Area municipalities, GRCA developing Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan (update)

Members of regional and municipal government are teaming up with the GRCA to put together an Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan for Waterloo Region.

They are calling this the first step to creating an Indigenous Advisory Committee exclusive to the region.

Regional Chair Karen Redman says the Indigenous reconcilliation action plan will include staff training and training of counsellors amongst many other things.

“It's really to help better inform and coordinate responses for people in the community like the Anishnabeg Outreach Early Years and the Family Centre, and ways we can continue to support Indigenous people in the community providing services to other Indigenous people.”

She says part of the plan is to hire an Indigenous consulting expertise to facilitate engagement on behalf of the local municipality and GRCA.

“Indigenous expertise is going to inform our Indigenous Advisory Committee and guide its efforts. There will be training and it will inform our anti-racism work which is underway right now.”

Redman says the end goal is to make sure systemic racism is not a barrier for Indigenous people in Waterloo Region.

“There are many groups in Waterloo Region where Indigenous people are providing housing, healthcare, counselling, diversion from the court system for other Indigenous people and they continue to do that. We need to find out how we can support them.”

She says the region wants to take away obstacles like a lack of funding for Indigenous groups helping marginalised communities in Waterloo Region.

There is a petition circulating online, demanding that councillors should discuss the future of the Victoria Park Land Back camp at a council meeting happening Thursday night.