Regional Collaboration: Why Do Communities Come Together? presented to 2007 Business and Expansion International Conference June 6-8, 2007 presented by Robert Annis & Marian Beattie Rural Development Institute, Brandon University Russ McPherson & Denise Guillet WaterWolf Regional Round Table Overview Communities planning, coordinating & working together regionally A multi-community collaboration model developed in Manitoba & taken elsewhere in Canada The application of this model in Saskatchewan – WaterWolf Regional Round Table Challenges for regional planning & governance Discussion 2 Communities Planning, Coordinating & Working Together Regionally Harold Baker’s findings from his 1991-92 study on multicommunity collaboration in the US, Ireland, France & Spain: Multi-community activity appears to be undertaken in order for smaller communities to survive in difficult times and to enhance development opportunities under these circumstances. There is a place in the community for both competition and collaboration, if they are kept in appropriate balance. Central resource agencies have important policy, facilitating, resource, and education functions to play. Although local government bodies should be considered important…it is equally important to involve other civic, private and voluntary groups. Community leaders will need time and patience to convince communities that it is beneficial to work together. 3 Communities Planning, Coordinating & Working Together Regionally(continued) Leaders…should be selected with care, with attention to the scope of their vision and their collaborating skills. It is essential that a leadership development program be initiated as an integral and ongoing feature. The most difficult period in the formation…is the “formation period”, especially during the second to fifth year. The success of the microregion that is involved in multicommunity collaboration appears quite dependent on the support of other developmental entities, especially the more central sub-province, province and national levels. Multi-community collaboration experience…appears to have had little influence on local government boundaries. The conventional sectorial development approach should be balanced appropriately with the territorial development which is fostered by multi-community collaboration. 4 Repulse Bay Community Collaboration Project (CCP) in Manitoba/Nunavut 1999-2004 Coral Harbour Baker Lake The Hudson Bay Neighbours Regional Round Table (RRT) formed in 2002 and is a unique partnership among northern Manitoba and Nunavut communities. http://hbn.cimnet.ca. Formed it October 1999, the Northern Vision Regional Round Table was the first RRT: http://northernvision.cimnet.ca. Chesterfield Inlet Rankin Inlet Whale Cove Arviat Northlands Dene First Nation Formed in 2001 Bayline Regional Round Table took its name from the Bayline rail line which connects the communities: Churchill South Indian Lake Lynn Lake Granville Lake Tadoule Lake Leaf Rapids Gilliam Wabowden War Lake Pikwitonei Thicket Portage Cormorant Canada http://baylinerrt.cimnet.ca. The Southwest Round Table emerged as an agro-Manitoba RRT in April of 2000: http://swrrt.cimnet.ca. Fox Lake Ilford Souris Boissevain Deloraine 5 Brandon Glenboro Baldur Killarney Winnipeg 6 om m u C g n in Pa Regional Round Table Academic Institution ip h in g Par t ne r s C omm un i t y 7 n he Rural Team Advisory Group gt Bu Trusting Relationships St ity c a p ding l i a y cit Inclusion Equal partnership Shared power Shared responsibility Encouragement Cooperation Empowerment a ap Collaboration r r e tnership n Par B u i ld Str en i n ty B u e i l p d i i ng h er sh C t g tn g in CCP Model C Community Capacity CCP Process Project Activity Agenda Setting Financial & Vision Human Resources Refining External Facilitation Visioning Forming Advisory Group Time Building Community Capacity 8 Community Collaboration Process (CCP) Model Model Implementation n he in g Par t Pa Bu ip h Pa Str en y cit a g ildin ap ne rs St re n g ildin Bu ip h g in g n he in g Par t ne rs St re n Pa ip h (BU) in g ildin Bu RDI MB RT SC gt C omm u n it y ity ac p a Manitoba/ Nunavut C omm MB RRTs ild C 9 Yukon College in g gt C C omm u n it y C Value-Added CCP Study Group St ity re ac n tnership ap Par Bu Longitudinal ning C o m m un i t Study gth e rship Building y C ne rt YT RT AG ld a Yukon U Sask SK RT AG YRRT un i ty Saskatchewan r s WWRRT ild y cit pa C ne r y Par t g in ip Buildin C om mu nit ing n y e ip Buildin h h s C g r gt tne St ity re ac e r s n t h r i p Bu n ap Pa i r sh ne t r St ity re ac n tnership ap Par Bu he gt g C o m m un it nin n he gt g 2006-2007 ©Rural Development Institute, Brandon University, 2007 Yukon Regional Round Table Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation At a meeting held in Teslin on April 4th 2006, the Yukon RRT was officially established and a MOU was signed with RDI. The YRRT has membership from First Nation, incorporated and unincorporated communities with no size limit focuses on action and implementing projects is collaborative and based on common interests Faro Canada Carmacks Champagne and Aishihik First Nations Whitehorse Mount Lorne Carcross Tagish First Nation Haines Junction Atlin Teslin Teslin Tlingit Council Taku River Tlingit First Nation Watson Lake 10 Regional Round Table Saskatchewan Canada In 2005, WaterWolf RRT was created as a regional services delivery model to increase capacity to assess needs and deliver services from a community-led approach. RRT committees were then established for 5 projects: Biggar RM of Perdue Saskatoon RM of Rudy Kenaston Bladworth Davidson Elbow RM of Huron Lucky Lake RM of Maple Bush Beechy Central Butte RM of Enfield RM of Fertile Valley Outlook Regina 11 A river valley association A regional water technician Danielson Park pilot project Infrastructure & investment development & tax sharing GIS and land use planning WaterWolf Regional Round Table A CCP RRT 12 CCP Model Outcomes Communities and governments are collaborating in new and different ways to: create new and different partnerships and trusting relationships between and among communities and governments, strengthen capacity in the RRTs, communities and regions, strengthen leadership capacity, explore new decision-making and governance models, and evaluate, document and communicate progress. 13 CCP Study Group Purpose and Opportunities Provide feedback on the evaluation frameworks that were developed by the RRTs and Advisory Groups. Provide feedback on the roll-up of all the evaluation frameworks of the CCP Model project. Explore linkages to existing and future research in multi-community collaboration and regional governance. Provide a forum for researchers to discuss multicommunity collaboration and regional governance. CCP Study Group Membership Ken Bessant (Brandon University) David Douglas (University of Guelph) Mark Drabenstott (Rural Policy Research Institute, USA) Tom Johnson (University of Missouri-Columbia) Diane Martz (Prairie Women’s Centre of Excellence, Saskatoon) Bill Reimer (Concordia University, Montreal) Nicole Vaugeois (Malaspina University-College, Nanaimo) Robert Annis (Rural Development Institute, Brandon University) Marian Beattie (Rural Development Institute, Brandon University) Ryan Gibson (Rural Development Institute, Brandon University) Challenges for Regional Governance What are the ‘voids’ that serve as trigger conditions for emergent regional systems? What are the critical phase change(s) factors in rural regional governance systems? What is the influence of negotiated power-sharing process(es) for local governments? How do rural regional governance systems design decisionmaking processes in rural regional governance systems? How does tension and resolution between legacy and emergent negotiated power of rural regional governance get resolved? How are assets, conditions, initial contexts and changes of communities collaborating together and/or involved in new governance systems measured? 16 RDI Publications References Annis, R.C. (2006). Community collaboration project CCP: Empowering communities and building capacity project description. Annis, R.C. (2006). Rural development institute annual report. Annis, R. C., Beattie, M., & Gibson R. (2006). Rural Development Institute's regional round table handbook for the community collaboration process. Annis, R. C., Beattie, M., & Gibson R. (2006). CCP factsheet. Baker, H. (1993). Building multi-community rural development partnerships. in The structure, theory and practice of partnerships in rural development. Gibson, R. & Annis, R. C. (2006). Regional round table overview. Walsh, D., & Annis, R. C. (2004). Reflections on Manitoba's community collaboration project, 1999-2004. Websites RDI: www.brandonu.ca/rdi WaterWolf: www.waterwolf.org Government of Canada’s Rural Secretariat: www.rural.gc.ca For Additional Information Robert Annis 204-571-8513 Marian Beattie 204-571-8554 Russ McPherson 306-867-9557 Denise Guillet 306-867-9566 annis@brandonu.ca beattiem@brandonu.ca russmcpherson@midsask.ca dguillet@midsask.ca 17