Kickoff Meeting: Winnipeg, May 13, 2024
This kickoff meeting served as a foundational gathering, part of Phase 1: Establishing the Convenor of CLI, to launch the co-development of Winnipeg’s Biodiversity Policy and Greenspace Plan. Bringing together City leadership, Indigenous leaders, and CIER, the session aimed to set the tone for a collaborative and inclusive process that reflects shared priorities and strengthens relationships. The City asked Indigenous leaders if they were interested in doing things differently, and explored the principles of co-development as a meaningful approach to fulfilling Winnipeg’s Indigenous Accord, while laying the groundwork for a government-to-government partnership. Through introductions, reflections, and discussions, this meeting established a shared vision and resulted in a shared commitment to move forward collectively.
Meeting #1: Winnipeg, November 28, 2024
This first official co-development meeting marked the beginning of a structured, collaborative process to create Winnipeg’s Greenspace and Natural Corridors Plan Bylaw and Biodiversity Policy. The session was part of Phase 2: Building the Foundation for Reconciliation of the CLI process, designed to establish roles, build relationships, and align expectations among the City of Winnipeg, the Co-Development Team, and Planning Team. Participants reviewed the City’s original process and vision, gained insights into the planning approach, and began shaping a framework for collaboration. Through presentations, activities, and goal setting, the meeting laid a strong foundation for co-development by fostering mutual understanding, identifying priorities, and setting the stage for productive engagement in the months ahead.
Meeting #2: Winnipeg, March 7, 2025
This full-day meeting began with municipal leads of the Greenspace Plan providing an overview to the Co-Development Team on the Plan’s Vison and Guiding Principles, including how it was developed, how it has been used to guide the development of the funding proposal for Planning Services, and the direction they will take in drafting the deliverables. The Co-Development Team then worked together in refining the Vision and Principles to reflect their knowledge and wisdom. The Planning Team presented an update on the status of their work, including upcoming community engagements through public surveys, a Greenspace Plan website, and stakeholder/rightsholder workshops.
Meeting #3: Winnipeg, May 6, 2025
This half-day meeting focused on refining the Co-Development Team’s additions to the Greenspace Plan’s Vision and Guiding Principles, and the Key Focus Areas. The Co-Development Team also had an in-depth discussion with CIER on how best to reflect their own respective governments and organizations’ values and knowledge in the finalization of these key documents. The Planning Team provided a brief update and committed to meeting with the Co-Development Team when their first draft of the State of the Landscape Report is completed this June, 2025. The Co-Development Team will have a chance to review and provide direction on this deliverable to the Planning Team.
Meeting #4: Winnipeg, September 9, 2025
This full-day meeting focused on digging into the Key Focus Areas (KFA) that were identified to guide the Planning Process. The Co-Development Team outlined key actions for success under each KFA, which will provide direction to the Planning Team in shaping the Biodiversity Policy and Greenspace Plan. They also identified a variety of qualitative and quantitative measures that could be used to track the success of the plan’s implementation. Additionally, the Planning Team provided an update on the key findings of the State of the Landscape Report and discussed strategies for the Co-Development Team to continuously provide direction and guidance on this moving forward.
