Volume 9, Number 1, Fall 2014

EN:

In this paper we present the results of interviews conducted with 14 First Nations in Saskatchewan on the ways in which they balance the need for economic development while meeting the social welfare needs of community members. Specific themes include (i) the separation between business and politics; (ii) the existence and role of boards of directors; (iii) strategic versus reactive decision-making; and (iv) the tension between revenue reinvestment and disbursement. Among the First Nations interviewed, three have put into place formal structures to separate business from politics, and have prioritized strategic and long-term investment over revenue dispersal. The remaining 11 First Nations use economic development as a vehicle to meet the social welfare needs of community members, including the funding of social program, Elders care, family allowances, and host of other social welfare services. This paper offers insight into the challenges First Nation governments encounter as they struggle to meet the diverse needs of their citizenry.

EN:

In terms of community planning in Canada, it can easily be argued that the Tsawwassen First Nation in British Columbia is undergoing one of the most challenging processes in present-day planning practice. Since the signing of the Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement — the first contemporary urban treaty in the country, several economic development activities have been negotiated, all within a comprehensive land use planning strategy initiated by Tsawwassen Chief Kim Baird, that can only be referred to as 'innovative' and 'bold'. Several multimillion dollar projects are in the works, including a four hundred (400) million dollar shopping mall, an inland port, and a series of subdivisions that will eventually accommodate 4,000 new residents.

The planning process of integrating the First Nation lands within a peri-urban framework, all-the-while maintaining a progressive, jurisdictional approach that places traditional values, transparency and community well-being at the forefront of a list of several important and at times competing planning tenets, is, at best, ambitious. The objective, to Chief Baird, is to create an economy that welcomes investment, all-the-while attracting families, within a First Nation regime that is fair to all stakeholders.

The journey has been a long one, having its roots in colonial times, with the Chief's great grand-father's eventual address to the McKenna-McBride Commission, adhering to the British Columbia Treaty Commission's Treaty Process, becoming a signatory to the Framework Agreement on First Nation Lands Management, and culminating in what would arguably be the most significant urban treaty in Canadian history — the Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement. The whole has provided for a complex blend of lands whose uses together must satisfy needs that extend from the culturally important past into an economically viable future. The land use planning process for this very special set of lands and stakeholders is therefore not straightforward, having required an incremental approach that is novel and worth consideration for other communities undergoing rapid change.

EN:

The employment, unemployment and participation rates are examined for Aboriginals living off-reserve in Canada from 2009 to 2013 as well as for non-Aboriginals. Employment is analyzed by educational level, gender and age, province and territory and by industry and sector. The rates of employment and unemployment for Aboriginals have continued to improve, lessening the differences with non-Aboriginals. Those in the 15 to 24 age group and women had the largest improvements in their employment and unemployment rates in 2013. The level of education obtained is directly related to the rate of employment for Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals and explains most of the difference in their rate of employment, but does not explain the differences in unemployment rates. The highest rate of employment for Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals is in Alberta. The areas in which the highest percent of those employed are in health care and social assistance followed by retail trade.