Photo courtesy Michael Swan/Creative Commons
Inuvik has officially adopted the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, almost a full decade after the town hosted the second national event.
Town of Inuvik Mayor Natasha Kulikowski said implementing the recommendations is an important next step in the healing process and a good reminder to keep the issues it highlighted top of mind in day to day decisions.
"Fort Smith had done a very similar declaration," said Kulikowski. "It was around that time that we really started considering how we could do it.
"From there, it was just getting the research, getting the Inuvik component in there and seeing how a municipality could support the TRC action."
NNSL File Photo.
In a series of four motions, Town Council voted unanimously on Feb. 24 to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to repudiate the concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous Peoples and lands; to re-iterate the need to establish and maintain inter-governmental communication with Indigenous governments; to add Truth and Reconciliation to council's regular priorities; and to write a letter to the Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) School of Community Government — as well as to the Gwich'in Tribal Council (GTC) and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) — to offer training to both elected and non-elected municipal staff to address cross-cultural understanding and sensitivity in the workplace.
Senior Administrative Officer Grant Hood said MACA had already responded to the motion during its Annual General Meeting and upcoming cultural sensitivity training videos for GNWT employees will be available for municipalities across the territory by the end of April.
"We have received confirmation from the GNWT," he said. "We're just now working on trying to fill that into our own training.
As most of the recommendations are oriented towards territorial and federal levels of government, most of the implementation involves advocating and lobbying other levels of government to follow suit. One area the town can affect positive change however is ongoing monitoring of the language used by the town in its communications to ensure colonialism is not being perpetuated in the ways people are addressed.
Advocating for the retention of post-secondary health care education in the Northwest Territories, to help increase the number of aboriginal health care professionals, is specifically mentioned as a possible action the town could partake in. The town could also potentially take on a greater role in helping to implement Jordan's Principle in partnership with the GTC and IRC to ensure children are getting sufficient access to essential services.
Other changes recommended in-step with implementation include more information about local Indigenous athletes at the Midnight Sun Complex, and expanding the call for additional housing in the community as well as more cultural and language programming in Early Childhood Education.
Kulikowski said a personal goal of hers now was establishing a leader's working group to better collaborate with Gwich'in, Inuvialuit and Metis governments, noting bringing a shared voice would help improve the regions chances of being heard.
While the town itself had no involvement in the residential school system, Inuvik was the site of the infamous Grollier Hall, which was finally demolished in 2014. Kulikowski noted the town has put many years of work into helping the region heal from the past.
"By having the municipality then take the recommendations that apply to us," she said. "I think it's not only a logical but important next step.
"We're keeping it in the forefront of council's decision making."
