Planning for Reconciliation? Exploring Indigenous Interactions with Ontario’s Planning Regime

Emerging research on Indigenous planning and reconciliation within planning processes determines that it may be uniquely situated as an institution where transformative, meaningful change can take place. This is due to the policy-led nature of planning and its use as a dynamic space of negotiation and discussion. However, if not informed by Indigenous ways of knowing and colonial histories, planning may serve to perpetuate colonialism or recolonize nations embarking on self-governance initiatives. This project uses a literature review and observational research to explore the possibilities of reconciliation within Ontario’s planning regime, and provides recommendations and guidelines based in Indigenous epistemologies to embark on this pursuit.