The City of St. Catharines takes great pride in fostering our meaningful relationship with local Indigenous communities. Our commitment to truth and reconciliation is at the core of our initiatives.
Join us for the Orange Shirt Day flag raising and lowering to half-mast in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at St. Catharines City Hall, on Friday, Sept. 27, at 10 a.m., hosted in partnership with our community partners at Niagara Regional Native Centre. Those attending are encouraged to wear orange.
Land Acknowledgement
The City of St. Catharines acknowledges that we are settlers on the land on which we gather by sharing the following at the beginning of each Council and committee meeting:
The land on which we meet today is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples, many of whom continue to live and work here today.
This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and is within the land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement. Today this gathering place is home to many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples.
Acknowledging this is a reminder that our great standard of living is directly related to the resources and friendship of Indigenous peoples.
Partnership
Explore our partnership with the Niagara Regional Native Centre (NRNC), where we work hand in hand to address shared challenges and create positive change. Our journey towards reconciliation involves open dialogue, cultural exchange, and a commitment to truth and understanding.
In 2018, Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the NRNC which was created and developed in the Spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission between the Board of Directors of the NRNC and the City of St. Catharines to reduce barriers in planning Indigenous activities, increase awareness and education around Indigenous history and culture, encourage community engagement and gathering, support the Indigenous community and foster diversity and inclusion, and to guide and advise City staff to ensure respectful and appropriate representation of Indigenous culture.
The MOU has given flexibility to take immediate action when required for Indigenous initiatives and has been a symbol of a professional friendship between the NRNC and the City of St. Catharines. Ensuring the MOU is maintained and strengthened is vital to the City, NRNC, and the community. It has created a solid foundation for building strong relationships with the Indigenous community.
In 2022, City staff met with the NRNC to review the MOU to identify opportunities for improvement and recommended changes, opportunities to strengthen and reinforce the relationship between the City, NRNC and other Indigenous groups and initiatives that extend beyond NRNC, and past and current initiatives and future action items that reinforces the MOU and the City’s commitment to Indigenous matters.
City staff will continue to collaborate and consult the NRNC to implement future action items.
Upcoming Initiatives |
Red Dress Day (National Day for Awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA Peoples)Led by passionate community advocates, red dresses are displayed outside City Hall every May as part of the Red Dress Day to support and create awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA Peoples. National Indigenous Peoples DayNational Indigenous Peoples Day (sometimes referred to as Indigenous Solidarity Day) is marked annually on June 21, during National Indigenous History Month. It is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada. Orange Shirt Day (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)Marked annually on September 30 since 2013, Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led commemorative day inspired by the story of Indian School Residential School Survivor, Phyllis Webstad. It is a day where Indigenous and non-Indigenous people come together and wear orange to honour the children who survived residential schools and remember those who did not. September 30, 2021, marked the first observance of an official National Day for Truth and Reconciliation following the discovery of unmarked burial sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. The City partners with the NRNC annually to host a gathering to commemorate Orange Shirt Day and September 30 is recognized as a statutory holiday by the City of St. Catharines. Annual Traditional Pow WowHeld annually in St. Catharines on the first Saturday in October, NRNC’s traditional Pow Wow brings together our region and communities in celebration and understanding. Immerse yourself in the rich traditions and culture of our Indigenous communities through dance performances, music, art, traditional foods and a variety of traditional vendors offering unique crafts and goods, each telling a story of heritage and artistry. |
Indigenous Organizations in Niagara |
Resources |
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The City encourages residents to take time to learn more about Indigenous communities with some of the following suggested resources:
A National Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support to former students. This 24-hour crisis line can be accessed by calling 1-866-925-4419. |