CONFERENCE RECAP: COLLABORATION
has helped us mitigate some of those bureaucratic obstacles.” Julie Sperber: “Understand whose table you’re sitting at” As a regional economic leader, Julie Sperber offered a broader view: collab- oration begins with humility. “Before you sit down with anyone,” she said, “you need to understand whose table it is — and whose land you’re sitting on.” For Sperber, meaningful engage- ment means arriving with “humble and accountable curiosity.” Legal frameworks like UNDRIP set a floor for cooperation, but true collaboration goes far beyond compliance. “You have to understand what’s meaningful to the people you’re working with,” she emphasized. “Curiosity is the key.” She also challenged participants to rethink how they define economic progress. “Not everyone in the room will see land and water as resources,” she said. “For some, they’re relatives. So, if we want to collaborate, we must understand those worldviews.” Colin Stansfield: Trust takes time Colin Stansfield, whose Nanaimo Prosperity Corporation focuses on creating a resilient local economy,
underlined the importance of trust and timing. “Historical mistrust and power imbalances don’t disappear overnight,” he said. “They require long-term investment in relationship-building.” Another challenge, Stansfield added, is the difference in timelines between partners. “Government moves at one pace, industry at another, and First Nations often at a third because of cap- acity constraints,” he said. “Flexibility is key.” His advice: engage early — well before a project is shovel-ready. “If you only show up when you need approval,” he said, “you haven’t built a relation- ship. And without a relationship, you don’t have collaboration.” Building a relationship framework Returning to Hais, Michell invited her to describe how the Port of Nanaimo and Snuneymuxw turned dialogue into a functioning partner- ship. “It didn’t happen overnight,” Hais said. “When I joined the board 10 years ago, we didn’t have a work- ing relationship with the Snuneymuxw Nation. The first step was just sitting down and listening — understanding the history and what had come before.”
That process took years. Eventually, both sides signed a Relationship Agreement outlining shared decision- making, community engagement, and project collaboration. “Now we meet monthly with Chief and Council, our board chair, and CEO. We’ve got a working task force identifying and advancing projects together,” she added. Their partnership has already evolved into an Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) that ensures joint participa- tion and equitable benefit-sharing on major port developments, including the port’s new Duke Point expansion. “It has taken a decade,” Hais admitted, “but I think we’re moving faster than many others. And that relationship is what’s going to allow us to grow.” Innovation through partnership When asked how collaboration will evolve amid environmental and technological change, White was quick to point out that innovation is already reshaping coastal governance. “Technology is moving at a rapid pace,” he said. “For Snuneymuxw, that means developing new tools for marine protection.” His team is co- developing an autonomous vessel
Moderator Jason Michell with panelists: John White, Donna Hais, Colin Stansfield and Julie Sperber.
October/November 2025 — PACIFIC PORTS — 35
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