Leadership Council chosen to moving Truth and Reconciliation forward in Oakville
Published September 6, 2022 at 12:41 pm
Gimaa Laforme’s Ally Leadership Council has been named to help move local Truth and Reconciliation forward in Oakville.
Done in support of Debwewin: The Oakville Truth Project, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Oakville Community Foundation launched the leadership council to coincide with the 216th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 14 on Sept. 5 in Oakville.
The Council members were selected because of the work being done by their respective organizations and their “passion” to move local Truth and Reconciliation forward.
Together the group will work to reimagine and bring community-to-community allyship and reciprocity forward into the present, which will offer tangible outcomes for local reconciliation.
“MCFN has been working with many of these outstanding community leaders and are pleased with their continued support as we move forward in the next phase of the Debwewin: The Oakville Truth Project,” said Gimaa R. Stacey Laforme. “These individuals are playing a vital role when it comes to moving local Truth and Reconciliation forward in our communities.”
The following members of the Oakville community have agreed to serve as members of the Ally:
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Leadership Council:
Bindu Cudjoe, General Counsel, Laurentian Bank and Board Chair, Oakville Community Foundation
Don Pangman, Founder & Executive Director, ArtHouse
Andrew Tyrrell, President, Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton
Andrea Rowe, Director Sustainable Programs, Halton Environmental Network
France Fournier, President & CEO, Oakville Chamber of Commerce
Sarah Iley, Interim Executive Director, Oakville Galleries
Tara Wong, CEO, Oakville Public Library
Jeff Bradley, Regional Vice President, RBC
Dr. Jane Ngobia, Vice President, Inclusive Communities, Sheridan College
Blair Richardson, Chair, Justice and Servant Ministries, St Jude’s Church
Kyle Barber, President & CEO, YMCA Oakville
Susanna Zagar, CEO, Ontario Energy Board and Oakville resident
In addition the following Indigenous leads will serve as Advisors:
Elder Peter Schuler, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation
Georgia LaForme, Debwewin lead, MCFN
Angela Bellegarde, Indigenous Lead, Our Kids Network
Eddy Robinson, Indigenous Lead, Halton Region
Treaty 14 was signed Sept. 5, 1806 and confirmed the Head of the Lake Purchase between the Mississaugas of the Credit and The Crown. In return for the land, the Mississaugas retained the sole right of fisheries at 12 and 16 Mile Creeks along with the possession of each creek’s flats.
The Mississaugas reserved the sole right of fishing at the Credit River and were to retain a 1-mile strip of land on each of its banks. Modern cities found within these lands include Oakville, Mississauga and parts of Burlington.
Truth and Reconciliation Week will be held Sept. 26th to 30th.
To honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation will be hosting educational opportunities for all schools across Canada.
A local in-person gathering will be held for students on Orange T-Shirt Day on Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The free educational program will be held at Paramount Foods Centre in Mississauga for students from grades 1-12. Registration is required and can be done here.
In order to commemorate this day, residents are invited to participate in a variety of local activities, such as walking the Moccasin trails or visiting local kiosks by using the updated wayfinding map available on the Debwewin website.
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