Establishing a shared vision
The Chemainus First Nation (CFN) reserve lands are composed of four reserves, located near Ladysmith, BC on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The four reserves are Chemainus IR 13, Oyster Bay IR 12, Squaw-Hay-One IR 11, and Say-La- Quas IR 10 with a total population of 1125 (2006, Stats Can). The Chemainus First Nation is one of nine Coast Salish Nations located in southwestern BC within the Naut'sa mawt Tribal Council, (pronounced NAUGHT sa MOTT and means “working together” in the Coast Salish language).
Chemainus Nation saw whole-community input during their
numerous visioning sesssions for community planning.
In late 2005, the CFN Band Council made the decision to pursue and support a Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP), to provide greater community direction and certainty to Band Council. The CCP process relies on the ongoing participation of the Nation’s members in visioning sessions, focus groups, and a design charette. Ultimately the process will capture the visions, desires, and expectations of the Nation’s members, and this meaningful engagement will be reflected within the Chemainus First Nation Comprehensive Community Plan.
The CCP process and outcome is anticipated to fulfill Band Council’s desire to have a clear and detailed picture of the Chemainus Nation’s opportunities and constraints in terms of future community growth and development. As well, the CCP is anticipated to provide Band Council with options on how to best proceed with the thoughtful development of the Nation’s reserve lands.
Physical development opportunities and constraints will include aspects such as housing, infrastructure and community services. Social development opportunities and constraints will include exploring new options to encourage education, capacity building, and civic engagement to promote the overall quality of life for the members of the Chemainus Nation. Lastly, economic development opportunities and constraints will emphasize job training and meaningful employment opportunities for Nation members. Coupled with these work-related opportunities, is the intent to establish sources of dependable revenue generation in order to ensure a sustainable economic base to provide for current and future generations on Nation reserve land. A major thrust behind all economic, physical, and social development is sustainability, both economically and ecologically.
The initial goal is to establish a community vision. The first step in this visioning process is collecting the community plan baseline information via land surveys, archived data, historical reports, and review of previous plans such as development plans. At this initial stage, the project team and Band Council informed the community of the CCP process, and invited each Nation member to the scheduled visioning sessions.
The first of a series of sessions was held with the Elders in early March of this year. The question, “What does your community look like in 15 years?” was posed to encourage dialogue. Discussion circled around the importance of spirituality, protecting sacred sites, improving water and sewage accessibility and reliability, education, economic development, access to housing, and increased family representation in local government (Band Council).
The second visioning session, held in mid-March, targeted the Chemainus youth in order to gain an understanding regarding their hopes and dreams for the Nation. This discussion focused on improved community facilities such as improved recreational facilities (night lighting around playing field, swimming pool, etc), public transportation, as well as community safety.
The third workshop in early April was held at the community center with participation from all Band members encouraged.
A fourth Visioning Session held in June, in the style of an open house, was the final step in the visioning process. The purpose of this open meeting was to share a summary of input received to date to enable the community to offer final input and reflect on the discussions in order to inform the next step in the CCP process – the focus group sessions.
After compiling the information shared at the visioning sessions, the general guidance and desire of the community as a whole has provided a high level of clarity. To date, Band Council has been provided a clear overview of the community’s priorities and concerns when considering future development and investment in their reserve lands. The focus group sessions, to commence in early September, will allow the planning group to further detail the community plan in terms of what, where, and how development, enhancement, and protection is to occur on the Nation’s reserves lands.
Stay tuned, the Chemainus Nation is a great example of bringing a community together and moving forward.