We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated
on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the
greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to
many Indigenous nations and peoples.
We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for
Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most
importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of
friendship with the First Nations who call them home.
This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in
Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different
ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to
define our future.
