COMMUNITY-BASED DISPUTE RESOLUTION ON MI'KMAW TERMS
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLANNING TRAINING — ESSENTIALS & ADVANCED, 2025
WHO THEY ARE
The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM) brings together eight Mi’kmaw communities across mainland Nova Scotia to keep decisions close to community and grounded in Mi’kmaw values. It exists to help leaders translate what matters at home—culture, safety, lands, waters—into clear
action on Mi’kmaw terms. The centre of gravity is community: practical support, steady governance, and choices that stand up over time.
In recent years, that centre has included a sharper way of “seeing the land.”
CMM paired community knowledge with modern mapping to build a truer picture of territory—where boundaries sit, how shorelines shift, where habitats need care, and how growth can be planned without losing what matters. This clarity strengthened everyday stewardship and prepared leaders to move with confidence when decisions required evidence.
CMM’s approach is consistent: listen first, make the data usable, and share it in ways that help Chiefs, Councils, and departments work as one. The result is a quieter kind of power—clear sightlines, fewer surprises, and decisions
that reflect community priorities while respecting the responsibilities that come with them.
WHAT THEY NEEDED
Across fourteen active claim areas, CMM needed to replace patchwork, often inaccurate mapping with a single, view of the land—clear enough for leaders to decide with confidence and strong enough to stand when decisions were tested. The aim was practical and urgent: high-resolution evidence to support claims, guide day-to-day stewardship, and track change over time.
Getting there required more than drones. CMM needed a structured, Nation-led program for aerial data collection—clear governance, roles and permissions that respect community calendars and the land, safe operating protocols, and consistent standards for data quality and
stewardship so information could move reliably across departments and up to Chiefs and Councils.
To make the effort durable, CMM required internal capacity: project management and GIS training tied to real workflows, vendor criteria that prioritized reliability, safety, and knowledge transfer, and a realistic cost baseline with contingency. In short: move from limited capacity and no consistent process to a repeatable program that delivers clear evidence, shared understanding, and control—on Mi’kmaw terms.
WHAT WE DID
Led a two-track capacity-building program, combining foundational training with hands-on planning framework development, to enable CMM to manage the initiative with clarity and control.
Delivered practical planning training focused on:
- Developed a Project Proposal outlining mandate, objectives, and parameters
- Facilitated creation of both summary and detailed workplans
- Clarified governance and handoffs across departments
- Established standards for geospatial data capture, verification, storage, and sharing
Designed a planning blueprint tailored for CMM:
- Developed a Project Proposal outlining mandate, objectives, and parameters
- Facilitated creation of both summary and detailed workplans
- Clarified governance and handoffs across departments
- Established standards for geospatial data capture, verification, storage, and sharing
Built dependable delivery systems by:
- Defining a stakeholder path for Chief & Council and external partners
- Implementing risk controls for weather, airspace, access, and data integrity
- Setting a cost baseline with contingency to guide investment pacing
- Creating a competitive procurement package prioritizing documented reliability, safety, and knowledge transfer
Established a disciplined reporting cadence for leadership and program teams—from first flight planning through to final mapping outputs.
RESULTS WE GOT
Delivered a complete, decision-ready planning package that transformed a complex concept into a practical, executable project.
Provided a clear mandate and structure through the Project Proposal, enabling the team to:
- Translate intent into a sequenced plan of work
- Operate with a cost baseline and contingency balancing resources, risk, and pace
- Give leadership full visibility, from first flights to final mapping, on scope, timing, responsibilities, risk, and cost
Strengthened organizational capacity where it mattered most:
- Teams gained a repeatable framework to scope, sequence, and manage future geospatial projects
- Improved interdepartmental coordination through shared standards
- Reduced reliance on external consultants, increasing community control over land- based evidence.
Shifted procurement from uncertain to disciplined by:
- Issuing a competitive invitation to operators guided by transparent criteria and scoring
- Empowering CMM to select proven providers and require knowledge transfer to staff
- Embedding risk controls, safety expectations, and a structured reporting cadence for predictable oversight
IN NUMBERS
1 Nation-led Aerial-Evidence Capture Framework for 14 Claim Areas
Governance defined from charter to close-out, with roles, risk controls, cost baseline, and a reporting timeline set.
11 Deliverables Identified and Sequenced
Funding and logistics through flight research and final reporting, unified into a repeatable delivery pathway.
$68,712.50 Cost Baseline & $75,583.75 Project Budget Set
With 15% contingency and 10% management reserve to pace procurement and delivery.
