The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada issued its final report into the history and legacy of Canada’s residential school system in 2015. Since this time, all levels of government, the corporate sector, and other agencies and associations have begun work to respond to the 94 Calls to Action outlined in the report, including establishing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30^th.

Conservation Authorities across Ontario have been working to find ways to build and enhance relationships with Indigenous Communities to identify shared interests and deliver projects and programs within their watershed jurisdiction. In this webinar, we will explore approaches taken by four CAs to engage with Indigenous Communities, build respectful and reciprocal relationships, and work together to deliver programs and services to protect, restore and manage natural resources in their watersheds.

This webinar is open to all Conservation Authority staff as an opportunity to hear examples of reconciliation in action within watersheds across the Province. Please distribute this invitation to all of your departments and staff.

PRESENTATIONS

Towards Teaching the Truth and Building Relationships
Brad Howie, Indigenous Education Coordinator, Conservation Halton
Summary: Conservation Halton is dedicated to not only reconciliation, but truth and reconciliation. Crawford Lake is one of our conservation areas where we have been teaching and building relationships with Indigenous peoples for decades. In this presentation we will be presenting some of our approaches towards teaching the truth and building relationships to foster strong communities. replica rolex pearlmaster

Going Beyond the Partnership: Building Relationships
Ronda Boutz, Secretary-Treasurer, South Nation Conservation
Summary: South Nation Conservation (SNC) has been working together with the Mohawk and the Algonquin Nations for over 20 years. The Eastern Ontario First Nations Working Group is a non-political group created to allow SNC and First Nations to work more closely with each other on the ground within our shared territories. Areas of focus for the group include: species at risk, invasive species, biodiversity and biodiversity offsets, restoration projects and more.  This presentation will provide an overview of this groups’ work in building and sustaining relationships between CAs and First Nations, including a focus on the recent development of “The Healing Place | Tsi Tehshakotitsénhtha | Endajimino-pimaadizi | Lieu de guérison”.

Working with Local First Nations in the Lower Thames Valley CA Watershed
Mark Peacock, P.ENG, CAO, Secretary-Treasurer, Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority
Summary: The Lower Thames Valley CA (LTVCA) works with First Nations in the LTVCA watershed to complete projects in the areas of Natural Hazards, Education/Consultation, Natural Heritage, Stewardship, and Monitoring. This presentation will look at the work being undertaken, lessons learned, and opportunities moving forward.

Credit Valley Conservation's Indigenous Engagement in Parks and Trails
Natalie Faught, Senior Coordinator, Credit Valley Trail, and Indigenous Engagement, Credit Valley Conservation
Summary: This presentation examines ongoing projects involving Indigenous engagement at Credit Valley Conservation (CVC). Highlighting best practices related to strategy development and Indigenous place-making in CVC’s conservation areas and trails. Providing an overview of our collaborative journey, this presentation focuses on the development of our Conservation Area Master Strategy’s Indigenous Partnership and Engagement Plan as well as the creation of Indigenous cultural (and educational) place-making along the Credit Valley Trail and at the future Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area. Together these initiatives demonstrate effective working partnerships to achieve shared goals of creating spaces and recognizing traditional knowledge and Indigenous science within the Credit River Watershed.

Date and Time: Tuesday, September 27, 2022 |10am - 12pm
Cost: Free, however, registration is required.
Can't attend our webinar live? Register and the recording will be sent to you by email.

For more information, please contact, Nicholas Fischer, Policy and Planning Coordinator, Conservation Ontario at nfischer@conservationontario.ca or 705-716-6174.