To acknowledge the traditional territory upon which Pearce Williams resides is to recognize its longer history, one predating the establishment of the earliest European colonies. It is also to appreciate and respect this territory’s significance for the Indigenous peoples who lived and may continue to live upon it. Pearce Williams acknowledges that their practices and spiritualities were and are tied to the land and continue to develop in relationship to the territory and its other inhabitants today.

 

We acknowledge and recognize that we gather on the traditional and ancestral territory of the Anishinaabek (ah-nish-in-a-bek), Haudenosaunee (ho-den-o-show-nee), and Lunaape (le-nah-pay) peoples, and we deeply appreciate their historic and ongoing connection to and stewardship of this land. We also recognize the contributions of the Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous peoples have made and continue to make, both in shaping and strengthening this community and to our province and country as a whole. As settlers, we are grateful to be able to live and learn as guests here today and welcome all who visit to join our collective commitment to make the promise of Truth and Reconciliation real and meaningful in this community, while advocating for justice for Indigenous peoples across the country.