Cold Lake City Council meetings will now begin with an Indigenous land acknowledgement read aloud as the council has amended its procedure bylaw to include the new acknowledgement.
“We have a strong relationship with our Indigenous neighbours, both Cold Lake First Nations and the Elizabeth Metis Settlement, and Council wanted to formally recognize this partnership as we continue down the path of mutual respect, understanding and reconciliation,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “We recognize that the City of Cold Lake operates today on the traditional territory of several Indigenous communities, and that proud history is a large part of the fabric that makes up our city and community.”
This new acknowledgement will be read by the chairperson at the start of each of the following meetings:
- city council
- special council
- special council
- and all other City of Cold Lake committee meetings, except where council has granted permission to a committee to establish its own procedures.
The new acknowledgement is below:
“In the spirit of respect and reciprocity, we acknowledge that the City of Cold Lake is located on lands and by water in Treaty 6 Territory and the homeland of the Metis Nation that has been, and continues to be, a sacred place for many. We pay respect to the indigenous peoples of this place past and present: the Cree, Denesuline and Metis peoples. We acknowledge that this place is impacted by the ongoing process of colonialism. We strive to understand and reframe our responsibilities to land and community as we journey towards reconciliation.”
Council will debates whether the statement should be read at other City functions and third-party organizations that use municipally-funded facilities.