New Paper Alert: The State of Reconciliation in BC

I’m excited to share that our paper, “The State of Reconciliation in British Columbia: A Review of Official Community Plans,” has been published in Canadian Planning and Policy.

This publication represents years of collaboration with my colleagues Andreanne Doyon and Anwen Rees. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this important conversation in the company of both of them.

Our research examines the current state of reconciliation planning in municipalities across British Columbia through a review of Official Community Plans (OCPs). While many planners are beginning to reflect on how planning practices can address and mitigate colonial harm, there is still very limited practical guidance on how municipal planning can meaningfully support reconciliation.

Through our review of OCPs across the province, we found that most municipalities are not advancing reconciliation through official community planning processes. While this finding may not be surprising, it highlights an urgent need for change in how we approach planning practice.

OCPs shape municipal priorities and strategic direction for decades. If reconciliation is not embedded within these foundational planning documents, we risk missing critical opportunities to build meaningful, long-term relationships with Nations and support transformative change. Our paper highlights some of the ways we believe we can move towards reconciliation in action through municipal planning. 

I hope this research contributes to ongoing discussions about the role planners and local governments can play in advancing reconciliation in practice.

You can find the article here: https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/cpp/article/view/20173