Economic Recovery and Resilience: A Guide for First Nation–Municipal Collaboration This guide is a framework for elected officials and staff of First Nations and municipalities who want to enhance their emergency preparedness and economic resilience. Use it alongside Stronger Together: A Toolkit for First Nations-Municipal Community Economic Development Partnerships and other resources listed at the end of this guide. This guide showcases the following areas related to economic recovery and resilience: • Recommendations and tools for building your own First Nation–municipal partnerships • Similarities and differences between First Nation and municipal jurisdictions (Appendix 1) • Community case studies (Appendix 2) ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE: A GUIDE FOR FIRST NATION–MUNICIPAL COLLABORATION Contents A New Context ................................................................................................................ 3 Setting the Stage ........................................................................................................... 4 The Jurisdictional Gap ................................................................................................. 5 Collaboration Across the Emergency Management Continuum .............................................................................................. 6 Preparedness: Building Relationships and Planning Together Before an Emergency .................................................................................................... 7 Response: Collaborating on Immediate Economic Relief after an Emergency ...................................................................... 9 Recovery: The New Way of Doing Business—Collaborating on Medium and Long-Term Recovery ....................................................................11 Resources ..........................................................................................................................14 Acknowledgments .........................................................................................................15 Endnotes ...........................................................................................................................16 Appendix 1: Overview of Similarities and Differences in Emergency Management for On-Reserve First Nations and Municipalities ...................17 Appendix 2: Case Studies ......................................................................................... 20 Case Study 1: Preparedness Nuxalk Nation–Central Coast Regional District–Emergency Management British Columbia Partnership .............................................. 20 Case Study 2: Response Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission COVID-19 Regional Economic Recovery Task Force & Regional Response Action Team .............................................................................................................21 Case Studies 3: Recovery Sawridge First Nation, Town of Slave Lake, Municipal District of Lesser Slave River Partnership .......................................................................22 Dene Tha’ First Nation and Town of High Level Partnership ...............23 2 ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE: A GUIDE FOR FIRST NATION–MUNICIPAL COLLABORATION A New Context Disasters have increased in frequency and intensity in recent years.1 In Canada, the twin challenges of natural disasters and economic impacts of COVID-19 have thrust emergency preparedness and economic recovery onto government radars. First Nations and municipalities face challenges as they often lack the fiscal and human capacity for effective preparedness, response, and recovery. Why collaborate to coordinate emergency • Greater health and wellness outcomes for all, management and develop economic resilience? including the most vulnerable • Cost savings, resource sharing, and more • Improved outcomes in regional recovery by efficient service delivery having diverse and representative voices at • Increased ability to access stimulus funding the table from other orders of government • Increased community resilience and capacity to respond together in future emergencies 3 ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE: A GUIDE FOR FIRST NATION–MUNICIPAL COLLABORATION Setting the Stage The overarching goal of First Nation–municipal Emergency Management Continuum collaboration on emergency management is increasing regional economic resilience. This n atio itig resilience increases as communities build M & Ope II n ra . P o isk tio r capacity along the ti R na e four stages of emergency n ce l R p e u e a v d d r e in e e R e d management: r s P s n . C e I s o Environmental o s r d i Scan n I. Mitigation - Actions taken to prevent or a t Leadership Engagement e d All-Hazards Risk Assessment A reduce the consequences of an emergency. p p Training r o Mitigation activities consist of identifying a Exercise c h R Capability Improvement vulnerabilities and taking proactive e s t Process o r I e V measures to diminish the impact of potential d Performance . / C R Assessment o e emergencies. n c ti o e n c u v n it e a y e d o ry r f s o O n c s o c ie pe p a it r s in or II. Preparedness - Actions taken to prepare for at e e ri io I. R ns P n II po ic es teg d R tra effective emergency response. Preparedness grate S Inte with activities consist of planning for response * SEMP = Strategic Emergency and recovery during emergencies as well Management Plan as training and exercising emergency management plans. Resilience is defined as III. Response - Actions taken immediately before, during, or after an emergency “the capacity of a system, to manage consequences and minimize community or society to adapt to impacts. Response activities may include disturbances resulting from hazards emergency public communication, medical assistance or evacuations. by persevering, recuperating or changing to reach and maintain an IV. Recovery - Actions taken after an acceptable level of functioning. emergency to restore a community to Resilience minimizes vulnerability, its pre-emergency condition. Recovery dependence, and susceptibility by measures start during response and reduce future community vulnerabilities while creating or strengthening social improving planning for these events.2 and physical capacity in the human This guide will emphasize building regional and built environment to cope with, economic resilience through a framework for adapt to, respond to, and recover collaboration on the preparedness, response, and learn from disasters." 10 and recovery stages. 4 ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE: A GUIDE FOR FIRST NATION–MUNICIPAL COLLABORATION The Jurisdictional Gap Federal, provincial, territorial, First Nation, Communication issues and municipal governments all have unique emergency management responsibilities. First This jurisdictional gap can create communication Nations and municipalities have commonalities failures during crises. In 2011, Sawridge First and key differences in their responsibilities. Nation Chief Roland Twinn received an initial They are directly accountable to their citizens evacuation notice related to the wildfires, but and are best equipped to understand their no further communication from the Alberta communities’ strengths and needs and Emergency Management Agency (AEMA). He design effective emergency management was forced to go to the Emergency Operations plans.3 They share similar fiscal, human, and Centre (EOC) and demand that his community technical capacity challenges in preparing be included in the emergency response. This for, responding to, and recovering from oversight was a result of Sawridge First Nation emergencies. A table listing similarities and falling through the gap between federal and differences between First Nation and municipal provincial governments (See Appendix 2). emergency management jurisdiction can be found in Appendix 1. Now, the strong relationships built at the local lev- el between Sawridge, Town of Slave Lake and the Despite common responsibilities and MD of Lesser Slave River means that this kind of challenges, a jurisdictional gap remains oversight will not happen again (See Appendix 2). between First Nations and municipalities AEMA has also doubled the number of staff ded- because emergency management services icated to supporting First Nations in emergencies and supports are provided to First Nations by since those wildfires. In Alberta, Metis settlements the federal government and to municipalities are also affected by the jurisdictional gap, as was by provincial and territorial governments. To seen in the Rural Municipality of Wood Buffalo improve the coordination of these services, response to the 2016 wildfire. In response to the Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) has signed 2016 wildfires, the Athabasca Tribal Council, the agreements with Alberta, Saskatchewan, Athabasca River Métis, and the Nistawoyou Asso- and Ontario and MOUs with British Columbia ciation Friendship Centre created a report outlin- and Nova Scotia and is negotiating with ing findings and recommendations for Rebuilding the remaining provinces and territories to Resilient Indigenous Communities in the Rural conclude agreements for delivery of on-reserve Municipality of Wood Buffalo. emergency management services.4 While federal, provincial, and territorial governments Coordination and funding issues attempt to address this gap, the reality continues to result in significant barriers to The gap can also lead to disjointed regional effective emergency response and recovery. planning