Port Hope council voted in favour of updating its land acknowledgement at its committee-of-the-whole meeting.
Final approval is required at the regular council meeting on Oct. 3.
The municipality’s first and current acknowledgement, "we acknowledge that this meeting is being held on the traditional territory of the Mississauga Nations,” was adopted in 2019 with the caveat a refined statement would be appropriate in the future.
The approved change reads:
“The Municipality of Port Hope exists on the lands of the Michi Saagiig Anishnaabeg traditional territory covered by the Williams Treaties. We honour and recognize First Peoples as rights holders and stewards of the lands and waters on which we have the privilege to live, work, and play, including the Ganaraska Forest and River. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We commit to actions towards Truth and Reconciliation by recognizing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, strengthening ties with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples - especially those who make their home in Port Hope, and learning from Indigenous ways of knowing and being. We do so by recognizing the past and working towards a shared future.”
Mayor Olena Hankivsky brought forward the proposed revised land acknowledgement after consultation with Trent University’s First Peoples House of Learning, former Alderville First Nation Chief Dave Mowat and new Chief Taynar Simpson. The mayor noted that Simpson also circulated proposed changes to other chiefs and it was well received.
During the committee-of-the-whole meeting, Deputy Mayor Todd Attridge and Coun. Vicky Mink questioned the inclusion of the United Nations declaration.
Hankivsky said she felt it was appropriate given last December one of the first motions passed in the new term of council was to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Council members did agree that it was important to make the change and the motion to adopt the new land acknowledgement passed.
This Saturday, Port Hope will be hosting Inspiring Change, an evening of education and culture in observance of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation from 4-6:30 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre. Attendees will experience a free, live-guided virtual tour of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, with a focus on the Truth and Reconciliation exhibit.
Following the virtual tour, Hankivsky will host special guest Jeannette Corbiere Lavell in conversation and reflection. Lavell is an educator and lifelong advocate for Indigenous women's rights. In 1970, she lost her status under the Indian Act when she married a non-Indigenous man. Noting that the same did not apply to Indigenous men, she challenged the Indian Act at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Lavell will recount how her actions served as a catalyst for activism on the issue of gender discrimination against Indigenous women. Lavell will be joined by her daughter, Dr. Dawn Lavell Harvard, who has worked to advance the rights of Aboriginal women as the President of the Ontario Native Women's Association since 2003. Harvard is director of the First Peoples House of Learning at Trent University. Free tickets can be reserved at capitoltheatre.com.
Listen to an interview with Mayor Hankivsky below: