Building the Foundations of an Indigenous Women-Led Land Trust in Toronto

This project aims to establish the foundations for an Indigenous-led land trust to address the impact of the housing crisis on Indigenous women, children, and 2-Spirit communities in the land currently known as Toronto. The project will begin by drawing lessons from existing Indigenous-led land trusts such as Segorea Te Land Trust and Mno Aki to understand how these groups established their governance, policies, and practices for land stewardship. The community researcher will then organize a series of 2-3 storytelling circles with Indigenous mothers, lifegivers, elders, and 2-Spirit community members to understand community needs for affordable rental and/or home ownership models and visions for an Indigenous women-led land trust that centers sovereignty and self-determination. The circles will be accompanied by a survey circulated with Indigenous organizations and grassroots groups to share with their membership along with street outreach. The project will create a final report for partners and participants with actionable next steps aimed at building the foundations for an Indigenous-led land trust, such as creating bylaws, incorporation, and funding; connecting with existing land trusts in Toronto for knowledge and resource sharing; identifying culturally-appropriate mechanisms to rematriate the land to Indigenous groups through land donations and transfers; and setting up a governance structure to ensure that lands stay under Indigenous stewardship in perpetuity.


  • Innovating in Responsive Land Practices

UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. External Link An arrow entering a square. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. Search A magnifying glass. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.