SuPPoRTinG WanuSKeWin HeRiTaGe PaRK in iTS biD To be SaSKaTCHeWan’S fiRST uneSCo WoRLD HeRiTaGe SiTe

on a beautiful fall day, under a clear blue sky with a light wind, a buzz of excited energy could be felt among the crowd gathered at Wanuskewin Heritage Park, just outside of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Wanuskewin is known as the “Gathering Place”. And on this day, the day before Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, people gathered to hear Nutrien President & CEO Ken Seitz announce that Nutrien is making a $3 million investment to the UNESCO

Ready Campaign, as the premier partner. This $12 million fundraising campaign is to support Wanuskewin’s application to become Saskatchewan’s first UNESCO World Heritage site by 2025.

“I know that it’s not a small undertaking to gain UNESCO World Heritage Site status, and it takes significant resources,” Seitz said during the event. “It’s for that reason that Nutrien is proud to partner and support this endeavour.”

Wanuskewin has a 6,000-year history in Saskatchewan, and Nutrien is a com- mitted supporter of the organization and its goal to showcase Saskatchewan’s history on a global scale.

“Nutrien has been a constant supporter, not only in our day-to-day capacity, but as allies in our efforts to address Truth and Reconciliation,” says Darlene Brander, CEO Wanuskewin Heritage Park. “As in the past, Nutrien’s support will play a fundamental role in our newest endeavour: to achieve Saskatchewan’s first UNESCO World Heritage designation.”

To achieve this goal, Wanuskewin must meet rigorous UNESCO criteria while simultaneously expanding its already extensive and multi-faceted programming and resource management activity.

Wanuskewin gives the opportunity to delve into the past and discover what life was like for nomadic hunter-gatherer peoples and to be a living reminder of the peoples’ sacred relationship with the land. The theme of Wanuskewin Heritage Park is one of interpretation –exploring and explaining the meaning of Plains cultures to gain a better understanding of ourselves, Saskatchewan’s Indigenous peoples, and our common heritage.

Nutrien’s support for this project is in alignment with its sustainability strategy and is a part of its Diversity and Inclusion community investment focus area. Driven by those commitments, the company strives to leverage its influence to build meaningful relationships and deepen conversations around reconciliation.

“As a company that has a large operating base in Canada, Nutrien acknowledges the colonial history and trauma that has led to the contemporary context we live in today,” says Pam Beaudin, senior Indigenous relations manager at Nutrien. “We work in partnership with

Indigenous leaders and communities to close the gaps colonial policy has created, and we collaborate with Indigenous organizations and institutions to offer community programs, training and employment programming, and stand in solidarity advocating with our partners.” l