partnerships:

Interest A,  Interest B,   Interest C  - all parties have different interests; however, instead, can we look at an  overall frame that will encompass all interests in order to move in a unified direction.  We all want the same things for our kids, our families, etc. and set out a unified direction. 

Change is not easy.  We are all going to have to move in the same direction eventually in order to make gains. 

Can be related to Algoma University -  joint ventures are essential and an understanding of cultural knowledge; therefore, students will be required to have the history of Aboriginal, First Nations populations.

Constantly refining and enhancing our direction.

With regards to people going different directions, it is a continuous process and some of things that can be done are sharing between communities.  It is on on-going continuous process, getting into discussions and dialogue.