In recognition of our agency’s strategic goals to educate and celebrate the different aspects of diverse cultures and traditions, CEO Claudine Cousins and Empower Simcoe’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council are pleased to unveil our agency’s Land Acknowledgement statement.

A land acknowledgement is an act of reconciliation that involves making a statement recognizing the traditional territory of the Indigenous people who called the land home before the arrival of settlers, and in many cases still do call it home. It is recognizing and respecting Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land.

Bob Goulais, an Anishinaabe from Nipissing First Nations, a speaker and a traditional teacher, said, “Indigenous People know this about Land Acknowledgements. The Land Acknowledgement is for the non-Indigenous people to consider. To help them be aware and mindful. To show their appreciation.”