Case Study: Centering Indigenous Voices in Regional Planning
Background
The Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) sought to understand the transportation and public transit experiences of Indigenous residents living in municipalities within the Calgary Metropolitan Region. This engagement process was unique in that it focused on hearing directly from diverse Indigenous individuals—rather than representatives of Indigenous Nations or organizations—about their lived experiences, challenges, and aspirations related to transportation access. The goal was to inform future regional transportation policy in a way that meaningfully incorporated Indigenous perspectives.
Engagement Approach
Many government-led engagement processes default to formal institutional channels—reaching out through established Indigenous organizations or Nation representatives. While this method is valuable, it often misses the diverse voices of Indigenous residents who are not formally connected to these entities.
At the outset, municipal staff were asked to identify Indigenous contacts in their communities who could help extend invitations to participate. While some municipalities had existing relationships with Indigenous leaders, many did not, highlighting a key gap in municipal-Indigenous connections. Once invitations reached Indigenous residents directly, however, interest in participation was high, with over 40 individuals from seven out of the eight CMRB member municipalities taking part.
To ensure the process was culturally safe and accessible, participants were consulted ahead of time about their preferences for timing, format, and location. Considerations such as childcare and transportation were factored in, recognizing systemic barriers that might otherwise prevent participation.
Each engagement session began with ceremony, led by Blackfoot Elders, to ground discussions to take place in a Good Way. The conversations were designed to be relational rather than transactional, allowing participants to share not just about transportation but also about their broader experiences as Indigenous residents navigating local systems, governance, and public spaces.
Key Themes & Findings
Three key themes emerged from the discussions:
Safety, Human Dignity, and Quality of Life
Many Indigenous participants described feeling unsafe while using public transit, facing experiences of racial profiling, harassment, and a lack of cultural awareness from transit staff and the general public.
Transportation was recognized as a key determinant of quality of life, affecting access to employment, healthcare, and education.
Participants emphasized the need for transit policies that account for both physical safety and cultural safety to ensure Indigenous riders feel respected and valued.
Community and Culture
For many Indigenous residents, transportation is not just about commuting—it is about connection to culture and community. Infrequent or unreliable transit services made it difficult to visit family, attend cultural events, or access Indigenous services.
Participants highlighted the importance of Indigenous representation in transit planning, ensuring decisions reflect the social and cultural realities of Indigenous riders.
Systemic Bias and Decolonization
Many participants pointed out ways in which municipal policies unintentionally reinforce systemic biases that disproportionately impact Indigenous riders.
There was a strong desire for municipalities to take proactive steps toward decolonizing transit policies, including cultural competency training for transit staff, flexible fare structures for low-income residents, and expanded service routes to better serve Indigenous communities.
Decolonizing Engagement Reporting
Standard engagement reports often follow a "What We Heard" format, summarizing participant input in a neutral, institutionalized way. However, this approach can strip away the humanity of engagement participants and reinforce the idea that their knowledge is something to be extracted rather than valued.
For this process, a different approach was taken—one that honored Indigenous ways of knowing and storytelling:
A Narrative-Based Summary: Instead of a detached report, the engagement findings were presented as a story, incorporating participants' names and direct quotes to keep their voices at the center of the discussion.
Amplifying Oral Tradition: Recognizing the importance of oral storytelling in Indigenous cultures, recorded audio clips were embedded in the report, allowing policymakers to hear participants' words in their own voices.
A Relational vs. Extractive Approach: Rather than positioning the engagement team as neutral facilitators, the summary acknowledged that engagement practitioners were witnesses to these stories, reinforcing a sense of shared responsibility and interconnectedness.
Policy Recommendations
Based on the engagement findings, key recommendations for municipal and regional decision-makers included:
Build and nurture relationships with diverse Indigenous residents—not just through formal Indigenous organizations but also by engaging individuals directly through community events and informal conversations.
Host regular ‘drop-in’ or open-invite engagement sessions to allow Indigenous residents to share their experiences and ideas in a culturally safe and accessible setting.
Reevaluate transit policies to ensure they do not unintentionally create barriers for Indigenous and low-income residents.
Improve transportation connections to major Indigenous cultural events, such as powwows and the Calgary Stampede, by working with Indigenous Nations to provide better transit options.
Strengthen Indigenous representation in municipal advisory bodies, ensuring that Indigenous perspectives are consistently included in decision-making processes.
Continue Indigenous engagement at the regional level, leveraging the convening ability of collaborative bodies like the CMRB to ensure Indigenous voices remain part of future regional planning discussions.
Conclusion: A Model for Future Urban Indigenous Engagement
This engagement process demonstrated that meaningful Indigenous participation requires more than just consultation—it requires intentional relationship-building, culturally safe spaces, and a commitment to reciprocity. By centering participant voices, embracing Indigenous storytelling methods, and moving beyond neutrality toward relational engagement, this process offers a model for how municipalities can better integrate Indigenous perspectives into policy-making in an authentic and accountable way.
Going forward, the hope is that these conversations continue—not as a one-time engagement effort, but as an ongoing commitment to building stronger, more inclusive communities where Indigenous voices are not only heard but actively shape the future.
