RPD Student Profile - Chirag Patney

As a second year student in the MSc in Rural Planning and Development program, Chirag has been part of a research team, under the supervision of Dr. Nicolas Brunet, that looks to understand how community driven approaches related to fishing are used to strengthen local governance systems in First Nations communities along the Great Lakes in Ontario. Chirag has been working with multiple First Nations partners in gaining an understanding of fishing practice and governance within their communities. Conducting interviews, visiting nations, and now working on creating a documentary, this exploratory research has developed into a community scale project. This community driven approach looks to highlight successful programs being run by First Nations and aid First Nations that want to adapt or enhance their current models within the realm of local policy and law.

Image:  Chirag Patney, Rural Planning and Development MSc candidate.

Chirag is also working on a project of his own that involves an analysis of provincial Duty to Consult policy and guidelines. This research offers a comparative analysis of provincial Duty to Consult and Accommodate policy and procedural guidelines. The purpose of his research is to understand areas where the policies are lacking and exceeding expectation, and how they are contributing to the dialogue surrounding reconciliation and building meaningful relationships between Indigenous Nations and Canadian governments.

The Rural Planning and Development program profiles the research initiatives and professional achievements of graduate students. Stay tuned for more profiles in the coming weeks! Check out the Rural Planning and Development webpage for more details on our graduate programs.