INNISFAIL – The town will now read a treaty acknowledgement statement to honour the traditional lands of the Indigenous peoples at the beginning of every Monday council meeting.
Innisfail council’s land acknowledgement approval, which came at its regular meeting on Feb. 14, is the first of its kind for any municipality in the region, including the rural municipalities of Red Deer County and Mountain View County.
The board of trustees for Chinook’s Edge School Division and Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools have land acknowledgement statements that are read at the beginning of their meetings.
Since the October general municipal election, the Innisfail land acknowledgement statement was read once a month. While it referenced the ancestral and traditional territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy, including the Kainai, Piikani and Siksika as well as the Tsuu T’ina First Nation and Stoney Nakoda First Nation, it will now also include the Metis Nation of Alberta Region #3.
“They are part of the Indigenous community and because we are all inclusive I wanted to make sure that all of the Indigenous backgrounds were captured,” said Coun. Don Harrison, who introduced an amendment to include the acknowledgement for the Metis peoples.
The inclusion of the Metis Nation of Alberta Region #3 in the approved land acknowledgement was praised by Joe Chodzicki, interim president of Métis Local 492.
“If they are going to do that every Monday, then bravo. We love it,” said Chodzicki, whose local was successful last November in having the Town of Innisfail fly the Metis flag in front of town hall during Metis Week.
Alberta’s Metis Region #3, which includes seven locals, encompasses an area from Morningside in the north, south to the American border, west to the B.C. border and east to the Saskatchewan border.
Chodzicki estimates there are nearly 20,000 Metis citizens in region #3, which includes 10,000 members in Calgary. His local 492, which runs south to Didsbury, north to Morningside, east to Consort and west to Eckville, has about 2,900 members.
The land acknowledgement issue for Innisfail council was first formally brought up at the Agenda & Priorities meeting on Feb. 7.
Mayor Jean Barclay said she had recently spoken to the Red Deer Native Friendship Society to gain more understanding and “move the needle” on reconciliation.
“This is a starting point for sure but it’s also just words, and how do you actually move the needle on something,” said Barclay. “As the person I spoke to there said, ‘sometimes you, the words, you almost become numbified because you hear it over and over but what else are we going to do?’ I spoke to her about some other opportunities, a blanket exercise and having potentially a workshop.”
Coun. Cindy Messaros said on Feb. 7 the land acknowledgement statement shows “progression” by the town. However, she added it was best the town move away from any notion of “tokenism” by just saying words at every council meeting for the sake of offering a land acknowledgement.
“To that end I was wondering about putting some concerted effort towards drafting a land acknowledgement statement that comes from our council to provide something personal around it,” said Messaros.
Coun. Jason Heistad said he agreed “100 per cent” with the “eloquence” of Messaros’ comments about how council should approach its land acknowledgement.
“We will have to take a look at it as a team and see how we are presenting it but as individuals we want it to represent us as well,” said Heistad. “We want to make sure when we’re doing the land acknowledgement it is coming from your being and your heart. It has to be genuine.”
Barclay said there would be more discussion in the future about the wording of the land acknowledgement but emphasized it was important to note council now had an approved version to move forward on.
“Things will evolve as we move forward and seek more understanding,” said Barclay.
Todd Becker, the town’s chief administrative officer, said administration does not at this time have formal direction to re-write the land acknowledgement statement but if there is interest to make it “more Innisfail” that can be done at council’s request.
