matter for reconciliation

The geographer Yi-Fu Tuan recognized that humans have universal biological, psychological, social and spiritual needs for both space and place.

Non-Indigenous settler Canadians' connections to the land vary. For example, according to recent statistics, almost one in four people here are immigrants, one in nine Canadians live abroad and one in nine Canadians have multiple citizenships.

For settler Canadians, even if we do stay put, we are by definition removed from our ancestral lands, even if our families have been here for generations. Yet we can be fiercely attached to place, so much so that it becomes a centre for our belonging, behaviour and how we make sense of the world.

In this light, place is more than a location; it also imbues human experiences, emotions and meanings tied to our environment.

Place and collective identity

Environmental psychology suggests place can also become a source of our collective identity. For Canadians, land has become a powerful source of not only attachment but also self-definition, distinction and pride.

This can be constructed and encouraged by culture and media; indeed, the CBC and the National Film Board exist to serve such purposes.

Popular portrayals of Canada have traditionally depicted nature.

Artists like Emily Carr, Gordon Lightfoot and Lucy Maud Montgomery conjured images of landscapes that became

Community Food Centre approved for retrofit

emblazoned, in varied ways, in settler Canadians' national imagination and self-concepts, through their own circulation, additional commentary and the arts, culture and tourism sectors.

Place branding

These portrayals matter. Place branding has important implications in the international arena for political influence, trading relationships and more.

Canada's lauded tourist attractions include natural splendour like Niagara Falls, the Rocky Mountains, Whistler, Baffin Island and Vancouver Island, and new ways of thinking about how to narrate the stories of these places.

Unprecedented interest in Indigenous culture and history shines a spotlight on Canada and its relations with First Peoples.

Depicting place

My study, Tar Wars, illustrated how representations of place have mattered to public understandings of Alberta and Canada in light of their stewardship of the Athabasca tar/oilsands.

That study showed how several independent documentary films, like Dirty Oil and Tipping Point: The Age of the Oil Sands, called out Alberta/Canada for running roughshod over the boreal forest and waters of northern Alberta. These films called attention to the effects the massive extraction project had on the health, well-being and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples in affected communities.

The oil industry and the Alberta and federal governments responded with PR campaigns assert- ing their compliance with environmental standards, and the dedication of industry employees.

Popular images of Canada's pristine wilderness were challenged by images of limitless openpit mines and poisoned water. One viral photo depicted 500 oil-soaked dead ducks. These images fed a perceptible shift in the framing of Alberta/ Canada in some popular media, raising questions about who we are and what we value as a nation.

Place as inspiration for action

As the TRC reminds us, reconciliation is an ongoing process of engagement. If settler Canadians value their home, their place and how it's perceived here and abroad, then we may pause on the nation's 156th birthday to imagine how diverse Indigenous Peoples, who have been here since time immemorial, might feel about this place sometimes called Canada.

We might choose to take up Ermine's invitation to create new ethical spaces for engagement.

This could mean drawing on our common attachment to and identification with the land (albeit manifested in different ways) to establish and maintain mutually respectful relationships.

This Canada Day (and every day), creating new ethical spaces for reconciliation seems like a fitting way to celebrate what singer Jully Black noted in her rendition of our national anthem at the 2023 NBA all-star game: our home on Native land.

Improvements are expected to reduce facility's energy consumption by 30 per cent

Minister of Indigenous Services Honourable Patty Hajdu announced a federal investment of $735,360 on June 29 to renovate and retrofit the Roots Community Food Centre in Thunder Bay.

Through this investment, the Centre will install new doors and upgraded windows with solar shading that will minimize heat loss in the winter and keep the building naturally cool in the summer. It will also enable them to install a new boiler that uses locally sourced wood pellets and create a rain garden with plants and natural materials found locally that will capture rainwater and mitigate runoff.

These improvements are expected to reduce the facility's energy consumption by an estimated 30.2 per cent and greenhouse gas emissions by 124 tonnes annually.

The Centre serves people in the greater Thunder Bay community who are food insecure by using food as a tool to connect people and build belonging and dignity. Alongside outreach and advocacy programs, the centre provides community members with access to shared meals, fresh produce markets, cooking and garden courses, and employment experiences.

"Every day, Roots Community Food Centre makes sure people get food, connections and community. They offer programs that nourish the soul and make sure that no one goes hungry amongst us. They work to welcome people to a place where they belong and can learn new skills, and meet new people. The Government of Canada will continue to invest in organizations and community infrastructure that are taking climate action and building more resilient and inclusive communities across Canada,” said Hajdu in a release.

The Government of Canada is investing $735,360 in this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program (GICB).

"This contribution from GICB is essential in ensuring that Roots Community Food Centre can operate from a building that is able to weather the changing climate pressures, reduce our carbon footprint and maintain a space that is accessible and welcoming to all,” said Executive Director of Roots Food Community Centre Erin Beagle. “We’re excited to make changes that allow us to adapt and showcase how green building innovations can be included in community spaces and we're thankful to the Government of Canada for their investment in this space that provides dignified food access and community connection for so many people in Thunder Bay."

At least 10 per cent of funding is allocated to projects serving First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, including Indigenous populations in urban centres.