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Sustainability Indicators for Winnipeg's Urban First Nations Community

Measuring progress, strengthening governance and assisting in the promotion of positive change

IISD is working with Winnipeg's First Nations people to establish sustainability indicators that are reflective of the urban community and their identified issues and concerns. The initiative involves working collaboratively with community members and organizations to build lasting capacity at the local level in order to setup, maintain and use indicators to improve decision-making. The ultimate goal is to make a positive impact on human well-being, economic development and environmental sustainability.

Sustainability indicators are being proposed to help understand the current state of the urban First Nations community, what course the community is on, and how far the community is from where it wants to be. In essence, the sustainability indicators are expected to help the First Nations community move closer to the following objectives:

• build an improved understanding of the challenges facing Winnipeg's First Nations communities for both the First Nations and non-First Nation public and decision-makers;

• help identify critical problems and vulnerabilities and their underlying causes where policy action by First Nations and/or other actors is necessary;

• help identify the past successes of Winnipeg's First Nations community and factors that made success possible;

• through dialogue and engagement, develop a set of goals, specific targets and building on past successes identify options for policies and actions that will help meet those goals;

• build capacity in the First Nations community of Winnipeg to better diagnose its problems, to realize its successes and to develop confidence in envisioning, planning and implementing collective and individual action in the interest of achieving a positive future.

In order to accomplish these objectives and ensure the project meets the needs of the growing urban community, IISD is committed to engaging the urban community and its service-delivery sector every step of the way.

Download

• Developing a Sustainability Indicators System to Measure the Well-being of Winnipeg's First Nations Community: Framework Development and the Community Engagement Process (Preliminary Report) (PDF - 980 kb) is the second output of a community-based project to develop a sustainability indicators system for Winnipeg's urban First Nations community. The document describes indicator framework selection, project methodology and the information collected throughout the community engagement process. Published in July 2008.

• A Vision for All (April 2, 2008 NCI)
  With Rosanna Deerchild
  Measurement and Assessment's Christa Rust and Grand Chief Ron Evans of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs discuss the community-based project to develop an indicator system to measure the well-being of Winnipeg's urban First Nation community.

• • Segment 1(MP3 - 7:21 min)
    Grand Chief Ron Evans provides background on the project from the AMC’s point of view.

  • Segment 2 (MP3 - 7:11 min)
    Christa Rust explains how community indicators can help the community identify and use indicatorsthem to realize their vision and goals for the future.

  • Segment 3 (MP3 - 11 min)
    Christa Rust explains the process of developing community indicators, while Grand Chief Ron Evans explains AMC’s role and responsibilities in representing the interests of urban First Nation people, and how the indicators can assist that work.

• IISD's Christa Rust offers an interesting and informative description of the project in an interview with CJOB Radio's Geoff Currier. (MP3 - 2.1 mb)
  Learn more about the about the project by listening to the CJOB interview with Christa Rust that aired April 7, 2008 on the Nighthawk. (The CJOB interview is protected by copyright and made available to IISD's website with the permission of Corus Radio. Copyright © 2006-2008 CJOB. All Rights Reserved)

• Measuring Progress—Strengthening Governance and Assisting in the Promotion of Positive Change: Reflections on a Grassroots Community-Based Sustainability Indicators Project (PDF - 56 kb)

• Building Knowledge, Measuring Well-being: Developing Sustainability Indicators for Winnipeg's First Nations Community
  (PDF - 589 kb)

For more detailed information, please contact Christa Rust, Project Manager, Sustainability Indicators for Winnipeg's Urban First Nations Community.

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