A pipe ceremony at Coronation Park following the signing of the Protocol Agreement between the City of Red Deer and Indigenous community in June 2017. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall and Sheldon Spackman

Collaborative Approach

Red Deer affirms commitment to Indigenous partners

Jan 7, 2020 | 4:58 PM

It’s been nearly three years since The City of Red Deer co-signed a protocol agreement with the Urban Aboriginal Voices Society (UAVS) in an effort to ensure local Indigenous voices are heard at City Hall.

Since the signing in June 2017, a Protocol Agreement Steering Committee (PASC) has worked to craft a slate of goals the City can strive to accomplish alongside its Indigenous partners.

The protocol, which is on display inside Council Chambers at City Hall, represents a shared commitment to respectfully and collaboratively address issues that are of common concern.

The new goals approved by city council on Monday include:

1. The City of Red Deer and UAVS understand how to work together, and do so successfully. The Urban Aboriginal Voices Society (UAVS) and The City of Red Deer will:

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a) Understand each other’s priorities,

b) Work with agreed-upon vision and goals, purpose and actions

c) Have established ways of working effectively and collaboratively together

d) Create and implement mechanisms to address the needs of Aboriginal people.

2. A cultural shift has occurred, and Aboriginal people, history and culture are understood, appreciated, and integrated into City and community life. Aboriginal culture and ceremonies are a natural part of community events. Aboriginal voices are heard on City Council and throughout the community.

3. The City of Red Deer, UAVS, and community partners are acting upon the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Call to Actions for all levels of government.

4. Intentional inclusion of all, by all is honoured and practiced. Community encompasses all, with Aboriginal voices being routinely part of dialogue and consultation.”

Vesna Higham, one of two council representatives on the PASC, says the Protocol Agreement and its new goals better convey the Indigenous community’s concerns and overall vision to council.

“Because we directly have the mayor and two members of council, with elders and representatives from their community,” she explains. “It’s in that governance to governance where that vision can be shared and embraced. There are in total, nine Calls-to-Action (from the TRC) that apply directly or indirectly to municipalities, so this is kind of a formal recognition of our commitment as an organization, to action.”

“I think the fact that we’ve been able to adopt some strategic goals, those are an outcome of our working relationship,” adds Mayor Tara Veer. “There’s very specific components that have arisen out of that relationship. A great example would be with respect to our housing plan and vision, because a lot of the individuals accessing those services are Indigenous.”

Tanya Schur, community facilitator for UAVS, describes the new goals as a great continuation of the good work the City and UAVS are doing in the community.

“For me, what was really exciting was that it was unanimously supported, which really confirms that the City is authentically prioritizing the creation of a welcoming and inclusive society,” says Schur. “It’s more than flag raisings and mayor’s proclamations on June 21. What it signals is that the City legitimately wants to consider Indigenous ways of knowing in the operations of the City of Red Deer.”

Moving forward, Schur hopes to see more cultural space allotted for Indigenous people in Red Deer.

“Not just housing, but cultural space that would allow for ceremonies and for cultural events that are large enough for our community to gather in a traditional way,” explains Schur. “Also, the assurance of a sustainable mechanism for the Indigenous voices – that will be what we will be working on in the next phase. Our elders have said, don’t lose sight of these two things that are very important to the Indigenous community, and although they can’t be written into the governance goals, that they still remain priorities of the Indigenous communities.”