Monday, June 26, 2023 - The issue with land acknowledgements

Monday, June 26, 2023 | ☀️ High 25C

Good morning!

Since starting The Current, we’ve wrestled with how to acknowledge that our journalism covers land that is the traditional territory of the Stó:lō people. We already try to acknowledge that fact, and its legacy, whenever it is relevant to a story we do. But creating something more formal requires real thought if one isn’t simply paying lip service to the reality of this region’s history.

As Aaron Pete and Bruce McIvor note in today’s story, it’s not good enough just to say this is unceded Stó:lō territory. It’s the deeper truth beyond that statement of fact—and what comes next—that matters most. I’ve spoken to Aaron about land acknowledgments and heard thoughts from others. I’ll continue to listen (if you have first-hand thoughts, drop me a line). In the meantime, we will continue exploring this region’s complex history—and the fact that it dates back thousands of years. We study the past because we can learn from the past and use that understanding to improve our communities. Acknowledging history is only the start.

- Tyler

WORTH KNOWING

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NEWS

The issue with land acknowledgements

Every Fraser Valley community exists on unceded land.

But what does that mean, exactly? What actions are needed by those who recognize that reality? And should we just say ‘stolen?’

In an era of reconciliation, the recitation of land acknowledgements have become common. But whether they serve a purpose has been put into question by some Indigenous people.

“It’s a concerning thing that it makes people feel like they’ve done something when no work has been accomplished,” Chilliwack podcaster (and Chawathil First Nation councillor) Aaron Pete said in his latest podcast episode (and his newsletter).

Pete was speaking with lawyer and historian Bruce McIvor in his latest episode of the Bigger Than Me Podcast.

“I’ve heard many compare it to the idea of like, I took your food or I took your cookie and then I’m acknowledging that I did, in fact, take that. And there’s no plan in place to address that,” Pete said.

• Today, we share a conversation between Pete and McIvor about the ‘tokenism’ of land acknowledgements, the harm caused by ‘pretendians', the role of status cards, and more.

Need to know

🏒 The Abbotsford Centre will host a Vancouver Canucks pre-season game in October [Vancouver Canucks]

🪓 A new Chilliwack business specializing in axe-throwing fun is opening in July [The Axe House/Facebook]

⛳ When Nick Taylor won the Canadian Open, his home filled with family and friends to celebrate, [Abbotsford News]

🏎 The Mission Soapbox Derby returned to city streets after four years away [Mission Record]

📺 A new Punjabi-Canadian sitcom is centred around a multi-generational family living in Abbotsford [CBC]

🚔 Hope RCMP are investigating after a report of an assault [Hope Standard]

🏡 Langley Township passed new rules designed to create more affordable housing [Langley Advance Times]

👏 Project AIM is supplying free menstrual product boxes to business partners in Chilliwack / You can read our story on the non-profit here [FVC]

🍅 A facility that manufactures paper-based produce containers in Langley is expanding [Packaging Gateway]

👉 Kwantlen Polytechnic University will waive tuition for members of the Kwantlen First Nation and several other First Nations [Vancouver Sun]

🐶 Chilliwack firefighters used CPR to revive a dog injured in a fire Sunday [CTV News]

🚓 Three men were arrested after a violent home invasion in Abbotsford that left one person injured [Vancouver Sun]

🎓 Graduating Langley students visited their old elementary schools and met with younger students [Langley School District]

👍 Three Abbotsford students were awarded Beedie Luminaries scholarships worth up to $44,000 each [Abbotsford News]

⚖️ A 22-year-old woman pled guilty to failing to remain at the scene after a December hit-and-run killed a mother of two [Global]

🌈 Hope hosted a successful drag queen storytime event despite worries about protests [Hope Standard]

☺ TODAY’S SMILE:

The Agenda

Abbotsford gets residential care facility, no announcement yet of Chilliwack site

After years of waiting, Abbotsford is getting a new residential care facility. But the city will still need hundreds more beds to accommodate its growing population.

The province announced Friday that a new $211 million five-storey long-term care facility would be built next to Abbotsford Regional Hospital. The building will have beds for 200 patients. It will replace 109 beds at the ageing Cottage and Worthington Pavilion facility, leaving the city with a net gain of 91 new residential beds.

The building will also include space for a daycare facility, adult day program, and other services. The Current first reported on plans for the facilities last year. Another residential care home slated for Chilliwack has not yet been announced.

Fraser Health has been working towards building an Abbotsford care home for nearly a decade. Originally, it had hoped to build a new facility on a McCallum Road property that was once home to MSA Hospital. Fraser Health issued a request for proposals in 2014, but later yanked the request after it said it received no suitable proposals. In 2020, Fraser Health turned the land over to Matsqui First Nation, which plans to build housing on the site. Officials have said Abbotsford has a deficit of residential care beds.

Langley Township to vote on controversial Gloucester Industrial Park development

A community amenity planned near the Langley-Abbotsford border more than three decades ago will likely never come to life.

When the Gloucester Industrial Park plan was first created in 1988, the lands were designated for a future golf course. The plan and parcel size was amended in subsequent years, but a golf course was never designed. Instead, 92 acres became wetlands and greenspace in the centre of the industrial park.

Following a public hearing, Langley Township council is set to vote Monday on a controversial proposal by Vancouver real estate company Beedie Group to have 37 acres of the land redesignated for industrial use.

The remaining 55 acres of environmentally protected land would be transferred to the Langley Township.

Local environmentalists have been fighting the application by Beedie to rezone the property. All those who attended the public hearing on June 12 spoke out against the proposal.

A local organization alleges that some of the original zoning was approved on a fabricated soil report and expired environmental permits.

Mayor Eric Woodward told The Current his staff have been unable to verify any of those claims.

“It’s really up to our staff to verify the truth of that and get all the information that they can. And that process is still ongoing.”

Council will make its final decision during Monday’s meeting. Should the plan be approved, Beedie will pay $14 million to the Township’s Community Amenity Contribution fund as part of the deal.

Read Monday’s council agenda. 

Things to do

👍 Health and wellness: Chilliwack Hospice Society hosts a health and wellness open house with information about workshops and services Tuesday from 10am to 4pm.

👉 Indigenous Peoples Day: Sacred Spaces: Indigenous Day will take place Wednesday at Trinity Memorial United Church to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. Register online.

🎥 Film festival: Friday is the deadline for entries into Langley City's first independent film festival. This year's theme is “transitions.” More online.

Find more events in our members-only weekly calendar.

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