Indigenous Relations in Centre Wellington

Indigenous Relations are part of municipal responsibility. They are connected to land, governance, public spaces, community education, commemoration, policy, recreation, and the way residents understand the history of the place they call home.

Centre Wellington is located on lands with deep Indigenous histories and ongoing Indigenous presence. Indigenous peoples have maintained relationships with these lands since time immemorial, and Indigenous communities continue to hold rights, histories, responsibilities, and connections that must be recognized and respected.

This work matters because municipalities shape public life. The names used in public spaces, the symbols displayed in facilities, the stories told through programming, and the education offered to residents all influence how a community understands itself.

Indigenous Relations work helps ensure that public spaces and municipal practices are guided by respect, accuracy, accountability, and relationship-building.

Centre Wellington’s current Indigenous Relations work has developed through several related commitments: the Township’s broader DEI work, the national responsibility created by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, local conversations about respectful Indigenous representation, and ongoing consultation with Indigenous communities.

One important part of this work began in response to concerns about Indigenous-themed names, logos, and images in Township facilities. This led to the development of the Township’s Use of Indigenous-Themed Names, Logos and Images within or on Township Properties and Facilities Policy and the creation of related educational initiatives.

However, Indigenous Relations is broader than any single policy or display. It includes public education, relationship-building, consultation, staff learning, respectful representation, and the continued effort to ensure that municipal spaces reflect truth, accountability, and care.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released 94 Calls to Action to help governments, institutions, and communities address the ongoing impacts of residential schools and advance reconciliation.

For municipalities, this work can include:

•          educating staff and residents about Indigenous histories, treaties, rights, and relationships
•          reviewing public commemoration and representation practices
•          supporting Indigenous-led knowledge and perspectives
•          building respectful relationships with Indigenous communities
•          aligning municipal work with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
•          creating public spaces that reflect truth, dignity, and accountability

Centre Wellington’s Indigenous Relations work is connected to several Calls to Action, including Calls to Action 43, 47, 57, and 79, which relate to UNDRIP, rejecting colonial doctrines of possession, public servant education, and respectful commemoration.

The 94 Calls to Action remind us that reconciliation is not symbolic only. It requires learning, policy, consultation, and action.

The Township’s Indigenous Relations work is guided by several commitments:

Truth

Acknowledging Indigenous histories, treaty relationships, colonial harms, and the ongoing presence and rights of Indigenous peoples.

Learning

Creating opportunities for staff, residents, and community partners to deepen their understanding of Indigenous histories, cultures, representation, and reconciliation.

Accountability

Reviewing municipal practices, policies, facilities, communications, and public spaces with care and responsibility.

Respectful Representation

Ensuring that Indigenous names, images, teachings, histories, and symbols are represented with context, accuracy, permission, and relationship.

Relationship-Building

Continuing to engage with Indigenous communities and partners in ways that are respectful, meaningful, and ongoing.

Future Generations

Making decisions with care for those who will inherit Centre Wellington’s public spaces, institutions, and community stories.

The Township continues to work with Indigenous communities to support accuracy, respect, and accountability.

Township staff are meeting with representatives from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Six Nations of the Grand River to review and revise content so that it more accurately reflects local Indigenous histories, treaty rights, and community perspectives.

This work is ongoing. As consultation continues, the Township may update, expand, or revise this page and related materials.