ATLANTIC CANADA OPPORTUNITIES AGENCY ATLANTIC POLICY RESEARCH INITIATIVE Final Report 18th Annual Atlantic Conference on Public Administration Stronger Together: Indigenous Reconciliation and Sustainable Growth in Atlantic Canada January 25th – 26th, 2017 1 Table of Contents Conference Notes ..................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 3 Letter from the Chair .............................................................................................................. 4 Conference Highlights ............................................................................................................. 5 Opening Prayer and Smudge .............................................................................................................. 5 The Role of Elders .............................................................................................................................. 6 Setting the Stage: Why is Reconciliation Important? ......................................................................... 6 Netukulimk – A Path to Reconciliation? ............................................................................................. 7 Keynote Address – Mayor Mike Savage ........................................................................................... 10 Reconciliation in Action: Pathways to Shipbuilding ........................................................................ 12 Indigenous Storytelling ..................................................................................................................... 13 Centralization in Nova Scotia – History and Legacy ....................................................................... 14 Reconciliation from a Municipal Perspective .................................................................................. 15 Learning Sessions – Day One ........................................................................................................... 17 Atlantic First Nations Water Authority ......................................................................................... 17 Ulnooweg Financial Education Centre ......................................................................................... 18 Atlantic Aboriginal Economic Development Integrated Research Program ................................ 18 Learning Sessions – Day Two .......................................................................................................... 19 JEDI – Cultural Awareness Model ................................................................................................. 19 Paqtnkek Highway Development Project ..................................................................................... 20 Treaty Education in Nova Scotia .................................................................................................. 20 Sharing Sessions ............................................................................................................................... 21 Inspiration Awards ................................................................................................................ 22 Student Paper and Poster Presentations ............................................................................. 23 2018 Paper Competition Finalists .................................................................................................... 23 Paper Competition Award Winners .................................................................................................. 26 MacEachen Institute: Policy Course Panel ......................................................................... 27 Decommissioning Ageing Infrastructure .......................................................................................... 27 Regulating Cannabis Edibles ........................................................................................................... 27 Small Community Infrastructure ...................................................................................................... 28 Appendix A: Communications Report................................................................................. 29 Appendix B: Conference Program ....................................................................................... 32 2 Conference Notes The Atlantic Conference on Public Administration (ACPA) is an annual conference organized and hosted by Master of Public Administration candidates from the Dalhousie University School of Public Administration. The primary purpose is to foster relationships and transfer knowledge between public servants, students, academics, not-for-profit sectors and the private sector. The 18th annual conference was held January 25-26, 2018 in Halifax, Nova Scotia at the Four Points by Sheraton Conference Centre. ACPA 2018 provided an environment that fostered discussion, reflection and learning on current issues relevant to the Atlantic Canadian public sector. This year’s theme was Stronger Together: Indigenous Reconciliation and Sustainable Growth in Atlantic Canada. As such, the conference sessions explored Indigenous reconciliation with an Atlantic Canada lens. We engaged community representatives, public servants and elected officials alike to explore links between Indigenous reconciliation, our environment, and economic and social growth. This year, the majority of presenters were representatives from Indigenous communities and organizations. Indigenous academics, public servants and business leaders shared ideas, initiatives and progress on Indigenous reconciliation in Atlantic Canada. This was deliberately done to ensure the conference theme was explored in an authentic and inclusive way. It also allowed public servants to gain new insight and perspective into some of the challenges Atlantic Canada will have to overcome and the opportunities present in this area. To encourage more focused discussions about Indigenous reconciliation, we held breakout sessions on both conference days. The goal of these sessions was to identify knowledge gaps and challenges attendees have experienced and move this dialogue forward to create solutions. The breakout sessions were informative and created a forum for open dialogue to discuss the conference themes in a more intimate setting. To try to ensure attendees internalized the conference theme and teachings, we added breakout Sharing Sessions to close out the conference. This allowed attendees a chance to reflect on what they had learned and discuss ways to incorporate this learning into their professional or personal lives going forward. Another component added this year, was that the Dalhousie Elder in Residence was available throughout the conference for participants to engage in private discussions and reflections around the theme and presentations. In searching for keynote speakers for 2018, we contacted several Indigenous leaders who unfortunately could not attend. However, we were fortunate to book Mayor Mike Savage as a keynote for Day One. He addressed the challenges and opportunities municipalities are facing with respect to Indigenous reconciliation, including initiatives the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is undertaking in this area. This topic was also addressed in the Municipal Perspectives Panel which was comprised of municipal public servants and councilors from HRM. Registration remained consistent with that of previous conferences with a total of 162 participants. Public awareness of the conference remained steady, if not increased, through the continued use of social media campaigns as a key component of our communications strategy for 2018. 3 Acknowledgements The ACPA 2018 Organizing Committee would like to acknowledge the generous support provided by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. We would also like to thank our other supporters, including the Dalhousie Elder in Residence Program, Dalhousie University President’s Office, Dalhousie Faculty of Management, Dalhousie Faculty of Graduate Studies and Alumni Office, the Halifax Regional Municipality, the Government of Nova Scotia, Davis Pier Consulting, the Dalhousie Association of Graduate Students, the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, and the Dalhousie University MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance. We would also like to thank the staff at the Four Points by Sheraton Conference Centre, for their services during the conference and allowing smudging in their facilities. Finally, thank you to the entire ACPA Organizing Committee: Organizing Committee Members Faculty Advisor Joselyn MacLellan, Chair Belinda Smith Chelsea Johnston, Vice/Programming Chair Maryam Fazeli, Treasurer & Secretary Chair SPA Administrative Assistants Eryn Forester, Logistics Chair Krista Cullymore Troy Mrazek, Partnerships Chair Dolene LaPointe Megan Reynolds, Communications Chair Kaitlin Stansfield, Registration Chair School of Public Administration Director Kaitlynne Lowe, 1st Year Representative Robert Moody (2017) Lori Turnbull (2018) Sub-Committee Members and Volunteers Ashley Tingley Joshua Jones Blair Jones Katie Powe Brianna Cochrane Calinda Brown Camille Horton-Poole Laura Beth MacPherson Cofi Jones Lauren Kolar Elizabeth Burton Meghan Smook Emi Froud Paul Besley Eric Levy Sarah Gray Jayme Zhang Shaharvar Akram Jonathan Frontain Siobhan Quigg Paper and Poster Competition