Land Acknowledgement Added to City Council Meetings and Email Signatures

City Council is committed to supporting an inclusive, diverse, and accessible community. The actions outlined in the Mayor’s Task Force on Inclusiveness, Diversity, and Accessibility’s (MTFIDA) Action Plan guide us in that process. As part of Council’s commitment, the City has prioritized relationship building with our Indigenous neighbours.

As we move forward, we plan on implementing positive changes to reflect our learnings. One change we have made is to include the following land acknowledgment in staff email signature blocks and to start Council meetings.

The City of Chilliwack acknowledges that we are honoured to live, work, and play on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Stó:lō Coast Salish peoples.

We recognize that land acknowledgements are a first step towards the larger process of reconciliation between non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples in Canada. This practice is inspired by the 94 calls to action contained in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada report, and helps Canadians recognize and respect Indigenous peoples’ inherent kinship beliefs when it comes to the land. It serves as a starting place to change how the land is seen and talked about.

As land acknowledgements should always be done with Indigenous consultation, the City would like to thank our First Nations neighbours that helped us develop an inclusive land acknowledgement, including representatives from Stó:lō Nation, Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe, Skwah First Nation, MTFIDA and the Stó:lō Service Agency.