WSÁNEĆ OCP Engagement

Turning Relationship-Building into Meaningful, Indigenous-led Policy Direction Across the Saanich Peninsula.

THE CHALLENGE

In 2020, MODUS was hired to update the Official Community Plans of three Saanich Peninsula municipalities: North Saanich, Central Saanich, and Sidney. During this process, it was identified that a collaborative approach between all three municipalities would strengthen their relationships.

THE RESPONSE

MODUS led an engagement process with the WSÁNEĆ Leadership Council (WLC). The process required building trust and planting the seeds of a new relationship between WLC

staff and the three municipalities while establishing common ground and surfacing shared interests related to key OCP topics.

MODUS prepared and facilitated a series of staff-to-staff meetings, developed policy ideas, and hosted a WSÁNEĆ Territiories Indigenous Peoples Forum. The forum was an opportunity to strengthen relations with Indigenous peoples living on the peninsula and listen to their hope and fears about the future.

The input received provided significant policy direction which is being integrated into the three OCPs. Perhaps more importantly, the three municipalities are in a position to more effectively collaborate with WSÁNEĆ communities and chart a path towards Reconciliation.

Client

District of Central Saanich

District of North Saanich

Town of Sidney

Collaborators

WSÁNEĆ Leadership Council

Judith Cullington & Associates