Summer Placement at Urban Systems

By Mo Crossman-Serb, 2nd year MDP student

I’m working at Urban Systems in Winnipeg this summer as a Community Consultant Intern. Urban Systems is an interdisciplinary consultant firm working alongside municipalities, governments, Indigenous communities, agencies, and private sector clients. The company has offices across Western Canada, with Winnipeg being its only one in Manitoba.

I’ve been really lucky to work closely with my coach, Mike Wakely, who leads the Indigenous Practice for the Winnipeg office. So far, within the Indigenous Practice, I’ve been able to work on housing, economic development, and land-use planning projects with First Nation communities in Manitoba and Ontario. I’ve also been able to support with land-use planning on municipalities close to Winnipeg and work on some proposals for new potential projects. The activities for my role consist primarily of research of various topics, community engagement, and writing reports/strategies. Research for the role consisted of reviewing previous Urban Systems work, reading governmental reports, and conducting interviews or discussions with community members or organizations.

I look forward to continuing my work with Urban Systems until the fall. I would like to thank the Winnipeg office and all the other Urban Systems colleagues for all their patience and help.

Options Housing Reconciliation Action Plan

By Alice Egbedeyi, 2nd year MDP student

Reconciliation is everyone’s business, and it’s a responsibility that Options Housing takes very seriously. In 2022, Options Housing, a seasoned nonprofit housing corporation in Ottawa, released their Reconciliation Action Plan, a framework for building the future while repairing the past. This RAP, as they fondly call it, guides the organization’s contribution to the work of reconciliation and the provision of culturally sensitive services to their Indigenous clients and tenants.

This summer, I was privileged to support this effort, furthering the organization’s goals to decolonize standard practices and create a welcoming and safe space that respects, honors and welcomes Indigenous Peoples and practices. When I arrived, the organization had already made significant progress on implementing this plan, starting with formally stating their position on reconciliation and executing their land acknowledgement protocol organization-wide.

During my time here, I quickly picked up on several ongoing activities. I coordinated the event for National Indigenous Peoples' Day, where we hosted tenants to attend the powwow. Later, I developed a training plan to engage staff members in Indigenous awareness and relationship-building training. In the final weeks, I completed drafting a comprehensive proposal document to help create a culturally-embracing lounge space within Options Housing for its tenants, especially its Indigenous clients.

Options Housing has made significant strides in implementing this plan, demonstrating that the RAP document is not merely a form of tokenism. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience how Options is intentionally creating space for Indigenous Peoples in housing. While there is still a long way to go for true reconciliation, as is the case across Canada, I am excited to see how Options continues to make a difference and advance their efforts towards respectful partnership.