Land Acknowledgement 

PAVRO recognizes that our work, and the work of our members, takes place on traditional Indigenous territories across Ontario. We recognize the ways in which those of us who are settlers have benefited from colonization and reflect on the attempted genocide of Indigenous people in Canada, which spans centuries.

We call for the reconciliation of current injustices as well as those that have been carried out against Indigenous communities which include but are not limited to broken treaty relationships. We commit to working towards creating a just, inclusive, and vibrant community for all.

We encourage you to learn more about the traditional territories of the Indigenous Peoples where you live, work, and play using tools like native-land.ca. We also invite you to incorporate a Land Acknowledgement into your personal and/or professional lives and have shared a sample template below.

We wish to express gratitude to Mother Earth and for the resources we are using, and honour all the First Nation, Métis and Inuit people who have been living on the land since before settlers arrived and continue to do so.

We invite you to reflect upon this land acknowledgement, what it means to your personal story, and what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice  mean to you.

This Land Acknowledgement is a living document that will be updated as we learn and grow. We welcome your feedback so that we can strengthen this acknowledgement as well as relationships with Indigenous people and communities. Thank you.

Sample Land Acknowledgement Template: please change the parts enclosed in [square brackets] with the specific information from your area

[Toronto] is in the [dish with one spoon] territory. The [dish with one spoon] is a treaty between the [Anishinaabe, the Mississauga and the Haudenosaunee] that bound them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous nations and peoples, Europeans and all newcomers have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace and friendship and respect.