Thorold City Council has thrown its support behind a proposed Indigenous medicine wheel healing garden in Mel Swart Lake Gibson Conservation Park.
A delegation of the One Thorold Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation Committee was on hand at Tuesday’s city council meeting to present the project to council members.
One Thorold is a partnership of community organizations, businesses, faith groups, and local government to facilitate the continued positive transformation of Thorold. In September 2021, they launched a reconciliation committee to educate and raise awareness for Indigenous issues in Thorold.
As a representative of the committee, Michele-Elise Burnett laid out the group’s vision for the garden, which she referred to as “an outdoor classroom where we can host ongoing Indigenous educational and interactive programming.”
"Our vision is to have a garden nestled in the beautiful, scenic backdrop of Mel Swart Conservation Area—lands which have been inhabited by Indigenous people for millennia," she said, addressing council members. "It would be in the shape of the medicine wheel, representing the four quadrants of the four directions and also of the people of the four directions of mother earth.”
Burnett is president of Indigenous consultancy company Kakekalanicks and has spearheaded many Indigenous projects in the Niagara region. She thinks the healing garden is a necessary project that will help educate Canadians on Indigenous issues.
“Without proper context and understanding of Indigenous history and culture most Canadian citizens are unable to fairly evaluate modern issues involving Indigenous governance rights and authorities,” said Burnett. “Therefore [they] may make uninformed civic and policy decisions that negatively impact First Nations, Inuit and, Métis people.”
Burnett also asked that the city create a committee to support and facilitate truth and reconciliation projects and events, and to set up a charitable account so residents and businesses can make financial donations.
After the presentation, Councillor Fred Neale took a moment to remark on the importance of educating people on Indigenous issues.
“I did not know anything about the atrocities that happened in those [residential] schools or what the Indigenous people were subjected to in our Canadian history,” he said. “Our school system never talked about what was happening to Indigenous people so I never found out. The city needs to be engaged in the healing process by setting up a truth and reconciliation committee that will bring forward educational programs.”
City council unanimously voted to have City Hall draft up a report to examine how to get the different projects off the ground.
“I know that our council and our city can be leaders in this and we look forward to being that,” concluded Mayor Terry Ugulini.
