We are excited to announce the launch of a project at the University of Waterloo entitled “Decolonizing and Establishing Payment Practices with Indigenous Community Members”, co-sponsored by Finance, Human Resources, the Office of Research, and the Office of Indigenous Relations.
This project is meant to address systemic barriers in making payments to Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and Workers (for example, invited guests, fee-for-service workers, independent contractors, etc.), partners, and suppliers, typically given in recognition of cultural contributions, and to highlight the value of their unique and sacred knowledge.
This work aligns with the University of Waterloo’s Strategic Plan Connecting Imagination with Impact, 2020-2025, the Indigenous Strategic Plan, 2023-2028, and responds to recommendations from the President’s Anti-Racism Taskforce (PART) Report. This project also builds on the Canada Research Coordinating Committee’s Strengthening Indigenous Research Capacity Strategic Plan, which is meant to identify strategic directions, objectives, and mechanisms to support Indigenous research and training in Canada.
The Decolonizing & Establishing Payment Practices project aims to develop a clear and concise set of guidelines geared towards making payments to Indigenous community members, specifically including information on payment options, payment timing, and payment methods.
If you have experiences of barriers relating to making payments to Indigenous community members that you would like to share, or for more information about this project, please visit the Decolonizing Payment Practices webpage or reach out to Indigenous.Research@uwaterloo.ca.