Hello Ward 8 Neighbours,
An in-person engagement session will be taking place at the Westmount Recreation Centre on Tuesday, September 24th for Ward 8 residents.
For more details, please continue reading below…
In June 2019, Hamilton City Council endorsed the City of Hamilton’s Urban Indigenous Strategy. The strategy was created through community consultation, and 40 actions were identified for the City to undertake to strengthen its path towards reconciliation.
As part of the UIS implementation, a staff team called the Indigenous Landmarks and Monuments Working Group was developed in 2020 to provide information and review existing and new landmarks, spaces and markers that reflect the full history of the Indigenous community in Hamilton.
In July 2021, Hamilton City Council directed staff to undertake a Review that would identify short and long-term opportunities to address Indigenous and historical landmarks, spaces and markers across the city.
From 2021 onwards, the City worked with the First Peoples Group along with a team of six Indigenous elders, historians, museum experts, and artists called the Circle of Experts to review statues, landmarks, monuments, and plaques in the City of Hamilton and to see how these sites impact Indigenous people. This work culminated in an Honouring Our Roots report that identified five high-priority sites that may be potentially problematic to Indigenous people. The report also recommended the hiring of new City staff to take on this work specifically, including creating educational material on these high-priority sites, and then engaging with the public regarding them.
In 2023, two new employees were hired for the City of Hamilton’s Indigenous Relations Team to lead the next steps in the Landmarks and Monuments Review.
Which brings us to the present, where the Indigenous Relations Team is out meeting the community to present their project and gain valuable feedback on residents thoughts.
The Ward 8 in-person engagement session will be taking place this coming Tuesday, September 24th at the Westmount Recreation Centre from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact our office here.