Municipal‐Aboriginal advisory committees in four Canadian cities: 1999–2014

Abstract

How have municipal governments in Canada been engaging Aboriginal peoples and First Nations? This project examined municipal Aboriginal relations offices and/or advisory committees across Canada and focuses on four cases in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto. This study identified their mandates, size, locations and initiatives these offices and advisory committees have undertaken, which include: awareness training; employment strategies to recruit, hire and retain Aboriginal municipal employees; and improve Aboriginal representation on municipal agencies, boards and commissions.

Municipal‐Indigenous relations in Saskatchewan: Getting started in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert

“…None have formal Indigenous advisory committees or Indigenous relations offices. In comparison, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto have either Aboriginal Relations Offices or Aboriginal Advisory Committees (Heritz ) and with the exception of Winnipeg, they have lower proportion Indigenous‐identity populations than the three Saskatchewan cities. Despite the significant Indigenous‐identity population in Saskatchewan, Indigenous advisory committees or relations offices do not exist in local government.…”

Indigenous planning and municipal governance: Lessons from the transformative frontier

“…In her article, Heritz () examines the presence of Aboriginal Relations Offices and Advisory Committees (ARACs) in four Canadian cities, providing an introduction to the diverse mandates and structures of these mechanisms within municipal governments. ARACs are seen as being relatively new in large Canadian cities, with those that Heritz examines coming into existence anywhere from four to 18 years ago, aimed at enhancing Indigenous representation at the municipal level.…”

From self‐determination to service delivery: Assessing Indigenous inclusion in municipal governance in Canada

“…The local response to urban Indigenous input has emerged over the past ten years in the form of Aboriginal advisory boards in some municipalities. Known as Aboriginal Relations Offices or Aboriginal Advisory Committees, these bodies serve a consultative role, act as a liaison to their communities and facilitate Indigenous awareness programs with local government (Heritz ). While these nascent entities provide a bridge to Indigenous Peoples to access municipal government, they fall short of providing them with governance models recommended in various consultations with Indigenous Peoples over the past twenty years.…”