Dismantling the Checkbox: A Call for Systems Change

The checkbox is not just a metaphor, it is a symptom of a much deeper issue.

Many planning systems, policies, and institutions were built without Indigenous knowledge, laws, protocols or ceremony in mind. In fact, they were designed to function in the absence of us, to displace us from our lands and erase our languages and standardize our ways of knowing and being into something more "manageable", "efficient" and "western".

Colonial planning systems were never neutral. They were and often still are tools of control. Tools that:

• Legally displace and disconnect Indigenous Peoples

• Regulate and exclude Indigenous housing, governance, and infrastructure through imposed codes, bylaws and other legal frameworks

• Ignore sacred relationships with land, water and non-human relatives

• Tokenize "engagement" without honouring meaningful consent, participation or ownership

In this context, the checkbox becomes a mechanism for maintaining the status quo while appearing progressive. But inclusion into a system that is not built for us is not justice.

Moving Beyond the Checkbox to Systems Transformation

It means recognizing the problem isn't just how Indigenous Peoples are engaged, it's that the entire structure of planning has been built around exclusion. The checkbox exists because the system was never made to hold Indigenous law, knowledge or leadership.

Real change requires more than policy tweaks or better engagement tools. It calls for a shift in power, perspective and processes. 

When we begin to embed Indigenous laws, ceremony, values and governance into planning, we are actively reshaping the foundation. It is an expansive approach goes beyond "adding an Indigenous lens" it is about building processes that are rooted in the Indigenous worldviews, from the ground up.

The transformation includes:

• From linear timelines to seasonable/community rhythms and relational readiness

• From policy compliance to cultural and kinship accountability

• From transactions to co-creation

• From technical efficiency and program requirements to interconnection, balance and responsibility to future generations

This is the work of decolonizing planning, it is not soft or symbolic. It is genuine structural change. It challenges the frameworks that have guided planning for decades and replaces them with approaches that center relationships, reciprocity and respect. It is about being decision-makers, knowledgeholders and right holders and the autonomy to shape our own future in our own ways.

A Path forward for Non-Indigenous Planners

If you are a non-Indigenous planner, practitioner, policymaker, this is an invitation to reflect deeply and act meaningfully. Decolonizing planning is not about adding Indigenous voices to colonial planning systems. It is about rethinking the system itself. It means shifting from the "expert" to the role of a "learner", "listener" and "ally". It is leaning into the values of humility and accountability.

High-level actions can include:

• Acknowledge the foundations of planning

• Shift from inclusion to Indigenous-led governance

• Support systemic and institutional transformation

• Uplift long-term and relationship-based approaches

• Create space and be open to multiple worldviews

• Take time and step back

It is about rebuilding the system in partnership, co-creation and accountability, and a long-term vision rooted in self-determination. It is not to discredit the work that has been done, or to minimize the efforts of those navigating these systems with care or commitment, it is about re-imagining what is possible. This is a new chapter, one not written for us, but with us. Most importantly, it is on the one we will pass foward to the next generation.