The City of Quinte West will feature more acknowledgement for Indigenous peoples moving forward.
At Monday’s meeting, council approved a proclamation request that will see a variety of flags flown in the community in support of multiple Indigenous causes.
The flags include:
- An orange flag flown at city hall every year on September 30 in support of the Every Child Matters movement
- A No More Stolen Sisters flag in support of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement to be flown every year on May 5 at city hall
- An Indigenous culture/support flag with the medicine wheel on it year round at the waterfront trail at Centennial park
There will also be a recognition pathway, sidewalk or street crossing depicting feathers at the waterfront trail.
There was an item requesting that council draft and enact a land acknowledgement statement to be used before council and committee meetings and any appropriate events or ceremonies.
The acknowledgement statement was developed by Quinte West Community Engagement Officer Hannah Brown in consultation with the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child and Family Services and CFB Trenton Office of the Environment.
The draft statement read:
“We begin this meeting by acknowledging that Quinte West is on Indigenous land
that has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the beginning.
As settlers and immigrants, we thank all the generations of people who have
taken care of this land for thousands of years. Long before today, there have
been Indigenous peoples who have been the stewards of this place.
In particular, we acknowledge the traditional territories of the Anishinabek,
Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), and the Mohawks of the Bay of
Quinte First Nation. This territory is covered by numerous treaties..
We recognize and deeply appreciate their historic connection to this place. We
also recognize the contributions of Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous peoples
have made, both in shaping and strengthening this community in particular, and
our province and country as a whole.
As settlers, this recognition of the contributions and historic importance of
Indigenous peoples must also be clearly and overtly connected to our collective
commitment to make the promise and the challenge of Truth and Reconciliation
real in our community.“
Multiple councillors said they had received calls from members of the public who were unhappy with the use of the term “settlers” in the statement and wanted to change the language and suggested a deferral while the statement is worked on.
Deputy Mayor Jim Alyea also suggested a deferral in order to verify the history of the presence of the Missassaugas tribe in the area so as to include them in the statement as well.
Councillor Terry Cassidy said that he was happy that council is moving forward on this but that in order to really make a difference more action needed to be taken.
“Land acknowledgement is one small part of what has to happen. I think in Hannah’s report, the other thing that she mentioned is there has to be action to follow up on truth and reconciliation. One of the things I’d like to ask of Hannah through us as a council is that the next step is not just to implement the reading of a land acknowledgement but to look at how to establish some kind of working group or committee that actually does some things in Quinte West to make it better. It’s one thing to use good words, it’s a much bigger thing if we show some action.”
Council voted to move forward with the flags and the crosswalk but to defer the statement for further consultation on the language.
