About this Gathering
Date and Location
Date: November 21st, 2023
Where: Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Saskatoon, SK
About the Community Conversations
The meeting provided a forum for researchers, industry partners, and local/provincial/federal policy writers to listen to First Nations and Metis community members about their lived experience and preferred pathways for changing the built environment that reflects Indigenous ways. This can guide research, improving relevance, usability and uptake to reduce health impacts over the housing lifecycle. The meeting facilitated the development of a new network of people who are working on built environments while providing opportunities for interdisciplinary learning for researchers and trainees. The meeting aimed for meaningful engagement between First Nations and Metis community members, home builders/engineers, policy makers, and researchers working across these areas. For example, health research knowledge may not be well known to home building industry partners. There is multiple advantages to listening to First Nations and Metis community members and applying this knowledge to optimise healthy built environments in Saskatchewan communities. The knowledge we gain from this process is directing plans for a national network to advance First Nations and Metis built environment.
Through this meeting, we facilitate knowledge-to-action as determined by First Nations and Metis people. We identified barriers to Indigenous built environment and levers for change. In combination, these outcomes are supporting the development of a framework for research, knowledge blending, policy action, and engagement driven by First Nations and Metis community members, professional builders, policy makers, and researchers working on the built environment. This meeting connected communities, researchers, and trainees, professional engineers and builders who are responding to the Calls to Action of the TRC with a goal of creating partnerships for change.
Governance means who gets to decide what? Policy flows from governance and refers to the guides, rules, agreements and requirements created by First Nations communities and government institutions. Government policies guide financial programs, planning, and allocations for housing. First Nations create housing policies to address complex housing issues such as financial and housing management, housing allocation, ownership and tenantship, and evictions.
Training and Transition refer to capacity for housing, such as how to hire, train, mentor, and support leadership, housing managers, and administration to feel comfortable and well-equipped to work in housing. It can also include establishing paths for different housing career opportunities, such as skill or trades development. Training can also refer to tenant education for housing. Good training and transition are important to having a strong housing portfolio.
Builds and Procurement refers to the strengths and challenges of larger-scale projects related to building and maintaining quality houses on-reserve to accommodate community needs. This theme includes issues related to construction, infrastructure, tendering, planning, contractor and business relationships for both renovation and new builds. It can also include factors that influence builds and procurement, including building codes and opportunities for energy-efficiency.
Asset management refers to the day-to-day administration of housing portfolios. This includes planning and oversight for housing maintenance, insurance, tenant relations, administration, upgrades and renovations, and supporting new builds. A key element is data management, keeping track of all reserve assets and their condition, infrastructure connections, upgrades, and tenants. Asset management can also include planning or upgrading to follow energy-efficient practices and support occupants’ health. It’s related to training and transition because housing staff (housing directors, coordinators, managers, administrators) are also assets.
Meeting Outcomes
Graphic Recordings
Graphic recordings were developed to illustrate the outcomes of the round table discussions at the symposium!
Builds & Procurement
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Policy & Governance
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These Graphic Recordings were developed by FuseLight
Video: Music - Composition: "Kahkiyaw Oskâyak" by Sherryl Sewepagaham
This performance is a live recording by the University of Saskatchewan Greystone Singers directed by Dr. Jennifer Lang.