The Globe and Mail: As it tackles the enormous task of building sufficient housing for a growing population, the Canadian development industry needs to recognize the power and potential of collaboration with Indigenous communities.
“Forming innovative partnerships with Indigenous groups has the potential to drive short-term revenue while also supporting long-term self-determination for Indigenous communities,” said Sean Willy, CEO of Creative Fire, an Indigenous-owned consulting firm based in Saskatoon.
Mr. Willy is working with builders to form connections to Indigenous communities to create mutually advantageous development projects. As a first step, he advises businesses in establishing reconciliation action plans to guide developers in their approach to cooperative endeavours.
“Canada has a competitive advantage if we create Reconciliation Action Plans that empower Indigenous people, one of the fastest growing populations in the country,” he said.
He added that forming these partnerships with Indigenous groups has the potential to drive short-term revenue while also supporting long-term self-determination for Indigenous communities. But Mr. Willy said the emphasis is on making profitable businesses, while sharing the benefits.
“Yes, we want strong returns on investment. But I will give up some points for more Indigenous people to create a strong middle class.”
Indigenous developers are making a huge impact in urban areas in critical need of new housing. One of the largest new housing projects in Vancouver is Senakw, a First Nations-led development that will include 6,000 units of mostly rental apartments in 11 towers to be built on part of the traditional land of the Squamish Nation in Kitsilano, across the False Creek inlet west of downtown Vancouver.
In Toronto, Two Row Architect, an Indigenous architecture firm based in Ohsweken (Six Nations of the Grand River, Ontario), along with BDP Quadrangle Architects helped create The Indigenous Hub at 425 Cherry St. in the West Don Lands.
There’s a growing demand for Indigenous-led architecture, with the small coterie of Indigenous architects creating new spaces that support a relationship to the land.
Creative Fire has engaged with Enbridge, further informing the multinational pipeline and energy company’s first Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan. In this collaboration, Creative Fire surveyed 340 Indigenous communities and delivered extensive strategic community engagement services, tailored to connect Enbridge with the communities they serve.
Mr. Willy most recently worked with Toronto-based developer TAS to create a corporate Reconciliation Action Plan. The TAS plan seeks to give staff training in cultural competency, boost engagement with Indigenous organizations, integrate Indigenous design principles and encourage economic empowerment in Indigenous communities.
“The real estate industry has benefited from systems rooted in Indigenous land dispossession,” Mazyar Mortazavi, CEO of TAS, said. “It’s only through open, trusting relationships with Indigenous Peoples and a collective effort for change that we can move toward a more resilient tomorrow,” he said.
Aiden Mauti, an economic reconciliation advisor with Creative Fire, said there is a strong desire from corporate Canada to build plans like these that aim to foster real relationships with Indigenous groups and mutual economic benefit.
“What was once a small group of people doing this work is now much larger; [its value] is a lot more widely recognized,” Mr. Mauti said.
Mr. Mortazavi said he hopes his Action Plan collaboration inspires other organizations to follow.
“Our hope is that by having our Reconciliation Action Plan clearly articulated, it begins to help others see what’s possible.”