Category: land

Seeing Ottawa in New Ways

GreenLivingOttawa
Background image in grey tones showing a group of people facing away from the camera, one holding a flag with an icon of a person walking. Blue, red and white graphic frames the text "May 4-5: Jane's Walk Ottawa-Gatineau, JanesWalkOttawa.ca"
Image courtesy Jane’s Walk Ottawa-Gatineau

There are quite a few opportunities this weekend to think about our city, and what it could be, in different ways. (Apologies for the last-minute post—life happens!) Here are some highlights:

Jane’s Walk Ottawa-Gatineau

Jane’s Walk Ottawa-Gatineau is happening Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5, 2024. Jane’s Walk is an annual series of community-led walks through the places and neighbourhoods of the city, in honour of Jane Jacobs, whose ideas influenced how we understand cities and city-building. This year’s walks explore and celebrate local art, architecture, histories, communities, pathways, greenspaces, habitats and biodiversity. For example, you can learn about the unique ecosystem of the Pinhey Sand Dunes; tour green homes, community gardens, or rewilding efforts; see downtown Ottawa from an Indigenous perspective; and much more. Because this year’s theme is “Towards water,” many of the walks explore the significance of waterways as meeting places, habitats and city shapers. That means you can contemplate an Indigenous canoe portage site connecting the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers; the history of the Ottawa River; or the microbes of Mud Lake. There are virtual and self-guided walks, too. Walks are conducted in English and/or French; some require pre-registration. Check the Jane’s Walk Ottawa-Gatineau website for details.

Image of an Indigenous woman (her head and shoulders); she is looking up, and her mouth is covered with red-handprint-shaped paint. Image appears on a black background, between two small red beaded dress images. Text in white and red below the image reads "MMIWG2S need justice; reconciliation demands action"
Image courtesy Families of Sisters in Spirit

Red Dress Day

I’ve posted before about the connections between environmental action and the need to address the ongoing harms of living on unceded Indigenous territory in ways that perpetuate ongoing violence against Indigenous peoples, including Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. On Sunday, May 5, 2024, Families of Sisters in Spirit (FSIS), in collaboration with Assembly of Seven Generations, the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, and Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak, is hosting an event to commemorate Red Dress Day in support of local families affected by the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and Two-Spirit people. They’re welcoming donations of food and other items, as well as financial support. See the event page for details.

Ottawa International Writers Festival

The Ottawa International Writers Festival is bringing several eco-focused authors to the stage on Saturday, May 4, 2024. These include Lydia Millet and Michael E. Mann, who, in different ways, use the power of story to help think through the climate change and environmental crisis. Check the Festival website for details.

+Local Action for Palestine: INSAF and the University of Ottawa Palestinian Students’ Association are asking people to support their efforts, including the “Occupy Tabaret” campaign calling for the University to divest from genocide in Gaza. See their website for more information, and Decolonize Palestine for additional background and why this is relevant to environmental justice globally and locally.

Protect the Kichi Sibi / Ottawa River

GreenLivingOttawa
Colourful Indigenous art depicting aquatic animals (turtle, birds, fish) in black, green, orange, red and blue, on a blue background; the text "Protect our Water" is superimposed on the image.
Image courtesy of Stop Nuclear Waste

A million cubic metres of radioactive waste, to be stored permanently a kilometre from the Ottawa River, upstream from Ottawa-Gatineau, on unceded Algonquin territory: that’s what Canada’s nuclear regulator recently approved.

Despite objections from 10 Algonquin First Nations, more than 140 municipalities, many environmental groups and concerned individuals, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has authorized Canadian Nuclear Laboratories to build a “near surface disposal facility” on its site at Chalk River. CNL already houses nuclear waste at the site, but says the new “containment mound,” which it intends to start building this year, will replace existing “temporary” storage.

Algonquin First Nations have been actively raising concerns for years about the proposed facility and the risks it poses to the area’s biodiversity, land, waters and peoples. They emphasize that the Kichi Sibi–the Ottawa River–is culturally and spiritually significant, and the source of drinking water for millions of people—including Ottawa residents. The First Nations point out that CNSC made the decision without the required consultation with, or consent from, their communities, contrary to the sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples and Canada’s own Act ratifying the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

A coalition of First Nations, other groups and individuals have set up Stop Nuclear Waste to explain the situation and call for support. Here are some of the ways you can help:

  • Support the First Nations’ legal case: Kebaowek First Nation, with support from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg and Algonquins of Barriere Lake First Nations, filed a judicial review with the Federal Court of Appeals to challenge the CNSC decision. They’ve set up a Go Fund Me page where people can support the legal case against proceeding with the facility. They describe the case as potentially precedent-setting in terms of its implications for rulings related to Canada’s UNDRIP-related legislation. The Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility and two other citizens’ groups have also launched a court challenge.
  • Learn more:
    • The Stop Nuclear Waste website provides further information and suggested actions.
    • Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area have outlined important considerations and problems with the project. They also share an open letter calling on federal government decision-makers to halt the project, which could serve as a template for people to draw on to write to their MPs.
    • The Ottawa Riverkeeper has also documented concerns with the NSDF project, including its proximity to the watershed, weaknesses in the plans for operation and monitoring, the problems of “legacy waste” at the site, and the failure to adequately consult with Anishinabe Algonquin peoples.

“I want to be very clear: the Algonquin Peoples did not consent to the construction of this radioactive waste dump on our unceded territory. We believe the consultation was inadequate, to say the least, and that our Indigenous rights are threatened by this proposal. We demand the cancellation of the NSDF project. The focus should instead be on a real and successful cleanup of the site to permanently eliminate old radioactive waste.”

Chief Lance Haymond, Kebaowek First Nation

“This nuclear waste facility will damage the water and we all know that.

Conscientious people are rising. We must rise together, we are all in that medicine wheel. No matter our colour, our creed or our title, we are all related in the human family and we must stand together.”

Claudette Commanda, Algonquin Elder
Poster titled "Scrap the NSDF Project Rally #2" beside a small photo of three Indigenous people with traditional drums on Parliament Hill. A larger photo below this shows several people standing with banners and posters in front of the Parliament Building; the banner reads "Scrap the Chalk River NSDF Project Approval StopNuclearWaste.Com." Text below the photos reads: "Who Should Attend: All concerned citizens of the Kichi Sibi - Ottawa River watershed. Where: Outside Westin Hotel, 11 Colonel By Drive. When: Canadian Nuclear Association Conference February 28th through March 1st. Daily demonstrations 9am-5pm. For more information: www.StopNuclearWaste.com. Stronger Together: Protect the Kichi Sibi."
Image courtesy of Stop Nuclear Waste

Green Living on Unceded Anishinabe Algonquin Territory?

GreenLivingOttawa
Dozens of pairs of children's shoes, stuffed toys and dolls, cards, and signs, in multiple colours (pink, blue, yellow, purple, black, brown) on the pavement around the Centennial Flame fountain on Parliament Hill, in June 2021, following announcements about the discovery of potential unmarked graves on the grounds of some former residential schools.
Children’s shoes and toys placed around the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill in June 2021, following news of the discovery of potential unmarked graves on the grounds of former residential schools. Photo by D. Deby

If you’ve attended a local event in the past few years, you’ve likely heard a land acknowledgement—a recognition that the event is taking place on unceded Anishinabe Algonquin territory.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what “green living” means in “Ottawa,” i.e. unceded Indigenous territory. What I’ve learned so far is that it requires understanding Canada’s colonial past and present, and that it entails supporting Indigenous-led action for sovereignty and Indigenous resurgence.

[CW: Contains references to the “Indian Residential Schools” that Canada and churches operated from 1831-1996. A list of supports for Survivors, families and communities is available here. Information on general mental health supports for Ottawa residents is available here.]

Several local groups are offering ways to take such learning and action a step further, in conjunction with Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Both days are designed to raise awareness about the residential schools that Canada established for Indigenous children, the horrors these institutions caused for children, families and descendants, and what Canadians need to do to address their ongoing effects. Residential schools were just one part of Canada’s overall plan to replace Indigenous lands and peoples with a settler colonial country, a plan that forms the foundation for Canada today.

Understanding Canada as a settler colonial state

First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, along with Assembly of Seven Generations and Beechwood Cemetery, are hosting Reconciling History Tours on Saturday, September 30 and Monday, October 2, 2023. The tours enable participants to learn more about Canada’s residential school system, and how to advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. The Beechwood event includes an unveiling of a Children’s Sacred Forest. This is an opportunity to understand how Ottawa’s spaces and people were central to creating and perpetuating the genocidal residential school system. You can find out more and register in advance on the Caring Society’s website, or do the tours virtually.

[Added:] Algonquin College and the Asinabka Film and Media Arts Festival are co-hosting a free film screening and discussion of Colonization Road, on Friday, September 29, 2023 from 4:15-6:30 p.m. The film discusses how public streets, infrastructure and art were used to—and continue to—assert and celebrate Canada’s colonization and settlement of Indigenous lands.

Learning and reflecting on harms, and on action needed

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day provide additional activities for learning more about residential schools and support Indigenous healing and redress:

The Ottawa Public Library is inviting people to participate in arts activities, watch films, and access books, a pre-recorded talk by Phyllis Webstad, the founder of Orange Shirt Day, and other resources. The OPL and the National Arts Centre are also co-hosting a play, Bloodline, by Algonquin Elder Albert Dumont and Ottawa writer Phil Jenkins, about how the Indian Act has affected Elder Dumont’s life and family. The performance on Thursday, September 28, 2023 from 7-8:30 p.m. is sold out but will be streamed online—see the event page for details. A second live performance has been added, on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at the Meridian Centrepointe Theatre (thanks to A New Dawn for the information).

[Added:] The co-owners of the Indigenous-run Beandigen Café at Lansdowne Park (106-900 Exhibition Way) are inviting people to hear from a family member who is a residential school survivor, on Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 12 p.m. See details on their FB page.

Adaawe Indigenous Business Hub is holding a memorial walk from their office at 338 Somerset Street to Parliament Hill on Saturday, September 30, 2023 from 12-1 p.m. A memorial event, Remembering the Children, organized by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day and taking place on Parliament Hill on September 30, 2023 at noon (with broadcast on APTN), is the culmination of a week of activities that the NCTR is offering, which include daily learning sessions covering past and ongoing discrimination against Indigenous peoples, debunking myths and pointing towards action.

Engaging in dialogue and supporting Indigenous initiatives

A New Dawn is a local community-based group that has been supporting learning by non-Indigenous people and facilitating collaboration among non-Indigenous and Indigenous people. They’re hosting an evening with Algonquin Elder Albert Dumont on Friday, September 29, 2023 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Kitchissippi United Church, 630 Island Park Drive. A New Dawn is also selling orange shirts, designed by Elder Dumont, to commemorate Indigenous children who died at residential schools and to promote healing, respect and a new relationship.

A good place to purchase orange shirts locally is Adaawewigamig, a social enterprise store in the Byward Market run by Assembly of Seven Generations, an Indigenous youth-led organization. They have a lot of other great clothing, jewelry and other items; proceeds support Indigenous artists, businesses and causes. Orange shirts are also available through the Mādahòkì Farm or the Orange Shirt Society. If you purchase a shirt for Orange Shirt Day, make sure it supports Indigenous artists and groups, and is endorsed by the Orange Shirt Society.

There is much more to be done. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on ways to support Indigenous peoples, places and actions.

Poster with text, a partial image of an orange shirt and a small inset photo of Algonquin Elder Albert Dumont. Text reads: Join 'A New Dawn' Friday, September 29 2023 6:30-8:30 pm Kitchissippi United Church 630 Island Park Drive, Ottawa, ON K1Y 0B7. Join Algonquin Spiritual Advisor Alber Dumont of hte Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation and invited guests as we honour, reflect and encourage ways to take action to protect all our kinship relations, including Mother Earth. Albert's original and resdesign orang shirt are available! Celebrate and reflect the newly named Kichi Zibi Mikan parkway! $10 suggested donation or pay only what you can. Tea, coffee and pastries. pnaymark@gmail.com to register.
Poster courtesy of A New Dawn

Urban Growth in Ottawa

GreenLivingOttawa

Ottawa has big decisions coming up that will affect our future as a sustainable and livable city.

On Monday, May 11, Ottawa city councillors on the City’s planning committee and agricultural and rural affairs committee will vote on how to accommodate the city’s projected growth (around 400,000 new residents by 2046).

The key decision is being expressed as what proportion of growth should happen within the existing urban boundary (through intensification), how much through development on vacant land within the boundary, and how much through growth outside the boundary (in rural areas of Ottawa), by expanding the urban boundary.

It’s not really the first question that should be considered. A first step is to look at what kind of growth we are undertaking. Intensification can create livable and sustainable cities, but not the way Ottawa has been doing it. Planning and intensification within the current urban boundary have been driven by the interests of developers, often ignoring city and community plans, the value of existing built and natural environments, and the kind of city that residents want. It’s been led by financial considerations rather than people- and environment-focused ones.

The boundary debate also hasn’t taken into sufficient account who we’re planning and building for. Who will Ottawa’s residents be, what kind of housing and services will be appropriate and affordable for them? How can we increase walkability, social connectedness, and other important features?

Many residents, and groups including Ecology Ottawa, Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital and Healthy Transportation Coalition, are calling on Ottawa City Council not to expand the urban boundary, but rather to Hold the Line. They’re saying that in a climate emergency, Ottawa’s official plan needs to be a climate emergency plan. Expanding the urban boundary will only increase the economic, environmental and social costs that residents will have to bear, including the costs of building and maintaining car-centric roads, expanding connections to water, sewer and other infrastructure, and potential destruction of agricultural and environmentally sensitive lands.

Some thoughtful people have pointed out that the vote doesn’t need to take place right now, on such an important issue. Some aspects are not yet thoroughly reviewed, and we’re in a municipal state of emergency due to COVID-19, which has short-term as well as longer-term implications. As expressed by the Healthy Transportation Coalition, “the sprawl debate is sucking up time and resources that could be put into adapting our existing transportation networks to life with COVID-19, as is happening in many other cities.”

It’s time for the City to have a different debate.

Canada Day in Ottawa

GreenLivingOttawa

Canadian flag image by Pierre-Yves Guihéneuf from Pixabay

It’s Canada Day—a day to reflect on what this country is all about.

For me, it’s increasingly about understanding Canada as a creation of and a continuing space of colonization.

There are many great things about the people and lands where we live, but the narratives that dominate on Canada Day—a celebration of an inclusive, just and kind country, built through the hard work of its residents—mask the perpetuation of relationships that are based on power, privilege and persecution.

Until we can see our country for what it is, we will continue to perpetuate those harmful relationships.

There is plenty of information available on how we got to this situation, and what we need to do about it—including in the writing and activism of Indigenous people, and in successive commissions and enquiries. Some places to start:

1. Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Report and Calls to Action:

“For over a century, the central goals of Canada’s Aboriginal policy were to eliminate Aboriginal governments; ignore Aboriginal rights; terminate the Treaties; and, through a process of assimilation, cause Aboriginal peoples to cease to exist as distinct legal, social, cultural, religious, and racial entities in Canada. The establishment and operation of residential schools were a central element of this policy, which can best be described as ‘cultural genocide.’ …Getting to the truth was hard, but getting to reconciliation will be harder. It requires that the paternalistic and racist foundations of the residential school system be rejected as the basis for an ongoing relationship. Reconciliation requires that a new vision, based on a commitment to mutual respect, be developed.… Virtually all aspects of Canadian society may need to be reconsidered.”

2. Read the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Report and Calls for Justice:

“European nations, followed by the new government of ‘Canada,’ imposed its own laws, institutions, and cultures on Indigenous Peoples while occupying their lands. Racist colonial attitudes justified Canada’s policies of assimilation, which sought to eliminate First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples as distinct Peoples and communities. Colonial violence, as well as racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people, has become embedded in everyday life – whether this is through interpersonal forms of violence, through institutions like the health care system and the justice system, or in the laws, policies and structures of Canadian society. The result has been that many Indigenous people have grown up normalized to violence, while Canadian society shows an appalling apathy to addressing the issue. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls finds that this amounts to genocide. ….Our Calls for Justice aren’t just about institutions, or about governments, although they have foundational obligations to uphold; there is a role for everyone in the short and the long term. Individuals, institutions, and governments can all play a part; we encourage you, as you read these recommendations, to understand and, most importantly, to act on yours.”

3. Learn about why Grand Chief Verna Polson of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council is on a hunger strike outside 100 Wellington Ave. across from Parliament Hill, which like the rest of Ottawa is on unceded Algonquin territory. The federal government is set to open the building at 100 Wellington as an Indigenous Peoples’ Space, in collaboration with the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Metis National Council.

Algonquin nations are asking people to support Grand Chief Polson. You can also send a message to federal government leaders in support of the Algonquin Anishinabe call for a full partnership by using this link, and sign an online petition.

Here is more information from the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Aki Media Project:

“To all people who stand in solidarity with the Algonquin Anishinabe First Nation, we ask that you visit our Grand Chief Verna Polson who is bravely camped at 100 Wellington St. in Ottawa for 11 days now and counting. The Grand Chief is protesting the disrespect the Government of Canada and the three NIOs are showing to the Algonquin People by not including them as full and equal partners, on whose lands Canada’s Parliament Buildings are built. The Algonquin protocols are not being recognized and as titleholders to the land, we must protect it for the children of today and tomorrow. Our rights as a host nation are in jeopardy with this project. We will not be ignored.

We ask that you bring a tobacco tie, containing your prayer and good intentions of support. The Grand Chief will graciously receive your tobacco and keep it safely by her side to inspire and motivate her until the Algonquin Nation are full and equal partners. The tobacco gathered at the protest camp will then be feasted and offered into a sacred fire at a ceremonial site within the perimeters of Algonquin territory. Show your support! Show your respect!”

The establishment of new, respectful and equal relationships with Indigenous peoples and nations? That would be something to celebrate.