May 27

The Canadian Evaluation Society has taken a strong position on reconciliation and culturally responsive evaluation – but have we gone far enough? Evaluation in Canada often fails to take account of Indigenous values and worldviews; it privileges and takes for granted the legitimacy of western knowledge systems and theories while discounting Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

While most evaluators respect the need for culturally responsive practice and participatory methods, does this really achieve parity – or do we need to do more to address the dynamics of power relationships in our evaluation practice? This panel of three Indigenous evaluators and one non-Indigenous evaluation ally will examine the role of evaluation in promoting sovereignty and self-determination and challenge those in attendance to move beyond current notions of culturally responsive evaluation to advocate for true co-creation.

May 28

We are very pleased to welcome elected leaders from three diverse communities to share their insights on the value of and capacity to use evaluation in decision-making. Panel members will speak to the business and relational aspects of Economic Development, Land Use, Growth, and Sustainability.  Participants will learn about the unique characteristics of the three municipalities, the shared and divergent opportunities and challenges. Several questions of interest will be explored. What role does community engagement and collaboration have at the municipal level? What kind of dynamic relationships exist with their bordering neighbors? How do they co-create, and collaborate when operating in somewhat competitive circumstances?

The Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre (AFNIGC) is an Alberta Chiefs’ mandated organization that works to promote, protect, and advance First Nation principles of Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP™) in research and information management.

An important and critical element of this process is the Indigenous perspective of evaluation and the precepts surrounding Indigenous knowledge for evaluation processes. Indigenous knowledge and understanding are fundamental elements of logic model development related to research and evaluation undertaken by AFNIGC.  Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession are the primary principles of data management and stewardship. OCAP™ has become a keystone to all research work for the AFNIGC. These principles have changed the landscape for Indigenous research by placing information and self-determination in data governance into the hands of the people and their leadership.

The benefits of OCAP™ are steadily increasing as positive outcomes are being realized through collaborative partnerships supported by OCAP™ principles and language and practice.

May 29

The world is facing rapid and dramatic changes as the result of human activity – including pollution, mass extinctions, and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.  Sustainability is a critical imperative requiring human behaviour to adapt to reduce harm we cause to the natural system that sustains us.   Yet evaluation in North America has shown little or no interest in sustainability, nor have we developed the capacity to evaluate coupled human and natural systems that are at the core of achieving sustainability. Evaluation cannot remain relevant unless we take up the challenge.

Achieving sustainability-ready evaluation requires require evaluation to change its worldview from one based on dominion to one based on equality across and within systems. This panel brings together experts in biophysical sciences, conflict resolution, and leading-edge evaluation to outline the issues, share a success story where drawing from indigenous and social science knowledge provided sustainability-ready evaluation, and challenge CES members to take action on this critical imperative.