A primary principle of Maamawi-abiit-Bawajigaywin: Visioning our future dwelling together is increased visibility and awareness of the circumstances, conditions and life experiences of First Nations peoples in Northern Ontario. Public awareness will promote accountability and change, and positive developments in the area of public policy.

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For the academic community, the research will provide opportunities to develop culturally appropriate methods that fit the northern Ontario First Nations context and may be useful in other First Nations contexts across Canada. The process will teach researchers about local realities and ways to understand and represent them fairly, accurately and respectfully.  Students will implement high-level research into design studios examining the role of urban planning and architecture in Indigenous northern development. The students will also learn from project partners about relationship-building, participatory community-development methods, mapping methods, data analysis and reporting. Not only are these important skills for urban planners, but likely this is the growing context of their future employment as Canada continues to define itself as a resource rich country. 

Evaluations of initiatives taken on the basis of community priorities will provide valuable information about the characteristics of effective program development and service delivery in northern communities.