The City of Saskatoon, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre and the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, has received a National Planning Excellence Award of Merit from the Canadian Institute of Planners in the category of Planning for Reconciliation for ayisinowak: A Communications Guide.

“It’s an honour to receive this award from the Canadian Institute of Planners,” says Lesley Anderson, Director of Planning and Development.

 “On our path to reconciliation, we recognize the need to increase understanding of the City’s relationship with Indigenous partners.  This guide is a tool to help City staff, and hopefully many others, increase their understanding and apply it in their work and day to day lives.”

The Awards for Planning Excellence Jury, comprised of planning professionals from across the country, said that “ayisinowak: A Communications Guide intends to provide City staff with a better understanding of the City’s relationship with Indigenous partners and aid in developing positive relationships with these partners. The jury commends the City as a non-Indigenous organization for this step on its path towards reconciliation. This user-friendly document may be useful as a starting point for other communities to develop their own communications guide.” 

Originally developed for City staff in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action #57, to provide education on the history of Indigenous people, ayisinowak: A Communications Guide has also become a useful resource for other community organizations in Saskatoon and across Canada.  

“The City of Saskatoon has long played a leading role in supporting and enhancing relationships with First Nations peoples in a wide range of areas,” says Wanda Wilson, President of the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre. 

“Through this guide, the City of Saskatoon is furthering their leadership role by encouraging civic administration to develop a deeper understanding about the ancestral values that have filled this place called Saskatoon for countless generations.” 

“The Office of the Treaty Commissioner is committed to engaging in public information and awareness to educate and advance the Treaty goal of Good Relations,” says Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan, Mary Culbertson. 

“Learning about history and the treaty relationship, and sharing culture is where true reconciliation lies.  We hope this guide will be a tool which will assist in the journey of reconciliation.”

The project partners also wishes to acknowledge the support of the Saskatoon Tribal Council, who through a summer employment partnership opportunity helped make ayisinowak: A Communications Guide possible. 

Recipients of the 2019 Awards for Planning Excellence will be formally recognized at the 2019 Canadian Institute of Planners National Conference in Ottawa, July 3-6, 2019.   The annual awards honour projects deemed as exemplary resources to the planning profession.  For more information on the awards, please visit the Canadian Institute of Planners website. 

A second edition of the guide is currently underway, with the launch expected in the coming weeks.      

For more information on ayisinowak: A Communications Guide, please visit saskatoon.ca/ayisinowak.