Working with Indigenous Communities: A Webinar Series

CELA hosted a webinar series with Gary Pritchard, Principal Consultant at 4 Directions Conservation Consulting, talking about how to work effectively and meaningfully with Indigenous communities.

Webinar #1: How To Work With Indigenous Peoples

This webinar took place on Thursday, April 30.

Many individuals and organizations are unsure of how to work effectively and authentically with Indigenous peoples.  In the first webinar of our series, Gary Pritchard spoke  about the best strategies and approaches for engaging with Indigenous communities.  Topics included how to address community members, how to begin engaging with communities, planning proactively, what to expect during your first meeting, and do’s and don’ts of meetings with communities

Webinar #2: Achieving Effective and Meaningful Engagement with Indigenous Communities


This webinar took place on Thursday, May 7.

While both the federal and provincial governments mandate that organizations must work with Indigenous Peoples, they don’t necessarily provide information about the appropriate communities to contact, or how best to engage.  In the second webinar of the series, Gary will share insights into Indigenous governance structures, operations structures, lands and treaties, and how to develop an effective framework for Indigenous engagement planning.

Webinar #3: Treaties 101

This webinar took place on Thursday, May 14.

Many people think of treaty rights as “special” indigenous rights however, all people living in Canada are treaty people with their own set of rights and responsibilities. In the third webinar of the series, Gary spoke about treaties as a foundational part of Canadian society. The webinar covered the following topics:

  • What are inherent rights?
  • What is a treaty? 
  • Who are treaty people?
  • What are treaties in the colonial era and how do treaty relations work today?

Webinar #4: Municipal and Indigenous Relationships – Striving for Success and Mutual Understandings 

This webinar took place on Thursday, June 4.