The City of Saint John will begin its meetings of Common Council with the reading of a Land Acknowledgement to recognize the long history of Indigenous populations on the land

The first reading of a Land Acknowledgement will be offered by The Honourable Graydon Nicholas during the inaugural meeting of the newly elected Common Council on June 14, 2021. 

As a community and as a nation, we mourn the tragic loss of 215 Indigenous children whose remains were discovered in B.C. Flags on municipal properties across the City of Saint John remain at half-mast during this time of pain, sorrow, and deep reflection.  

Canada has entered a period of reconciliation and the City of Saint John, as with all communities, has an important role to play.   
 
Following the expressed desire of Common Council to include recognition of Indigenous Peoples during council meetings, and a commitment from City Manager John Collin in March 2021, City staff worked to develop an appropriate land acknowledgment. The most important component of this process is the stakeholder consultations with members of Indigenous communities.   
 
The Honourable Graydon Nicholas graciously offered to draft a land acknowledgement that appropriately and respectfully recognizes the traditional territory in which we live and work and acknowledges the history of Indigenous Peoples on those lands. Land acknowledgments demonstrate active thought about what happened in the past and create space for Indigenous reconciliation to happen in the present and future.  

As the City of Saint John commences its meeting of Common Council on June 14, 2021 (the first full meeting of the newly elected Common Council), and at the beginning of every meeting of Common Council thereafter, a land acknowledgement will be read.   
 
The Honourable Graydon Nicholas will join members of Council on June 14 to offer comments on National Indigenous Awareness Day, which is nationally recognized on June 21. He will also do the very first reading of a land acknowledgement that will be accompanied with a smudging and the singing of the Honor Song by Mykayla Spinney.  
 
This will be a significant moment in the history of the City of Saint John. The meeting will be recorded live for all members of the community to partake.