Council to begin traditional land acknowledgement this week

Back in June, Merritt City Council unanimously passed a motion to have staff research and propose an appropriate land acknowledgement to be used at council meetings.

“I think the timing couldn’t be more perfect, however it could have happened in the past. Now is a great time for us to do this and I just hope that it leads us into more dialogue,” said Councillor Travis Fehr when proposing the motion.

“First, it is important to recognize that there are no ‘magic words’ when it comes to making a land acknowledgment. Even among indigenous communities and scholars, there isn’t unanimous agreement on the efficacy of land acknowledgements or how they should be done,” reads a report from CAO Sean Smith.

After discussion with the Nlaka’pamux and Syilx Nations, Staff are proposing the following statement;

We (I) would like to begin this meeting by acknowledging that we are gathered on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Nlaka’pamux and Syilx people.

Council will vote on the recommendation Tuesday (Nov. 9), during the regular meeting.