Planning Around Reserves: Probing the Inclusion of First Nations in Saskatchewan's Watershed Planning Framework

• Published in: International Indigenous Policy Journal
• Main Authors: Baijius, Warrick, Patrick, Robert J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Scholarship@Western 2019
• Subjects: watershed planning; First Nations; Indigenous; Saskatchewan; Canada; Pacific
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10388/14749; https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2019.10.5.8502

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0License. Canadian Pacific Railway Partnership Program in Aboriginal Development Peer Reviewed Watershed-based planning in Saskatchewan began in earnest after 2006 under the auspices of the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority. Within a decade, a dozen watershed plans were produced following a planning framework that included technical and watershed resident committees. First Nation communities, or "reserves," exist within these watershed areas. This article probes the inclusion of First Nations in those plans. Using document analysis and keyword search, our analysis explores any spatial relationship that may exist between First Nation inclusion and the amount of reserve land in a watershed. The results of this research show that First Nation inclusion is limited in watershed planning in Saskatchewan. We see opportunity for more effective watershed planning through greater collaboration with First Nations.