U of S launches program for land managers

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A new training program for First Nation resource managers has been introduced at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

Working with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the National Aboriginal Land Managers Association, the department of agricultural economics at the College of Agriculture developed the Indigenous Peoples Resource Management Program. Students in the program will attend six courses covering topics ranging from law and the environment to economics and leadership and will earn a certificate of proficiency upon successfully completing the course. All of the classes are at the first year university level.

Marilyn Poitras, director of the program, said it is a national program and will be offered in English and French, with the English program offered this year. She finds the vast experience of the students inspirational.

"The students are from all over Canada, from the Maritimes to Vancouver Island. It's a fabulous group, with lots of interesting people."

Land managers on First Nations in Canada look after absolutely every range of issues, Poitras explained. "Public works, leasehold issues, commercial development in Vancouver, cattle and ranch issues in Saskatchewan, all the way to the Maritimes. Land touches every aspect of life, and the land managers have seen it all."

One student with plenty of experience is Maurice Sutherland. He has been a land manager for Peguis First Nation in Manitoba since 1981. "You're never too old to learn," he said. "And this is a great opportunity for people who want to learn land management."

Marian Moulton of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick agrees. "I am getting a lot of good information," she said. "I've gotten more of a global way of looking at things instead of just at the reserve level. It's just so exciting. I can't get enough of it. I wish I would have had this 20 years ago."

Some of the students are new land managers, while some have more than 15 years experience. "The life and work experience of the students allows them to immediately relate to the course topics," Poitras said. "They have numerous practical examples of many of the concepts covered in the materials."

Geno Clement from Listuguj First Nation in Quebec is happy with the range of the concepts being covered in the program. "The course helped me with a lot of tools and opened up my mind to a whole bunch of initiatives that are going on, especially with court cases that are relevant across the nation," he said.

The students come to Wanuskewin Heritage Park, a national historic site near Saskatoon, for a two-week intensive course, then have seven weeks of home study, with readings and assignments, in addition to their full-time jobs. Over a 12-month period there are three sessions of classroom work, each two weeks long, plus a final project presentation.

Because it is a distance education program the maximum number of students per year is about 30. "With distance education keeping students engaged with their course when they are balancing professional and personal lives can be difficult." Poitras said. "We're not making lawyers or environmentalists out of them, but we're certainly trying to create enough confidence that when they read documents they know what the language is and they know when they need to bring an expert in and when they can do it themselves. That's definitely a big part of the program, and the networking is a big part, too."

That's important for Rex Lumberjack of Kinistin First Nation in Saskatchewan. "The course covers a lot of areas that regard land management and we do deal with everything in the land management area," he said.

"There's so much I have learned, and I'm getting a lot of networking done. We do have common problems but in different areas, so we're giving each other ideas on how to manage things better."

Elders are pivotal to the success of the program. "They have created an atmosphere where they turned us into a family," Marilyn Poitras sai. "The Elders also help students with balancing home life and work life and the roles of men and women. This program will be successful because of that, I absolutely believe that."

For Delyla Daniels, a leasing officer from Kamloops First Nation in B.C., the Elders are able to validate any traditional teachings that the students have in their own communities. "We're very fortunate that this program has brought Elders in to us."

The current program began in August and will run until the end or March. The next 12-month program is scheduled to start in May.

Although this is only the pilot year for the program, Poitras anticipates it will lead to development of a degree program in land management. With only 32 First Nations involved this year out of a total of 650 First Nations in Canada, each with a land manager plus assistants, potential demand for the program is high. There is also interest in the courses from students outside the program. The next step will be a diploma program and then a degree program. Poitras said she will be talking with the current students to see what type of classes they want to see next, and building that into her plans for the future.