City of Vancouver creates separate Indigenous consultation for future decisions | Daily Hive

City of Vancouver creates separate Indigenous consultation process, reshaping future decision-making

"Syewá:l" Coast Salish house post at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre plaza. (City of Vancouver)

Amid the current provincial-level political turmoil over Aboriginal title court decisions impacting public and private lands, provincial approaches related to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), and other reconciliation matters, the City of Vancouver announced today it has become the first municipal government in Canada to formally adopt a separate and structured approach for engaging urban Indigenous communities.

The new Urban Indigenous Engagement Framework sets out clear guidelines for how City staff will consult with Indigenous residents, including First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people.

“This framework is leading the way for municipalities across Canada,” said Rachel Wuttunee, senior manager of Urban Indigenous Relations at the City of Vancouver, in a statement.

“It creates safer spaces for Indigenous voices and leadership while building trust by providing clear, respectful and reciprocal approaches to engagement. This is another meaningful step forward in our long-term commitments to Reconciliation.”

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Until now, how the municipal government engaged with Indigenous communities could vary depending on the project or department. The new framework creates a more consistent approach across the board.

This includes consultations with Indigenous people that are separate from general public consultations. City staff assert that Indigenous people would be encouraged to speak openly without fear of racism or being overlooked.

The framework gives City staff a step-by-step process on what to do before, during, and after consultation with Indigenous people.

“Public engagement is a vital part of democratic decision-making,” the City staff report states, but separate consultation is “critical to creating spaces where Indigenous participants can speak freely without fear of racism or marginalization.”

According to City staff, the framework is part of the municipal government’s larger reconciliation agenda, including its 2024-2028 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) Strategy and Action Plan. This broader UNDRIP plan for the municipal government was first put into motion by the previous makeup of Vancouver City Council in 2021.

The aim of the framework is to provide Indigenous people with opportunities to influence City policies and strategies before the decisions are made.

According to the City staff report, the City hopes to “build trust and create welcoming spaces for Indigenous participation,” while improving accountability in how decisions are made.

The framework was developed with input from the Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation, along with advisory committees and more than 200 Indigenous participants who took part in consultation sessions in 2023 and 2024.

Leaders from the three host First Nations issued statements in support of the City’s new framework with them.

“Musqueam applauds the City of Vancouver for its continued leadership in reconciliation, and we are pleased to see the Urban Indigenous Engagement Framework come to fruition as a result of the UNDRIP Action Plan,” said Musqueam chief Wayne Sparrow.

Wilson Williams, chairperson of the Squamish Nation, called the framework an “overdue recognition that our Indigenous voices belong not just to the past but must also shape every conversation about this city’s future.”

Justin George, chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, asserted the “path to reconciliation is smoother when Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples walk together, honouring each other with mutual kindness and respect.”

This comes against the backdrop of growing public, media, and political criticism that reconciliation decisions in B.C. with major implications are being performed in secret.

Last fall, the BC NDP-led provincial government also put forward legislation that would allow municipal governments to hold secret closed-door meetings when discussing confidential or “culturally sensitive” information shared by First Nations — a move the provincial government asserts will strengthen collaboration, but also limit public transparency. It would open the door for secret consultation and negotiations betwee municipal governments — including the City of Vancouver — and First Nations.

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