AGA 2021: Looking Forward to 2022
Looking Forward into 2021-2022
By Vickie Thomas
Senior Manager
The Ktunaxa Lands and Resource Sector’s work is primarily outward looking, meaning we have many industries, non-government organizations and governments wanting to do business on ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa, each request requires some level of engagement. A majority of staff time is spent creating space for leaders to have conversations at a strategic level with these organizations – supporting informed, confident decision-making.
In the Spring, the Lands and Resources Sector Council spent some time strategizing the path forward for the sector, which includes:
- Enhance Jurisdictional Clarity - Lands Sector exercising appropriate decision-making authority
- Transform Land Sector connection to Communities
- Properly Resourcing Land Sector Council Activities
- Improve Lands Sector Council working with staff
For me, form follows function and therefore will take some time to assess the functions that Lands are responsible for, alongside Leadership’s vision for the new/revised mandate of the sector. Looking forward we will continue to evolve to organize ourselves around our primary functions, heeding the advice of Leadership to keep an eye to all of ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa (70,000 square kilometers). Protecting Ktunaxa interests on ʔamakʔis ȼ wuʔu is a massive endeavor that can only be accomplished by working together at all levels of the collective governance structure, citizens and staff. With that being said, one of our function areas to be developed is how we create space to improve how we look inward: within our staff team, within our communities, our leadership and our citizens.
We take very seriously the message we received from the Lands and Resources Council, the collective Ktunaxa leadership and citizens: Ktunaxa speak for Ktunaxa. Therefore, we will continue to support communities through resourcing to have their voices at the “table”, not only through financial resources but also by having staff support directly in community. We are also committed to capacity development for our citizens: creating space for citizens to join the team and supporting where citizens see themselves excelling within the sector.
In closing, I would like to thank the Lands and Resource Sector staff for sticking with us; there is some uncertainty when there is change in the Sr Staff person of the Sector and I am very proud of how you have been agile enough to change alongside of us. To our citizens and partners, there is much work to do and I appreciate patience while we take the time to develop how we work together to effectively steward ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa.
