Wellington North council votes in favour of land acknowledgment

Wellington North circular logo with a half-yellow half-blue W in the centre and text around the outside rim spelling out the township name.
The Township of Wellington North recently, with help from Martin Cooper, created their first land acknowledgment. Photo by the Township of Wellington North.
Riley Gillespie-Wilson - CICW - FergusON | 21-06-2023
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The Township of Wellington North voted in favour of a land acknowledgment at Monday's council meeting.

Martin Cooper, Senior Archaeologist of Archaeological Services Inc., said the move is "a good starting point" in strengthening relationships with Indigenous peoples.

Cooper, who came before council to present the acknowledgment document, told councillors a land acknowledgment focuses not only on the present and the future, but also days gone by.

"A land acknowledgment involves making a statement, acknowledging the presence of indigenous peoples past and present and recognizing indigenous traditional lands and treaties," Cooper explained.
"The land acknowledgments can also identify the displacement and exclusion of Indigenous peoples from their traditional territories," he added.

The new land acknowledgement read as follows:

“The lands that we know today as the Township of Wellington North have been home to Indigenous peoples since time immemorial. We acknowledge that we are on the treaty lands and traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee. With increasing encroachment by non-Indigenous settlers in the Township of Wellington North, the Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee could not continue their traditional lifestyle and settled in their villages on the Credit River, Lake Huron, Lake Simcoe, and in the Grand River Valley. These nations uphold their Treaty Rights within our jurisdiction.

Today, the Township of Wellington North remains home to Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island. We are grateful to have the opportunity to share and respect Mother Earth and are committed to building constructive and cooperative relationships with Indigenous nations.”

Coun. Lisa Hern was appreciative of the effort Cooper went to to put the acknowledgment together, including the efforts of connecting with Indigenous communities within the township, and says she believes looking back is part-and-parcel with moving forward.

"I do think that this is so extremely important because we have to remember where we came from to envision where we're going," Hern stated.

Cooper says this language should be fluid and open to edits down the line. He encourages the township to welcome and embrace these edits.

Next steps, Cooper believes, will include the township developing a better relationship by reaching out and meeting with Indigenous peoples. He says he thinks there will be a focus on the environment brought to the forefront.

Listen to the CICW story below: