Community-Based Land Use Planning:
Principles
For a complete description of the Principles of our planning process, see the Terms of Reference. The following are key themes addressed in the principles:
1. Recognition of the vitality of local interest
We esteem local knowledge. Local planning based on our unsurpassed local knowledge of the Whitefeather Forest Planning Area is part of our Ojibway culture. Our approach to local planning is supported by generations of successful care of our ancestral lands. Today when we look at other First Nations who follow their customs of giving priority to local planning and resource management guiding tribal enterprise activities, we see how they have achieved great economic and environmental success. For example, our sisters and brothers of the Menominee Tribe in Wisconsin have achieved world renown through following this approach in their Menominee Tribal Enterprises initiative.
In our Community-Based Land Use Planning process, our crucial local interest in our Traditional Territories is acknowledged. We have described this vital interest in Community-Based Land Use Planning – Principles and Process (PDF). This document was developed by our First Nation as a statement to interested parties affirming our approach to dialogue with them. Our dialogue approach as set out in this document is supported by Ontario and the Partnership for Public Lands.
2. Recognition of other and broader-scale interests
We understand that the interest in our Planning Area extends beyond our community. We have experienced the intense interest and concern of the international environmental community in our forests. For example, the international environmental community has recently declared the Berens River to be one of the ten most endangered rivers in Canada. We understand this concern because we know the value and the beauty of our forests. We recognize that the forests of our planning area are part of the heritage not only of Pikangikum people and the people of Ontario, but of all humanity. It is our intention to preserve the legacy of our forests for all future generations of Pikangikum people and, in so doing, for all of humanity as well. This is the most important reason why, in our Community-Based Land Use Planning process, we affirm that Ontario has broader-scale responsibilities related to the Whitefeatheather Forest Planning Area.
To gain support for our Community-Based Land Use Planning approach – an approach that is rooted in our Ojibway culture – Pikangikum First Nation carried out intensive dialogue with the Government of Ontario. This dialogue contributed significantly to Ontario recognizing as policy that First Nation Community-Based Land Use Planning would provide the best tool to guide the development of new economic opportunities in the Whitefeather Forest Planning Area.
We recognize that other parties also have interests in the Whitefeather Forest Planning Area, for example, non-native tourism operators. We recognize that people and industry in the surrounding region may be affected economically by the planning decisions we made about our land. We consider dialogue with all interested parties to be key to the Whitefeather Forest Initiative.
3. Community “in the driver’s seat”
Under the guidance of our Elders, we set the basis for undertaking our Whitefeather Forest Initiative with the community “in the driver’s seat”:
- We established an internal organizational approach to planning that is rooted in our customary indigenous decision-making processes. Through this approach we are initiating, providing overall direction, and attending to all aspects of the process from major strategic community decisions to daily management of planning activities. As is our tradition, decisions are based on dialogue and consensus.
- We established a strategic approach for the planning process itself to take into account the other and broader-scale interests in new resource uses that will be established for our lands. In this approach we initiated and participate in the Strategic Action Planning process, and we initiate and lead dialogue with interested parties under the guidance and active participation of our Elders. We also welcome proposals for dialogue.
4. Harmonizing of interests through respectful dialogue and building consensus
Seeking consensus rooted in the Ojibway practice of Maamoowii n’daamoowin – being of one mind – is a vital custom of Pikangikum people. It is our custom that consensus should drive decision-making processes. Building consensus around the Whitefeather Forest Initiative has been a key aspect of our success. We use it in our community deliberations. We use it in our joint Strategic Action Planning process with Ontario. In our dialogue-based approach to working with other interested parties, we are seeking broad consensus-based agreements on various proposals and issues. It is our intent to achieve a consensus around land use within the Planning Area that harmonizes various interests inspired by our vision.
We are confident of the power of our dialogue-based approach to pursuing the Whitefeather Forest Initiative. We have used it in the past to develop and implement sustainable resource management regimes that guided livelihood pursuits such as trapping. Today we are using this approach to develop powerful ideas and innovations to build our initiative. It is being recognized as truly innovative. Our Elders, our youth, our Council, our Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation staff, our resource people and our business partners are all working together to develop these ideas and innovations. Everyone is encouraged to share ideas with us. Through this approach we are even bringing together different knowledge traditions - our Indigenous Knowledge tradition and “Western Science” - into a “dialogue” to create tools for planning.
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