We can't take back the past, but our journey towards truth and reconciliation calls on us to recognize our shortcomings and work with Indigenous communities to build relationships based on mutual understanding and trust. That's why the AER is looking at new ways to work with Indigenous communities across the province to improve our relationships.
To be an effective regulator, we need to work with Indigenous communities to find solutions that respect our cultural differences. All voices matter, and Indigenous peoples want to hear theirs reflected in our decisions. That's why we made it our mission to build a new type of working relationship—one based on trust and mutual understanding—and challenged ourselves to look beyond what we know.
Between November 2016 and September 2017, we worked with Dr. Reg Crow Shoe, a Blackfoot elder from Piikani Nation, to better understand what that relationship could look like.
With Dr. Crow Shoe's guidance, we wrote Voices of Understanding: Looking Through the Window, a facilitator's guide to Blackfoot decision-making circles and ethical spaces where Indigenous communities and the AER can work together. The report includes stories Dr. Crow Shoe shared while working with the AER, in addition to an exploration of ethical spaces and western and indigenous worldviews.
Voices of Understanding is also available as an audio file (MP3).
Get Involved
- Find applications or licences in your area
- File a complaint
- File a statement of concern
- File a preapplication concern
- Participate in alternative dispute resolution
- Participate in an AER hearing
- Contact your local AER field centre
- Report an emergency
- Attend an AER event in your area
- Learn about the relationship between the Aboriginal Consultation Office and the AER
Where We Are
Our regional engagement specialists live and work in communities across Alberta, from Medicine Hat in the south to High Level in the north and numerous centres in between. The members of our engagement team know their neighbours, understand local issues, and can be counted on to respond to your concerns.
