Some people know me as Natalya or Nat, they know me as their friend, aunt, daughter, or sister but few people in my life understand what I do or why I do it. They ask me what I do and the easy answer is that I am a land use planner, but I am so much more. I work for a First Nation in southwestern Ontario helping to advise on good governance, relationship building, and support Indigenous assertions of sovereignty through land relationships. Right now, I am helping to draft the first co-governance agreement between Caldwell First Nation and Parks Canada (along with an amazing team of environmental staff, lawyers, economic development experts, community and leadership) for the Ojibway National Urban Park. It is so much more than just a co-governance agreement. It is creating a new relationship between Crown governments and an Indigenous community. It is paving a new path, one where an Indigenous community is finally and rightfully making decisions affecting the land in their territory in a manner that is consistent with their traditions, worldview, and culture. This path can feel isolating at times because these types of agreements are not done every day. They take years to establish, negotiate, and come into fruition. So I guess I am putting a call out to my fellow colleagues, if you have experience seeing co-governance in action (with any level of government) or if you have observed good governance systems, reach out! I'd love to hear your experiences! #collaborate #goodgovernance #innovation
Sumac Environmental Planning
Community Development and Urban Planning
Blue Mountains, Ontario 30 followers
Community driven approach to planning and Reconciliation in action.
About us
Sumac is a sole proprietorship owned and operated by Natalya Garrod. Our services includes ecological restoration planning and management, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas governance and strategy, and municipal-First Nation relationship building and planning. Natalya Garrod is a Registered Professional Planner and pursuing her Advanced Planning certificate in IPCAs at Vancouver Island University.
- Website
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www.sumacenvironmentalplanning.ca
External link for Sumac Environmental Planning
- Industry
- Community Development and Urban Planning
- Company size
- 1 employee
- Headquarters
- Blue Mountains, Ontario
- Type
- Self-Owned
- Founded
- 2023
- Specialties
- planning, environmental governance, Indigenous protected and conserved areas, ecological restoration planning, government relations, relationship building, and reconciliation in action
Locations
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Primary
Blue Mountains, Ontario, CA
Employees at Sumac Environmental Planning
Updates
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Thanks to CBC for raising awareness and attention for a topic of great importance: recognition for Caldwell First Nations archeological heritage within the City of Windsor. I am so proud to be able to be of assistance and help Caldwell navigate the planning and governance processes to ensure their voices and concerns are heard and addressed. https://lnkd.in/e2GAQHau
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It's been an exhilarating week for me! I made a delegation to the City of Windsor Heritage Standing Committee on their Archeological Master Plan. The goal was to bring it into better alignment with Caldwell First Nation's standard of archeology. Thanks to Zack Hamm the Manager of Environment and Consultation at Caldwell First Nation for his expertise as a P Licensed Archeologist. I also presented on the importance of consulting and engaging with Indigenous communities in the land use planning process at the Ontario Association of Committee of Adjustment Conference in Windsor as well. I was so heartened to see engagement from the people who came to hear me speak. They had wonderful questions that showed me they really want to learn and improve and they are simply struggling with the path to get there. It's so easy to let government bureaucracy make you think it isn't your job, but then whose job is it?
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Read on to hear Natalya's reflections from attending the Cumulative Effects Assessment and Environmental Monitoring Conference this week.
This week I had the pleasure of attending the Cumulative Effects Assessment and Environmental Monitoring Conference in Calgary. I heard from many lawyers, practitioners and even my previous University Professor Scott Mackay. It brought me back to his Environmental Impact Assessment classes. Cumulative Effects Assessments represents an opportunity to view things differently, to stop thinking in our linear colonial approaches and to consider the interconnectedness of everything we are and everything we do. Kate Kempton from Woodward and Company pointed out something very important: The idea that we are all individuals is a construct. We forget how interrelted we are. Power and wealth encourage individuation which is a colonial construct. My favorite quote of the conference is this: "We do not have souls, we are souls having a very human experience".
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On Monday Natalya Garrod (Owner and Principal Planner of Sumac EP) had the pleasure of attending the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Caldwell First Nation and Parks Canada at Point Pelee National Park. The MOU speaks to Caldwell's future role in the proposed National Ojibway Urban Park in Windsor & LaSalle in Southwestern Ontario. This was a very exciting day for Caldwell as they have spent the last year and a half working towards an MOU that establishes a strong relationship with Parks Canada and one that enables the nation to nation relationship build on the principles of mutual respect, shared decision-making, and recognition of Caldwell First Nation's inherent jurisdiction and authority. https://lnkd.in/ezvxrttJ Every word was carefully considered and reconsidered. It was not always a smooth process but when people came together to the table with the right intentions that is where progress was made. The key lessons Natalya learned throughout the process: 1. Interpersonal relationships move things along much faster than any tactic. 2. Set realistic expectations for what can be achieved. Small starts get the ball moving. 3. Show up to the table in person and share a meal. This allows for fulsome conversations that can't be had over an email. This is where true understanding occurs. 4. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. The strong spirit of Caldwell First Nation is what got them to this point in the process and they have so much more they are going to achieve.
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Today and yesterday Natalya Garrod RPP, MCIP, Msc. attended the Two-Eyed Seeing and Ethical Space Training Conference at Six Nations of the Grand River. We had the opportunity to hear from Albert Marshall. There were so many beautiful things I heard and saw while attending the conference. I heard two phrases that really sat with me: 1. Nature has rights, humans have responsibilities. 2. We are the only species with options. Everyday we can choose to be a good force or a bad force everyday. While I was standing outside the conference building walking my dog a bald eagle flew right above my head. This place is special. There was a youth circle who took the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and identified an Indigenized goal for each one. Love it!
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The facilitators of the IPCA Planning certificate do things differently. I can attest to this as being part of cohort two at VIU. I am almost half way through the certificate process and one of the biggest blessings in this program is my fellow students. I have learnt so much from people across Canada and how their experiences vary.
In an interview with The Tyee, I am reflecting on our first-class journey to immersive learning in Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks. Exchanging deep impressions of cedar when we visited the sacred workspace of master carver and Elder Joe Martin's studio in the woods (mis-titled the cabin near Tofino). Acknowledgements to journalist, writer and storyteller Erin Blondeau, ISAAK OLAM Monica Shore and a host of human + more-than-human teachers for encouraging and supporting us every step of our learning journey. Read (or listen) to the story in The Tyee here: https://lnkd.in/djCjQxzG https://lnkd.in/dwBaDWSk
Learning to Plan for the Next 500 Years | The Tyee
thetyee.ca