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In recent years, I’ve witnessed people uncomfortable or nervous about creating a Land Acknowledgement To be honest, when I created my first one it wasn’t perfect but with practice and the right tools I’ve developed a way that makes creating a Land Acknowledgement easier. Recognizing and respecting the traditional territories we live and work on is an important step towards reconciliation. A Land Acknowledgement is a powerful opportunity to honor Indigenous Peoples and reflect on our shared responsibility to truth and reconciliation. Whether you're opening a meeting, hosting an event, or preparing a union communication, here are five tips to guide you in crafting a meaningful Land Acknowledgement:

1. Do Your Research

Before writing an acknowledgement, take the time to learn which Indigenous Nations, territories, or Treaties govern the land you’re on. Resources like  Whose Land  can help you identify the communities in your area. Avoid guessing or generalizing, accuracy is essential.

2. Use Respectful and Specific Language

Mention the specific First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities connected to the land. Always use proper names and capitalize them as a sign of respect. For example:

“We acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples, covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Agreement.”

3. Reflect on the Purpose

A Land Acknowledgement should go beyond a script, it's a chance to reflect. Ask yourself: Why am I making this acknowledgement? What does it mean to me and my community? What am I doing to contribute to truth and reconciliation? What things do I do to keep myself informed? Adding a personal commitment to reconciliation can strengthen the message. Land Acknowledgements should not be a copy and paste from a basic template, it should come from the heart!

4. Avoid Performative Statements

Land Acknowledgements should be followed by meaningful action. Encourage your colleagues and members to support Indigenous rights, promote education, and build partnerships with Indigenous communities. Acknowledging the land is just the beginning. When hosting an event, don’t automatically assume an Indigenous person needs to write and perform it. This is an opportunity to learn about the history of your land and the people and communities who occupied it first. 

5. Consult Indigenous Voices

Whenever possible, seek input from Indigenous Elders, leaders, or knowledge keepers in your area. Their guidance can ensure your acknowledgement is accurate, appropriate, and respectful of cultural protocols. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your local Friendship Centre. They would be happy to meet with you to help answer any questions you may have. 

Remember: A Land Acknowledgement is a living practice. As our understanding grows, so too should our statements and actions. This isn’t just a practice which should be done at every event or meeting, it’s a way to understand the truth and history; while creating opportunities to be allies with our Indigenous communities. 

For more resources or to start a conversation within our union about reconciliation, reach out to Michayla Del Guidice. 

Resources

• National Association of Friendship Centres

• Protocol for Thanking Host First Nation

• Protocol on First Nations Treaty Lands

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action

• Kitchen Table Guide For Reconciliation Dialogue (PDF)

• Seeding Reconciliation on Uneven Ground: The 4Rs Approach to Cross Cultural Dialogue (PDF)

• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

• Amnesty International Activism Skills

A Note from the Author

As someone deeply committed to creating inclusive and empowering spaces, I believe in the importance of acknowledging the land we live and work on. Learning how to write a proper land acknowledgement is more than a formality—it’s an act of respect, reflection, and responsibility. For me, it’s a way to honour Indigenous communities, recognize ongoing colonial impacts, and commit to continuous learning and allyship in both personal and professional spaces.

Contract Corner: Bargaining Update

Part-Time Bargaining Update 

After 16 months of negotiations, the Part-Time Bargaining Team is entering conciliation with the College Employer Council on May 1st. The two parties met for 17 days in 2024, and were unable to come to a deal. The employer refused to budge on key priorities like paid sick days, benefits, wage grids and religious and cultural leave. The Bargaining Team is hopeful that the Conciliation officer, appointed by the Minister of Labour, will bring the two sides closer together.

Full-Time Bargaining Update

The Full-Time Bargaining Team is in full swing, getting ready for the Final Demand Set meeting on May 3rd and 4th. There is a network of Local Organizers across the province, collecting and distributing information to members as needed. If you're interested in helping out, please get in touch with your Local Lead Organizer Jason Kovacs at 241jasonkovacs@gmail.com — you don't have to be a Steward to participate!

I’ve been thinking about community a lot lately. Well, if you know me, you know I’ve been thinking about it for over a decade. My first full-time job at the College was to lead community engagement in the early days of City School, a job that took me to neighbourhood meetings where I got to see what neighbourhood-improvement projects residents were envisioning and how Mohawk could support them. It also connected me to a large network of social service and not-for-profit organizations. The main lesson from my last 10 years of this work: Hamilton really is a small town. Six degrees of separation? Yeah, right. 

With the announced closure of City School this winter, I have again been reminded of the importance of community in supporting one another through difficult times. When

community partners found out, they reached out far and wide to express their condolences, sadness, disagreement, and outrage to the team directly, recognizing the impact it would have on them. They penned an open letter and established the Save City School campaign, making signs and buttons, calling their MPPs and organizing a press conference to object publicly to the College's decision. They were doing this for the students, recognizing the impact this closure would have on some of Hamilton’s most vulnerable residents. But they also did it for the team, recognizing the closure left the staff feeling too vulnerable to speak up during a precarious time.

And it’s not just City School that the community has shown up for. Hamilton District Labour Council and OPSEU’s Southwest Area Council reached out about the layoffs when they were announced last December and spoke out at the Save our Colleges rally this February. Union leaders from USW Local 1005 (Stelco), CUPE 7800 (Hamilton Health Sciences) and other OPSEU locals have shown up to support us in solidarity.

As a labour union in a town with a deep labour history, we are intrinsically linked to the labour community through our common struggles to improve our workplaces, fight for decent wages, and build a better future for each other. The labour community is all about showing up for each other in hard times. HDLC is always on the picket line with striking workers at the hardest time of all. 

As support staff, it’s in our name. Support is what we do. We support our college community through operations, we support students, and we support faculty. And right now, we support each other. Those of us sitting opposite the College at the Employment Stability Committee (ESC) table are fighting to preserve your pay, recognize your skills, and get you redeployed as swiftly and fairly as possible. More and more of you are speaking up because you and your co-workers are being asked to take on more work than is reasonable. You’re bringing forward concerns that are helping us make progress with ESC. 

Enforcing our rights is everyone’s job, and you are stepping up to meet that challenge. I firmly believe you’re doing it because you’re looking out for each other. More often than not, you’re calling because of something that happened to your coworkers, not yourself. You’re looking out for your team, your community. In doing so, you’re helping us fight for you, and you’re helping to fight for each other. 

This is why community matters. 

OPSEU/SEFPO is a large union with over 180,000 workers across the province from a wide range of sectors and regions. In such a big union, it can sometimes feel hard to have your Local’s voice heard! But at the most recent Region 2 education weekend this March, our regional Executive Board Members recognized the growing voice of Local 241 with the Unity Award.

In their presentation remarks, Vikki  Poirer, Local President of Support Staff at Conestoga College and Region 2 Board Member, noted that we are still a relatively new executive team but that we have “grown to be a powerhouse in the college support sector.” From having representatives on both support bargaining teams to developing a campaign to protect our sick days, OPSEU/SEFPO has taken note of the growing power of Support Staff at Mohawk College.

An active Local takes time to build, and since Fall 2023 we’ve seen you showing up more and more to General Membership Meetings, Lunch & Learns, and Town Halls. We’ve also heard you speaking up more - for yourselves and for each other. You’ve been connecting with us, your Local Executive, for advice and support. You’ve asserted your rights and fought to maintain work-life boundaries. You’ve banded together to push back when your workload becomes too much. It's because of you that we won the Unity Award - congratulations! 

Grapevine Staff