Indigenous Relations Framework for the City of Guelph, as attached to the report titled Indigenous Relations Framework, dated September 4 2024, be approved.

53:33that's me as your chair and it is the Indigenous Relations Framework. We're going to kick some

53:38things off with presentation from our own staff. Kim I think is coming up here and uh

53:43then we also have some delegations as well and then we'll turn it over to the committee uh to

53:50go from there. Kim thank you very much over to you whenever you're ready. Thank you so much and

53:55good afternoon Mayor and Council. My name is Kim Krochek and I have had the pleasure of working

54:00as part of a larger staff team on the development of the City's First Indigenous Relations Framework

54:06which you have in front of you today. I am joined for this presentation by Stephen Van Lafault the

54:11owner of Insight Consulting who provided leadership and guidance throughout each phase of this project.

54:17We are here today to present the results of a year's worth of engagement, discussions and

54:22collaborations with Indigenous peoples living in or connected to Guelph. This framework will

54:28guide the City's actions for the next five years as we seek to advance reconciliation.

54:36This discussion today will provide you with an overview of where we started,

54:42how the project was undertaken, what was heard and learned and most importantly how those

54:48learnings are going to guide our actions into the future. So while the City has been working to

55:01advance reconciliation through initiatives across departments over the past few years,

55:07I really like to think that the journey in developing this framework started with the

55:11refresh of the City's strategic plan. Advancing reconciliation through the development of this

55:16framework was embedded as an initiative within the Advocate for our City objective. This reaffirmed

55:23the City's commitment to advance truth and reconciliation and the desire to work towards

55:28building strong and respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples. This framework is focused on

55:33providing guidance to the City on how we can better learn, understand, prioritize and adopt

55:39actions that will advance reconciliation. This framework also provides an opportunity to align

55:45our actions to government reports, studies and priorities which are relevant to municipalities.

55:51These include the truth and reconciliation calls to action, the missing and murdered Indigenous

55:55women and girls calls to justice and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous

56:00Peoples. In early 2024, the City embarked on a journey of listening and learning and we value

56:07the collaboration, perspectives and experiences that each participant offered in this process,

56:12many of whom are sitting behind me today. This work would not have been possible without the

56:17diverse voices that answered our calls for participation. This framework is built on a

56:22foundation of engagement that we will rely on as we navigate changes and next steps. So now I'm

56:28going to pass this over to Stephen who's going to walk you through what we heard through this

56:32process, the commitments that were built based on these inputs. Thank you. Good afternoon Mayor,

56:43members of council. My name is Stephen Van Loffels. I'm Anishinaabe from Sagin First Nation Ontario,

56:49former Guelph resident and principal of InSight Consulting. I had the privilege of

56:56helping coordinate the project over the past couple of months and I want to thank

56:59Kimberly for her leadership and dedication. It's been remarkable watching the community

57:06really build around this project. As Kim mentioned, we took a three-phased approach in this project.

57:16We met with the community members to build this framework and through the engagement process,

57:21we used a variety of engagement methods including one-on-one interviews, group sessions,

57:28an online survey, discussions with yourselves as well as discussions with Mr. Saugers of the

57:35Credit First Nation, Six Nations of the Grand River as well as the Grand River Métis Council.

57:39So our outreach was fulsome. We also hosted two all-day events and an evening meeting meal to

57:46facilitate input, review and validate the information that we had gathered throughout the

57:54process and really to celebrate our achievements. Through the engagement, we're able to reach more

58:00people throughout this process. More people started to come out to the engagement, which we see as

58:08an indication that there's a growing desire among community members to participate in this work,

58:13to see this work move forward. In terms of what we heard, I'll start with outreach with the nations.

58:22Our conversations with Indigenous nations included the need for regular communication,

58:28the need for collaboration. That can be outlined in memoranda of understanding, ways to collaborate,

58:37participating in events, economic reconciliation, as well as environmental sustainability.

58:44All of this is underpinned by the importance of nation-to-nation relationships and upholding

58:49treaty rights. So that's what we heard from the Indigenous nations. What we heard from members

58:57of the urban Indigenous community and as well as local organizations is that there's a real desire

59:04for visibility, greater visibility throughout Guelph, greater inclusion. And I think we heard

59:11throughout the need for safe, inclusive gathering spaces. There's a need for Indigenous representation

59:18throughout the city, but also within the public service. Greater representation. Greater need for

59:24access to Indigenous-led services through regional partnerships. There's a lot of organizations

59:29out there that are doing some great work, greater partnerships with those organizations. As well

59:33as emphasis on dismantling barriers, eliminating discrimination, and improving access to city

59:39services. Of course, we met with all of you. Appreciate all of you for having those candid

59:48discussions with us in terms of what you need. And what we heard is that this is really the

59:52beginning of a reconciliation journey. You guys want to get this right. And it starts with acknowledging

59:59the truth and also investing in education, continuous education. There's an emphasis on cultural

1:00:06sensitivity, eliminating racism, and walking together to get this right. In terms of the

1:00:14framework itself, the vision is for the Indigenous reconciliation framework, for Guelph to be a

1:00:21vibrant city, strengthened by solid, collaborative, and transparent relationships with the Mississaugas

1:00:27of the Credit First Nation, Six Nations of the Grand River, the Grand River Métis Council,

1:00:32and urban Indigenous peoples in the city of Guelph, guided by Gido Naganina and Saweito

1:00:42Kwaserat. Those are the show that we're all learning in terms of pronunciation. Or the dish with

1:00:48one spoon. And a shared future of mutual respect, trust, understanding, and prosperity. As we move

1:00:57into the actual framework itself, there are five focus areas. And as I go through the next few

1:01:02slides, I'll be referencing some page numbers for those that want to follow along. These relate

1:01:08to the framework provided as Attachment 1 to the staff report. The framework is made up of a series

1:01:14of five areas of focus found on page six, which were developed to help connect the different themes

1:01:20of commitments that we heard from the engagements. These areas of focus include Indigenous representation

1:01:27and participation, learning together, safe spaces and supports, employment and economic

1:01:35reconciliation, and protecting our environment for future generations. Within each area of focus

1:01:43are a series of commitments, which help to provide direction on priorities for the city to undertake

1:01:48over the next five years. The commitments range in their level of specificity, with the goal of the

1:01:54framework to provide flexibility in continuing conversations and collaborations on the exact

1:02:00solutions that will be undertaken. The next few slides that I'm about to get into will summarize

1:02:06our summarized version of each of these commitments. And in the interest of time, I'll only touch on a

1:02:12few today. For those following along with the attached framework, you can also see how each

1:02:17commitment will help to advance the national calls and articles within reports and studies that Kim

1:02:22had mentioned previously. So in terms of the first one, Indigenous representation and participation,

1:02:30this reflects calls for the city to improve efforts to integrate Indigenous perspectives

1:02:34into the city's services and initiatives. Both the Indigenous nations and urban Indigenous

1:02:39community members are seeking improved representation and relationships, which can be seen in a few of

1:02:45the commitments shown here. More specifically, the Mississaugas of the Credit First nations and

1:02:50Six Nations of the Grand River are seeking to establish relationship agreements between the city

1:02:56and the nations to improve relationship building and better understand our collective and shared

1:03:01priorities. This type of commitment is one that has already been undertaken by other municipalities

1:03:08throughout the GTA and has proven to result in improved relationships between those municipalities

1:03:14and the Indigenous nations. Focus area number two is learning together. Learning together,

1:03:25which is on page nine of the report, includes different commitments that will better enable

1:03:29the city's ability to learn and understand Indigenous experiences and perspectives and

1:03:34improve the visibility of Indigenous cultures, heritage and presence on the land. This was

1:03:40a priority that was heard throughout the engagements, including those with city councils.

1:03:45For commandment 2.1 is shown up on the on the screen by encouraging the prioritization of

1:03:50improved knowledge and understanding among city council and staff. We will all be able to work

1:03:55collectively towards achieving the vision and commitments within this framework. Number three

1:04:02is safe spaces and supports. And this reflects a call from urban Indigenous community members

1:04:08for the city to support and lead initiatives that will have a direct impact on the lives of

1:04:13Indigenous peoples living in Guelph. This includes addressing calls for safe and accessible gathering

1:04:19spaces in the city, which is reflected in commitment 3.1 for both the short and long-term solutions

1:04:27where the city can lead or support different initiatives. In terms of number four, employment

1:04:36and economic reconciliation, which you can find on page 11, this seeks to make economic opportunities

1:04:42available to everyone and ensure that all have a fair chance to succeed and thrive.

1:04:48Commitment 4.1 places importance on ensuring the city is able to incorporate different perspectives

1:04:55by strengthening our employment practices, not only in recruitment, but also ensuring that the

1:05:00city is creating safe spaces to improve the employee experience. And finally, protecting our

1:05:08environments for future generations. This will be found on page 12 in the report. And this is focused

1:05:15on commandments 5.1 and 5.2, which look to work collaboratively by exploring ways to integrate

1:05:21both Indigenous and Western knowledge to protect our relationship with the environment.

1:05:26These collective focus areas and commitments reflect what we heard throughout the engagement

1:05:30process and represent what is feasible for the city to undertake over the next five years.

1:05:36This framework was developed with the flexibility to respond to evolving needs and changing

1:05:41circumstances. And with that, I just want to acknowledge the community members that are here

1:05:47today, all of those that participated throughout this process, those that couldn't be here today.

1:05:52I want to say, big thank you for the trust that they put in me throughout this process.

1:05:58And I'll pass it back to Kimberly to take us through the last few slides. Thank you.

1:06:14So through the development of the framework, we now have a renewed ability to evaluate the work

1:06:19we are already undertaking and use the commitments to strengthen our efforts by prioritizing our

1:06:25actions and clarifying the desired outcomes. As we move forwards, we will continue to work

1:06:30as a city to enhance our work and integrate new approaches and new initiatives. The city is

1:06:36committed to reporting on our collective progress to advancing the commitments. This will help to

1:06:41bring together the efforts of all city departments to show the collective impact of our efforts and

1:06:46ensure transparency in our commitment to achieving the vision for the Indigenous Relations Framework.

1:06:51Before we close, I also wanted to take a moment from the city's perspective to thank all of those

1:06:57who took time to attend engagements and provide inputs. This includes the Mississaugas of the

1:07:01Credit First Nations, the Six Nations of the Grand River, the Grand River Métis Council,

1:07:06all of the urban Indigenous community members that participated, and as well as all of you,

1:07:10Mayor and Council. The development of this framework does not mark the close of a journey,

1:07:16but the beginning of a new chapter. As we approach the National Day for Truthful

1:07:21and Reconciliation on September 30, let us all take time to reflect on the impact that we can have

1:07:27and use this framework and the momentum behind it to move us into a new chapter of the city's

1:07:33reconciliation journey. Thank you. Thank you both for the presentation. Really appreciate it.

1:07:41And for letting that out for everybody here in us. We do have a few delegations. I just want to

1:07:46make sure to clerk the first individuals still unavailable. Okay, so in person we have Verna.

1:07:54Is Verna here? Oh, my glasses on. Okay, perfect. Come on down when you're ready there.

1:08:03And just for everyone that is going to delegate to us, you have no more than five minutes, and so

1:08:10you'll just come up to the microphone here. The microphone will turn green, meaning it's on.

1:08:15And then you have up to five minutes, and you'll hear a chime at the four minutes and 30 second

1:08:21mark, which just kind of gives you a 30 second warning that you're coming close to the five

1:08:26minute time frame there. And then once you're done, if you could also just stick around just in case

1:08:31there's a question from myself or colleagues to whatever you've just delegated to. So hopefully

1:08:36that makes sense. And we'll see who's up after Verna. Is Mora here? Yes. Okay, so you're in

1:08:44the wings just after Verna. Okay, perfect. Great. Thank you again. And please, whenever you're ready

1:09:54to begin, go right ahead. Okay. Thank you. We are offering this water that has been spoken by our

1:10:46May 2 articles figure, knowledge holder and longtime community member, Levenley looking after

1:10:53her children and grandchildren here in Guelph. Hi, hi, Mariana. Sharing this water with everyone

1:10:58is meant to give our spirit nourishment and to brighten ourselves up to be in a place of wise

1:11:05counsel. We like to preface that that we are governor here to share today by sharing first

1:11:23how these particular one palm agreement replicas came to the Guelph indigenous community.

1:11:30Council on July 7 our council along with our coalition of grassroots organizers, protectors

1:11:40and local elders of the Mississaugas of the Credit convened a ceremony to address longstanding

1:11:46harms in the indigenous community here in Guelph. We sent out an invitation to the city council

1:11:52and our in receipt of a letter from the city declining our invitation to witness our efforts

1:11:57of self determination. We acknowledge that there is a good intent portrayed within this letter.

1:12:04However, it was violated by the city staff directing the city parks to interfere and to

1:12:10fight and stop our ceremony. On that day we went to access the secret fire at city

1:12:17with Royal City Park. To our dismay the locks had been changed by city parks at the behest of the

1:12:23Intergovernmental Affairs team responsible for the development of the framework. Rest assured our

1:12:29ceremony was successful. However, we learned later that the city staff had been misinformed by this

1:12:35group who were being called into account. So instead of communicating with our coalition they

1:12:40opted to enforce colonial control to replace the locks and prevent access to the sacred fire site

1:12:47intended for all indigenous community members. This was followed up by confirmation that the

1:12:53Guelph sacred fire is the property of the city to be dictated and controlled by the city and only

1:12:59allowing indigenous access to it through consent of the city. Although this deeply flawed service

1:13:06to the work of building meaningful indigenous relationships took place and our ceremony was

1:13:12slightly delayed we are not we were not hindered entirely. Through the observance of authentic

1:13:19customs and traditions received voluntarily the community bundle was passed over to us.

1:13:25A few weeks later we opened the bundle and to our astonishment these Wampom agreements were in the

1:13:31contents. Yet these actions of the city staff had interfered with our process and constitute a huge

1:13:37violation to the sanctity of these Wampom agreements which are recognized by international law

1:13:44especially the two row Wampom agreement of non-interference. This casts a shadow over the

1:13:50whole framework engagement process and demonstrates an inherent lack of trustworthiness.

1:13:56Since January we have been engaged in the process to address issues of misrepresentation,

1:14:02indigenous identity theft, false teachings, exclusion and manipulation by the former first

1:14:08nations Métis Intuit Circle of Guelph whose primary leadership and membership were in fact

1:14:14not indigenous peoples at all. It is important to understand systematically how this group of

1:14:21individuals have utilized their influence built over decades to prevent recognizably indigenous

1:14:26community members here in Guelph from collectively advancing and how this has contributed to Guelph's

1:14:33languishing behind other jurisdictions in their relations with indigenous people. History is

1:14:39repeating itself here and now in the preference it is is to avoid facing the truth and is highly

1:14:46unlikely true reconciliation will unfold. When the indigenous relations framework engagement

1:14:53sessions began our community had expressed our concern on how these same individuals inserted

1:14:59themselves into the process. Throughout this engagement process we observed how these individuals

1:15:04worked to undermine the collective voice that was being shared by authentic indigenous community

1:15:10members by informing them how this framework would turn out. We observed how the process

1:15:16was not meeting the community needs and they asked when when we asked for a shift in the process.

1:15:24In the spirit of the 94 calls of action and truth and reconciliation the undripped and missing

1:15:29murdered indigenous women and girls women and girls recommendations we do not see how these

1:15:35frameworks have been applied to the unique dynamics of our community. Upon reviewing the

1:15:41framework at its presently exist it is impossible to distinguish what is the voice of the community

1:15:48at the of the community. At the engagements we heard resoundedly the need of a shared space

1:15:54of recognizably indigenous community members to be able to gather plan out community driven

1:16:00initiatives access authentic healing and cultural teachings and the needs of the community were

1:16:06not reflected in the report. The fact remains that the city of Guelph has unsuccessfully attempted

1:16:12to establish the framework for indigenous relations many times before. In this process now we can

1:16:17observe that pattern repeating itself as the framework presently exists. Inevitably the same

1:16:23outcomes will occur and nothing will change. Please note that our intervention here today

1:16:28is one of deep care for the collective well-being of recognizably indigenous community members that

1:16:34live here in Guelph. We wish to see a process that is indigenous led community driven and based upon

1:16:40the practice of care congruent with our fundamental human rights law. The committee needs to look

1:16:46no further than surrounding jurisdictions who have learned these lessons the hard way and have had

1:16:51to take a step back enable the community to lead. We don't need to reinvent the wheel but we do need

1:16:57to learn how to be in better relationships with one another. It starts with learning about the

1:17:02true spirit of these Wampum agreements and in which many of our community members have been

1:17:07prevented access. Who here knows about the Wampum agreements and can work with them in the now to

1:17:14help us navigate these shared relations. We see this as an opportunity to learn together side by

1:17:21side. Who benefits from this framework. Who does this ultimately serve. Here in the Guelph we have

1:17:29a community members living in systematic poverty vulnerable women and children and elderly ones

1:17:34who don't have access to basic care. Most of our population is marginalized. It is critical that our

1:17:41work together that we work together by prioritizing community members who have been excluded and

1:17:46forgotten. This was meant to ensure that everyone was looked after by sharing our provisions

1:17:52of the land. We've so far we have not had the capacity to honor these original agreements.

1:17:59Instead we have witnessed how the Indigenous community involvement was based on a policy

1:18:03of self identification with no real intent to make sure that the voiced opinions were authentic

1:18:09Indigenous community members. Further where it relates to funding we have seen how certain

1:18:14mechanisms of control have created deeply inequitable disparities. This has been a practice

1:18:21for many years and has created the corruption within the city of Indigenous identity theft.

1:18:27In order to go forward we must clear first clean up the mess that has those that have

1:18:31stolen our Indigenous identity and and or have used our Indigenous heritage for the personal

1:18:37gain that goes against our distinct ways and culture. This has a clear and measurable impacts

1:18:43on the increasing vulnerable Indigenous population. For this framework to enable good relations and

1:18:49to learn the hard lessons of the past we see a clear path on our journey of self-determination,

1:18:55truth and reconciliation, community well-being and health. From here we see three vital steps to

1:19:02ensure the spirit of correction and realignment so right relations can happen. One, reparations made

1:19:09by the city for their interference and violation of the community self-determination Indigenous law

1:19:15and the spirit of the framework itself. Two, we invite City Council to make a clear commitment

1:19:20to renewing the framework process in a community-driven way that keeps Indigenous community members safe.

1:19:28Three, we long to see a commitment to learn and polish the chains of these agreements by each

1:19:33new City Council in a way we can ensure that the necessary education to prevent further calm.

1:19:39When we look at Guelph we see a leading and thriving community who is often at the spear tip of

1:19:45innovation, capacity, organization and community-driven initiatives. This framework of good relations

1:19:54can be another opportunity for Guelph to lead provided we enable the spirit of realignment,

1:20:01correction and healing to permeate the good work of the framework that has been put forward.

1:20:07Our recommendations to the Committee of the Whole are meant to provide you all with an opportunity to

1:20:13be on the right side of history. In this way we'd like to invite any interested Council members

1:20:20to our Feast on October 20th where you may witness a spirit-led, heart-driven effort by our community

1:20:29to continue to exercise our self-determination, repair the harms and deepen our learning on this

1:20:37journey. Please consider our words wisely and know that we have come in the spirit of non-interference

1:20:44of an abundant provisional dish and the spirit of peace and friendship our grandmothers and

1:20:51our grandfathers have established for us. Tendakie for your time today.

1:20:57Hi. Thank you. I appreciate that and a couple of things just to counsel and everyone else.

1:21:05Normally the the time limit is five minutes but there was kind of like a presentation going on

1:21:11at the same time. I didn't want to interfere with that, wanted to respect that and also I think I

1:21:16saw a few members come up that were on the list anyway so you were doing it together so I just

1:21:20wanted to allow that space to occur so that's why I didn't want to interrupt you. Okay so please

1:21:28if you can stay just in case there is a question if not we can move on but I'll defer round.

1:21:33There isn't but thank you very much again for your presentation and your gift of this to us

1:21:40as well at the same time so thank you very much. Tendakie. So now Mora was up here with you so what

1:21:51about Randy? Is Randy free here? Okay Randy you're next and then is William Barber here? Okay and then

1:22:02you're in the wings so you're after Randy and just to remember it's no more than five minutes

1:22:12and you'll just have you'll hear that chime that first chime at four minutes and 30 seconds just

1:22:18as the kind of the heads up that the five minutes is coming due and then I'll ask that you stop at

1:22:24that moment so we can see if there's any questions but Randy thank you for coming I'll turn the mic

1:22:28over to you. Sure thank you. Tansi Seigo, Haneboju, Tansi Kiwau, Mino Gizga, Kinoe, Nijaginashi

1:22:42Newsom, Randy Fries, Ndishnikaz is my government name, Nijaginashi Newsom, Mason Kretney Ndishnikaz

1:22:49was my name at birth. Ndishnikaz. Dina Done, Indunjaba is where I live now by way of many other places

1:23:03Daigi Kendo Masi Dodem. I am Plains Cree in Red River Maiti and I've been reconnecting to my culture

1:23:11and family for a little more than 20 years since I met my birth mother in the year 2000

1:23:18and learning in Nishinawabemone for the last few years. Gizichi Keiwin, Mom B. My name is Randy Fries.

1:23:26I'm here today as a member of the GICC that's the Guelph Indigenous Community Council.

1:23:32We aim to bring together the Guelph urban indigenous people through collaboration,

1:23:36consultation, communication, leadership and a unified voice in order to be heard, seen

1:23:42and present as an indigenous community. That being said, the following are my thoughts and feelings

1:23:51towards the indigenous framework exercise and may or may not reflect those of the rest of the council

1:23:58or even other community members. And I will read now the letter that I wrote, Dear Indigenous

1:24:05Relations Framework Team. I have written this letter in response to your acknowledgement letter

1:24:12and invitation to witness our ceremony for community restorative justice and hand over

1:24:20the community to bundle items and tools. First, following the actions and events related to the

1:24:27July 7 ceremony and relating to your team's interference with both the sacred fire site

1:24:33and the ceremony for restorative justice as it violates the relations framework as well as

1:24:39UNDRIK conventions similar to free prior and informed consent among others. Whether or not,

1:24:47as a municipal settler state agent, you recognize as such the sacred fire is considered

1:24:54indigenous land and held sacred. Fires had been put on hold temporarily following a pipe ceremony

1:25:01and a voluntary handover of the locks at the site in order to facilitate the July 7 ceremony.

1:25:09This interference violates indigenous ceremonial protocols,

1:25:14sacred pipe ceremonial protocols and the entire relations framework exercise as it has taken

1:25:20place thus far. Your team's decision to disengage from such an important community ceremonial

1:25:28undertaking and not attend neither as an ally or a settler state witness

1:25:34places your team on the wrong side of history in terms of reconciliation

1:25:38and any commitment to decolonize institutional systems of oppression and suppression of

1:25:43indigenous voices in the Guelph urban community. Our collective hearts are broken at your team's

1:25:49actions and if you wish to make amends at a future time, we will take your team's requests

1:25:56into consideration with kindness and respect following indigenous models of restorative justice

1:26:02as well. This is not to shame your team but to make your team and community members aware of the

1:26:08harms your team have created with intention by disrupting the sacred ceremony and its protocols.

1:26:16As we continue down this path of separate yet equal nations in peace, friendship and respect,

1:26:23these actions yet speak again speak volumes of the settler state's intentions when it comes to

1:26:29honoring agreements such as treaties, wampum and sovereignty of nationhood, as well as individuals

1:26:36among the community who stand up to have a voice in our council and community membership.

1:26:41One treaty does not supersede another as stated by Gesuenta. Together we travel in friendship

1:26:50and peace forever as long as the grass is green, as long as the water runs downhill,

1:26:55as long as the sun shines in east and sets in the west, as long as the mother earth will last.

1:27:03Miigwech, thank you for your time. Thank you. Is there any follow-up at this time?

1:27:10With the delegation? No. Okay, thank you very much for being here. Appreciate it.

1:27:16And William, you are next and you're coming down for us. Welcome. And again, you have no more than

1:27:24five minutes and you can start whenever you wish. Hello, I'm Will Barber. I'm a firekeeper in town.

1:27:33I have had the honor and privilege as a settler to have teachers like Josephine Mandaman.

1:27:38And so when I see Matria extending with water to speak, it's beautiful and it's awesome.

1:27:43My concern with the Indigenous Relationship Framework is it didn't start with the Royal

1:27:49Proclamation of 1763 and pursuant to the Royal Proclamation of 1763, you guys are all obliged

1:27:55to comply with treaty. It's not like this framework is a new step to do that. And as you can see,

1:28:01when you're not complying with treaty, it gets kind of awkward because you're applied to. And

1:28:07specifically, your municipal processes, such as your drinking water from the

1:28:14wastewater treatment plant, you don't consider treaty obligations when you're seeking approval

1:28:19and design. You seek permits from MECP co-accomplices in not cleaning the water that goes downhill to

1:28:27Six Nations. And we need to not be in positions municipally where we're asking stupid questions.

1:28:33And if you can poison the river is a stupid question to be asking. So I just need to

1:28:40have City of Guelph live up to the potential of its populace, of genuinely caring to be progressive

1:28:48and revising this municipal framework to include some accountability because between truth and

1:28:55reconciliation is accountability and consequences. And what this does is presents a reconciliation

1:29:02narrative, but there's no actual legal basis that's obliging you to proceed. And that is a very

1:29:08dangerous territory that far too many operations in Canada are. And we need to keep advancing. So

1:29:14thank you very much. Thank you for your presentation. Now to see if there's a follow up. There is not.

1:29:20Okay. Thank you. I just wanted to ask. Thank you. And that's it for our delegations today. Again,

1:29:27thank you very much for doing for doing that. There was some correspondence attached as well.

1:29:33We have the recommendation in front of us here before we started any questions of clarity or

1:29:39anything else on the matter may ask someone to be willing to to move the Gower and Colosson. We'll

1:29:47do that. Thank you. So the recommendation is on the floor that the Indigenous Relations Framework

1:29:53for the City of Guelph as attached to the report titled Indigenous Relations Framework

1:29:58dated September 4th, 2024 be approved. With that, is there any questions from anyone from committee

1:30:04before I call the vote? Okay. I'll start with Busatil and then O'Rourke. Thank you. Thank you very

1:30:14much to the staff and also to the delegations. I just have some questions about the framework,

1:30:20just clarification because it makes reference to, you know, this is the beginning of the journey.

1:30:27If you can speak to, you know, just like policies, is it in a cycle for revisiting,

1:30:32is it a living document, is it an annual thing? And then I have a follow up question as well.

1:30:40Through you, Mr. Mayor, to Councillor Busuttil. The framework is a five-year timeframe for

1:30:45implementation. This represents what we think is possible for the city to accomplish within that

1:30:51timeframe. At the point of five years, this would be refreshed, renewed, revisited, and put forth

1:30:59again for approval from council. As it relates to the framework itself being a living document,

1:31:06that was the purpose in terms of putting it forward as a framework versus an action plan,

1:31:11is because we wanted to embed flexibility in the commitments in front of you to ensure that we can

1:31:16adapt and be flexible to the changing circumstances in the community, changing desires or priorities

1:31:22within the community. And by presenting it in this way, it gives us that opportunity to be able to

1:31:27adapt, change, and renew as we go forward with the specific actions that move those commitments forward.

1:31:34Thank you. Just to be clear then, the conversations, relationships, and so on continue to evolve

1:31:40within the five years. And incrementally, any input and changes would be reflected in that five-year

1:31:48representation back to council. Is that correct? For you, Mr. Mayor, to Councillor Busuttil, that's

1:31:54correct. Yes. My second question is about on page eight, it's about Indigenous representation and

1:32:02participation. I'm a little bit confused in the 1.1 and 1.2. We talk about a dedicated role. I

1:32:11assume that's a staff role within the city. So through you, Mr. Mayor, to Councillor Busuttil,

1:32:19it represents, so 1.1 or commitment 1.1, represents the responsibility for building

1:32:25relationships with the urban Indigenous community and the need for that to be embedded within roles

1:32:30within the city, both existing and future. We see that there needs to be a bit more of a broad

1:32:37approach with that role. We did look at this as something that needs to be integrated across

1:32:42the organization and not something that's existing within specifically one role, one person. We need

1:32:48to be looking at this as a city-wide effort and where can we embed these types of responsibilities

1:32:53and positions in departments and service areas across the organization. Thank you. I know this

1:32:58is a bit of a comment, but I'm relieved to hear that coming from the education sector, rather than

1:33:02something that is a caboose added on. It is something that is reflective of an education in the math

1:33:10curriculum and so on in there. My second part of the question is, in that same area, it references

1:33:16the Indigenous advisory circle. I'm a little bit confused about roles of the Indigenous advisory

1:33:26circle because it talks about Indigenous relations, cultural guidance, and I'm wondering where the

1:33:31meat and potatoes, I'll be very blunt about it, where the meat and potatoes, where is the connection

1:33:36to governance to governance around planning? Are we heard in the delegation about water and pollution

1:33:42and things? Where are those hard conversations and that authentic engagement? Where is that

1:33:49looped in? Is that the Indigenous advisory circle or is that back with the Mississaugas

1:33:57of the Credit First Nation, the Six Nations, and the Grand River? Can you just help me tease that

1:34:04out because this is a power conversation. It's a power sharing conversation and I'm a little bit

1:34:11confused about that. Thank you. So through you Mr. Mayor to you, Councillor Busuttil. So that's a

1:34:17great question. The Indigenous advisory circle is something that we heard from our engagements.

1:34:23We also, in speaking with other municipalities and agencies who have similar types of whether it be

1:34:30advisory committees or councils that deal with this specific type of responsibility, we saw it as

1:34:36being something that could really help to provide Indigenous perspectives in city decision making.

1:34:42That's really the outcome that we're after with that initiative itself. I would say that

1:34:48when we undertake the implementation of this framework following the approval of this document,

1:34:55that there is a lot of research discussions and just further information gathering that we need

1:35:03to go through with other agencies, municipalities, etc., who have gone through this process and have

1:35:09their own lessons learned. There's no one approach to an Indigenous advisory circle or council. There

1:35:15are so many different approaches just based off the high level research we've done. What we need

1:35:19to do is take a look at what's worked for others and what hasn't worked for others and find a fit

1:35:23that's right for Guelph and right for the Guelph urban Indigenous community as well. And I think

1:35:28to your comment about the Indigenous nations as well, I think that this circle could not

1:35:33proceed without having representation and or support from our treaty and partner nations.

1:35:41Thank you. And last piece to that is just even grassroots kind of experience and gardening and

1:35:48things like that and trying to connect in the West End with individuals in our community and the

1:35:54feedback that we get and we see and we feel is very fragmented. And what we receive back from

1:36:03residents in the West End is that I've had my identity beaten out of me for so many years.

1:36:10I don't even know what sweet grass looks like anymore, right, from from my history and so on.

1:36:14So my question is in this, it's great to say this is where we want to be. There is a development piece

1:36:20here that I feel is missing, which is that reconnection of that community development piece,

1:36:25bringing the community together. I'm not clear here in representation and participation

1:36:32who is the keeper, who is leading that process, who has the responsibility to gather, to bring

1:36:39those pieces together. Is that the Indigenous Advisory Circle because you're talking about

1:36:45relations and cultural guidance? And if so, is that a resource group? You know, we're talking

1:36:51about our framework of advisory councils or yeah, in the city of Guelph. Is that something that is

1:36:57resourced in terms of a relationship building, awareness, knowledge moving to action? Can you

1:37:04help me understand that? Because it's, I know it's a little piece in here in the full report,

1:37:09which I love the report. Thank you for a full year's work, but I'm a little bit confused about

1:37:14the end goal here and what are the pieces to get there?

1:37:19Through you, Mr. Mayor, to Councillor Bousetel, I hope I'm answering your question and perhaps I

1:37:22might need a little bit of clarification, but I would say just as a starting point here, each

1:37:26commitment is going to be led by a variety of different departments across the city. We've already

1:37:31begun to have those discussions with staff whose work already touches on these commitments to find

1:37:36ways where we can actually enhance and strengthen the work we're already doing to make sure that

1:37:41what we heard in the engagements is going to be reflected back to us in the work that's already

1:37:46taking place, essentially. So each commitment is really going to have a different level and or type

1:37:53of accountability determined by the type of actions that we take within each commitment.

1:37:58When it relates to the Indigenous Advisory Council, I don't want to presuppose the outcome in terms

1:38:02of what that's going to look like and how that's going to work and what you'll see coming forward.

1:38:06We have a lot of research still to do to make sure that we get that right. That's a really important

1:38:11part of this framework is the establishment of that advisory council. We want to make sure we have

1:38:15enough information in front of us before we make that commitment. I think that as we get down the

1:38:20road of trying to make a decision of what this looks like, you could expect to see something

1:38:25come forward to council that would show whether there'd be resource requirements or otherwise,

1:38:30that we would be bringing that back in front of you as well. Just to clarify on that one as well,

1:38:36we've structured this as an Indigenous Advisory Circle versus an advisory council,

1:38:41so making that separation from council advisory committees and to a more of a staff-led and

1:38:47community participant type of advisory circle.

1:38:52Just through the mayor, thank you for that and I'll watch that as it progresses. Thank you.

1:38:59Thank you, Marga. Three through you to Ms. Kraschek. Just I hear you talking about some staff-led

1:39:05pieces, but we heard from the delegates that they're looking for more Indigenous-led opportunities

1:39:11and feel there were gaps in the creation of the framework. So as we move forward,

1:39:17does meeting these objectives, important objectives like a place to gather,

1:39:22right, more visibility, these things, where's the space for Indigenous folks to lead

1:39:29and for staff to support? What does that look like going forward in the achievement of the goals?

1:39:36So through you, Mr. Mayor, to Councillor Orrwork, I would start by saying that this framework

1:39:41is something that's intended to guide the city. It's a framework that was developed

1:39:45by the city with the participation and collaboration and inputs from the urban Indigenous community

1:39:51and the commitments within this framework are those that are intended to guide our actions.

1:39:56And so as we go forwards, this is just a starting point. This really is just the starting point.

1:40:02The engagements that happened as part of the development of this framework, while they've

1:40:06come to a close in the development of this piece specifically, there is still so much

1:40:10conversation and discussion that has to happen as we start to try and figure out exactly how we

1:40:15want to progress each commitment. And so there's that opportunity for continued co-collaboration

1:40:21and co-development in the solutions that we define as part of the commitments that are in this framework.

1:40:27Thanks. I think that's important. And through you, Mayor Guthrie, just another question. So

1:40:32the framework is clear on its objectives over the next five years. How does this intersect

1:40:38with other city priorities? I'll give examples just from today's agenda, right?

1:40:43When we are redoing the streetscaping downtown, are there opportunities for Indigenous representation

1:40:50in that? When we are looking at the heritage district and those discussions, where is the

1:40:55indigeneity going to be reflected and protected in that? So this is one piece. How does this piece

1:41:02connect to the Strat Plan, to, you know, water waste water? So can you help me understand how

1:41:09this fits in or how this helps to lead other key city documents? So through you, Mr. Mayor,

1:41:16to Councillor O'Rourke, I would start by saying that the city currently has existing processes in place

1:41:23that does seek to engage in a formal way. We seek to engage and consult with the Mississaugas of the

1:41:29Credit First Nations, as well as Six Nations of the Grand River. And given the priorities that we've

1:41:33heard from the nations through the engagements of this process, we understand that there is

1:41:38a value and a desire to have increased communications and to find additional ways

1:41:44to present different perspectives. So for example, I'm trying to remember which one

1:41:48that's in here. I believe it's safe spaces and supports or perhaps representation, but there's

1:41:55a drive and a need for increased visibility of Indigenous histories on the land, cultures,

1:42:03etc. So opportunities where when we have, let's say, a project that's happening, an infrastructure

1:42:10project that's happening, and there's the need to name a specific trail, etc., there are opportunities

1:42:16to work with the nations and the urban Indigenous community to find ways to make

1:42:22indigeneity more visible within the City of Guelph. And so this framework kind of sets some of

1:42:27those priorities aside to say there are specific priorities in some of these commitments that

1:42:33can be brought forward into the existing work that we're doing. So it's essentially strengthening

1:42:36and enhancing the types of process we already have in place. Great. And through you, America,

1:42:42through just the last question from Ms. Krautcheck, some of the correspondence refers to the good

1:42:46work being done by SOHAC. You know, the reference to we need some spaces refers to the fact that

1:42:52Guelph doesn't have a front-hip centre. And so those two aren't identified specifically in this

1:42:59framework. Is that sort of to be researched and developed and come to the fore later? Obviously,

1:43:07we can't tell partners what to do. But are those things that are all sort of in the mix right now?

1:43:14The three of you, Mr. Mayor, to Councillor, are work. I would direct you to page 10 in the framework.

1:43:19Commitment 3.1 does speak to the desire and the priority for finding safe spaces to gather.

1:43:26The city is currently exploring actively both interim and short-term solutions,

1:43:30as well as trying to figure out what those long-term solutions look like. There are things that are

1:43:35within our jurisdiction and ability to really influence and guide. And those are things that

1:43:40my colleague, Kira Sara, is already working on. But there's also things like friendship centres,

1:43:44where a municipality doesn't take the lead role in trying to facilitate that process. But what we

1:43:50can do is support and advocate. And that's what we tried to represent in Commitment 3.1.

1:43:55When it comes to other service agencies providing services or Indigenous-led services within the

1:44:01City of Guelph, we recognise the gap in the services that are currently provided here. We did have

1:44:06conversations with many agencies as part of this process, the SOHAC being one of them. And we've

1:44:12made a commitment, I believe it is in 3.3, to continue trying to build relationships with

1:44:18regional service agencies so that we can make sure that we can try and fill those gaps as much as

1:44:22possible. Now, obviously, like you said, we can't force anybody to do anything. But what can we do

1:44:28as a City to incentivise that? Okay, thanks very much. Councillor Allt. Thank you, Mayor Guthrie.

1:44:39Through you to staff and to Mr. Van Lefold. I was interested in, particularly, in point 2.2,

1:44:48which relates to UNDRIP Article 13. And the agencies, I think this is important,

1:44:57are we engaging in an active way towards education, the University and the community colleges

1:45:05with regards to the visibility of Indigenous cultural heritage events and restoring Indigenous

1:45:12languages? Through you, Mr. Mayor, to Councillor Allt, just to recap what you're asking there,

1:45:25do you mind just repeating the end part, the last part of your question? The big agencies are the

1:45:31boards of education, the University and the community colleges. Are we engaging on them with

1:45:36regards to 2.2 issues associated with language, cultural heritage and restoring that heritage?

1:45:43Okay, so through you, Mr. Mayor, to Councillor Allt, we did participate or we did engage with

1:45:50the different school boards as well as academic institutions in the City of Guelph to have discussions

1:45:55about alignments between their Indigenous initiatives as well as ours. I think there's

1:45:59still lots of work to be done in terms of aligning and partnerships. I would say that the commitments

1:46:04in our framework definitely speak to culture, language, etc. And so therefore, we would be

1:46:11finding ways to partner with other agencies and or service providers that are doing similar work.

1:46:19I certainly think this is quite important because in my opinion, the universities and the

1:46:25Board of Education are probably years ahead of us on this and we might be able to benefit from

1:46:32that knowledge. I had another question I just need to find. No, just a comment and that is,

1:46:38I appreciate the document because what I'm seeing this and perhaps Mr. Van Lofold can comment on this.

1:46:45This strikes me as a document about a journey rather than an arrival and that this is an unfolding

1:46:53and essentially a rediscovery of a settler obligation through treaty and through ethical

1:47:00principles. Is that correct? Do you, Mayor? To Councillor Allt. Absolutely. I think there was

1:47:08broad acknowledgement that this is really the beginning of a journey. There is no end.

1:47:14There's a lot of good work happening out there among partner organizations. You referenced the

1:47:19academic institutions. People are doing good work. This is how can we leverage what is already

1:47:24happening out there? How can we take direction from the community members from the nations?

1:47:29What does that look like? Let's do it together. Let's leverage those partnerships. Let's fill in

1:47:33those gaps of things that we don't know and let's get this right. Let's check in throughout this

1:47:38process to ensure that we actually are getting it right. Let's reflect with our partners. Let's

1:47:43hear from them and let's move forward in a good way. Thank you and I presume that that would

1:47:49also include faith organizations which in some cases have not been exactly positive in the past.

1:47:55Would I be correct? We actually did have some organizations reach out as part of this process

1:48:06that have expressed willingness to want to engage, that have talked about providing space,

1:48:11wanting to do this right. I think the opportunity is there when the community is ready and when the

1:48:16city is ready to engage in those discussions that those folks are at those faith organizations are

1:48:22ready to play their role. Thank you very much. Appreciate everything you've done. Thank you.

1:48:29Councillor Klassen. Yes, thank you through you Mr. Mayor and thank you to the delegates for

1:48:36coming out today. I've got a question with regard. It came as a result of listening to Councillor

1:48:42O'Rourke's comments with regard to 3.1, the need for safe accessible spaces to gather and it got

1:48:50me thinking about Anishinaabe outreach who had a centre here in Gualph until maybe a couple of years

1:48:57ago and so I was curious as part of our work with establishing and building maybe a potential centre

1:49:03if we're going to look at maybe why they decided to move out of this area because I do know that

1:49:08they were doing some work and education programs in the city of Gualph and I'm curious if we looked

1:49:15into perhaps why they don't have their space here anymore. Through you Mr. Mayor to Councillor

1:49:23Clawson. I think that that's a great point and I think that in that theme of research and information

1:49:29gathering to make sure that we are taking the next steps and the right steps forward that that

1:49:35would certainly be a topic we want to engage on. Okay, thank you and then next I noticed when

1:49:45Councillor Busuttil brought up the timeline for the framework you mentioned five years

1:49:50and then in your presentation you also talked about a reporting framework and so I was just

1:49:54curious about when we can expect to hear back and how we might expect to hear back because I know this

1:50:00isn't necessarily something that comes with with figures but it's it's more relational so I'm curious

1:50:06about how we might hear from you. So through you Mr. Mayor to Councillor Klassen accountability is a

1:50:12really important part of this process in ensuring accountability on the city's behalf in terms of

1:50:16advancing many of different commitments. We've already had discussions internally with our

1:50:21performance team about how we can integrate this framework and the type of reporting and the very

1:50:26unique type of reporting that would take place into the city's existing performance measurement

1:50:31system. So we are planning on having public reporting live and available as projects progress

1:50:38to make sure that we are taking the inputs and the actions and the initiatives from every department

1:50:44and pulling them together to really show how we are collectively trying to advance each commitment

1:50:49and that's the really that's the really key point here is by having that performance framework

1:50:53across the city we're going to be able to show the value and the collective impact of everybody's

1:50:59work as we're all doing individual pieces towards a common goal. Now that we have this framework

1:51:04we can see what that common goal is and be able to measure ourselves against that.

1:51:10Okay great I look forward to hearing more thanks. Great thank you is there any further

1:51:17questions or comments then before I call the vote? Okay I'll just have a quick a couple of comments.

1:51:24One is to staff just to say thank you and to you as well for our consultant that helped.

1:51:32Obviously all of your leadership was really good and it is a journey that we are on here and

1:51:41it's I think it's really important that we are at this or at least at this point where we're

1:51:48having this framework to us which I just want to say thank you to staff for the work that you did

1:51:53and then my second part is that I don't pretend to know like at all about maybe what's happened about

1:52:02maybe some of the the hurt that you feel some of the delegations that came up and your authenticity

1:52:10in that so I just wanted to publicly say I I don't know where to maybe begin other than to say

1:52:17as the mayor I am more than happy to meet with you. I could start there. I don't think I've met

1:52:24with you before but I'm more than happy to do that in a manner that's just authentic on my end

1:52:32too just to hear from you and to maybe learn from you so that you know we can we can have a great

1:52:38relationship too moving forward in the city because that's what I want to so thank you to staff but

1:52:44I want to say thank you to the delegations and I I take that really seriously and I I wouldn't

1:52:48mind understanding a bit more about what's occurred to date maybe where we can move forward from there

1:52:54in a better relationship so I just wanted to publicly say that to you I sincerely mean it okay so

1:52:58please I'll reach out to you or you reach out to me or whatever and we'll try to figure that out

1:53:02okay so thank you very much okay um I will call the vote then uh is anyone against the framework

1:53:10as presented uh nope nobody thank you that's unanimous so thank you very much and we'll move

1:53:15on to the next part of our agenda which actually includes uh not me uh has the chair it's going