Richmond Hill adopts land acknowledgement, joins UNESCO coalition

Thestar.com
Nov. 5, 2021

Richmond Hill has finally adopted a new land acknowledgement and joined the UNESCO Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities as part of its renewed pledge to expand diversity, inclusion and equity efforts.

The UNESCO coalition is a network of municipalities from Canada and around the world sharing experiences on creating inclusive communities. This complements the city's current affiliation with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) as an Employer Partner.

The land acknowledgement, adopted by council at the Oct. 27 council meeting, will be used at all City of Richmond Hill events and council and committee meetings after the Procedure By-law is amended in Nov. 2021.

It is a step toward demonstrating recognition and respect for Indigenous peoples and supporting education on the history of the lands on which we live and work, according to a city press release.

The city developed the land acknowledgement in consultation with First Nations and Indigenous Communities.

The land acknowledgement statement reads:

"I/we would like to acknowledge that Richmond Hill is situated on lands covered by Treaty 13 and the Williams Treaties. Over several centuries, Richmond Hill has been traversed by many First Nations and is currently home to Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island."

In addition, the city will embark on a number of other initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion including:

• Undertaking a workforce census to better understand the diversity and needs of city staff

• Building a staff training plan to increase awareness and education on a range of topics including unconscious bias, inclusivity, communicating about culturally sensitive issues and allyship

• Developing a full Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy in 2022 to help implement a DEI lens on the city's work