Regional
stories
In presenting this section, we want to acknowledge and show our immense gratitude to those who have traveled this path with us. Following the advice of our mentor, Gwen Phillips, we retraced the path of the CCP in our region to identify milestones we’re proud of. Thank you for celebrating with us!
First Nations CCP :
An ever-growing territory
The peoples of Turtle Island have always planned, and their planning practices have always adapted to the land’s ever-changing reality. With Comprehensive Community Planning (CCP) – an approach which took off in the 2000s – they saw an opportunity to return to their ancestral knowledge. Through CCP, they can plan their future differently, in an inclusive and holistic manner.
REGIONAL CCP
JOURNEY
NEW MODELS EMERGE
PIONEERS BLAZE THE TRAIL
FNQLSDI’S MANDATE
PILOT PROJECTS WIDEN THE TRAIL
REGIONAL EXPANSION
GROWTH OF THE CCP CIRCLE
ACTION AND POSITIVE CHANGE
Today, more than twenty First Nations are involved in one of the CCP stages, with more joining every year.
If the CCP territory is growing, it is thanks to the commitment, strength and expertise of thousands of people. We are honoured to walk alongside First Nation citizens, CCP coordinators, planning teams, elected officials and all those who are involved in their communities. We celebrate everyone who is blazing their CCP trail towards self-determination, self-sufficiency, and healing.
Growing the CCP territory depends on changing the way we relate to each other. We work hard to create relationships rooted in trust and respect. These values allowed us to co-create the regional vision with all the partners: CCP coordinators, a representative of the regional office of Indigenous Services Canada, and representatives of the FNQLSDI.
Vision
All First Nations in Quebec have access to the support they need — funding, capacity-building, collaboration and networking opportunities, mentoring, tools, and resources — to blaze their CCP trail to self-determination, self-sufficiency and healing.
All partners involved have a mutual understanding of the importance and positive impacts of community planning, and continue to maintain relationships that are mutually beneficial, meaningful, equitable, and based on trust and respect.
THIS VISION GUIDES ALL OF OUR WORK, AND WE DO OUR BEST TO EMBODY IT AT ALL TIMES
Supporting
new planners
One of our regional challenges is finding ways to support the next generation of First Nations planners. Currently, there is no comprehensive training program dedicated to this approach in Eastern Turtle Island.
To face this challenge, we work with our mentors to offer learning opportunities that are adapted to our context. Here are some of our recent collective achievements.
INTENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM
Since 2018, we’ve been part of a national working group tasked with creating CCP training content. In 2021, we were able to offer the first Bootcamp for Beginners to a cohort of 17 participants representing 10 First Nations. The training was held online, due to the pandemic, but this did not prevent us from offering 50 hours of in-depth training!
In their words :
Participants explored the main foundations of CCP :
- Indigenous planning traditions
- Strength-based and relation-based planning
- CCP process and methodology
- Key components of community engagement
The training helped me get back a sense of community. I feel more confident and prepared to take on the CCP.
The Bootcamp was a safe space to share and learn.
It was great, I met some amazing people. Excellent communication, and the guest speakers were outstanding.
I enjoyed getting to know everyone and connecting with them. The trainers and speakers were great, they had so much knowledge to share.
The Bootcamp training team included Karonhiénhawe Linda Delormier, Jeff Cook and Catherine Beland. Elders and guest experts were with us throughout the session, to share their wisdom and perspectives.
In 2023-2024, we were able to translate the training materials into French, making them available to all First Nations in our region.
TRAINING OF TRAINERS
In 2023-2024, we were invited to be a part of a committee that developed training to prepare mentors to facilitate the Bootcamp throughout Turtle Island. The committee was made up of experts in Indigenous planning and brought together people of various backgrounds: coaching, facilitation, trauma-informed approaches, data collection and analysis, teaching, healing, community and strategic planning, etc.
Our first multilingual Training of Trainers’ cohort got together from May 6 to 8, 2024. The 12 participants successfully completed an intense training journey, cofacilitated by Karonhiénhawe Linda Delormier (Kahnawà:ke, Tionhnhí:io), Jeff Cook (Beringia Community Planning), and Catherine Beland (FNQLSDI).
In small groups, they covered key aspects of being a trainer: culture and identity, how to create and facilitate workshops, group dynamics, trauma-informed practices, collaboration and teamwork, teaching and learning styles, and more. They were able to integrate the content and teach it themselves, based on their own strengths and worldviews.
Congratulations to these 12 fantastic community planning trainers: Amanda Simon (Kanehsatà:ke), Tewateronhiákhwa Brandyce Barnes (Kahnawà:ke), Colleen Jacob (St’át’imc), Daphne Googoo (Wagmatcook), Daren Germain (Mashteuiatsh), Émie Rainville (Pessamit), Kaiatiio Barnes (Kahnawà:ke), Kimberly Chevrier (Kebaowek), Kimberly Roy (Abitibi8inni), Marie-Eve Bouchard (Essipit), Michelle MacEwan (Membertou) and Roy Weistche (Waskaganish).
In their own words, here is what they took away from the training :
I am now able to share practices and activities that CCP Coordinators can use. This will allow us to accelerate the integration of new communities in our CCP Circle.
Learning
in community
Knowledge sharing between Nations and communities is an essential element of CCP. To facilitate this, the FNQLSDI created a regional space for coordinators and those interested or already involved in planning. Through the CCP Circle, we offer several types of activities: monthly regional meetings, individual and group support, sharing circles, training workshops, etc.
For example, between April 2021 and March 2025, we offered :
Regional Circle
meetings
sharing
circles
Training sessions
Online and/or in person
personalized
support
activities
Regional gatherings
on Community-Led
Planning
webinars on
indigenous
planning
We are honoured to see the Circle grow and to witness the relationships that are being woven and evolving. The Circle is open to all those who are involved in First Nations planning in Quebec and Labrador. To find out more, please check out the section on the CCP Circle. You can also stay informed by visiting the News section.
Discover
additional inspiring stories
First Nations CCP
Would you like to know what a community that allows itself to dream about its future looks like? This section invites you to visit First Nations that make up the growing CCP territory in our region.