MEETING RECAP - 27th November 2017
Submitted by Will Arscott
Gilles Dorval - Director of Aboriginal Relations City of Saskatoon
Saskatoon Answers the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The meeting was held at the newly renovated Saskatoon Club. Several members, including your scribe, worked up their appetite for lunch by reporting to the Bessborough. The meeting was presided by President Mark Gryba who was only a couple of minutes late after dealing with a dental emergency in a five year old.
Greeter - Huey-Ming Tzeng
Cashier - Wayne McGillivray
Visitors and Guests - Mike Giesbrecht
Set-up - Al Morton
Grace - Al Morton
O Canada was led by Wayne McGillivray who despite his cold filled the room as always.
Grace - Al Morton reminded us to be ever thankful ahead of the holiday season.
Visitors and Guests - Mike Giesbrecht
Eva Dyck - guest of Huey-Ming Tzeng (Eva is a colleague in the College of Nursing I believe.)
Neil Sundby - honey salesman extraordinaire and guest of Dave. So long as the fines keep rolling in let the Sundby continue to sell their honey at meetings.
Matt Lessick - is with the TD Bank in Saskatoon and has been a Rotarian in Vegreville and Yellowknife. He has been checking out our club and we hope to see him on many further occasions.
Gilles Dorval our guest speaker who will be introduced below.
Announcements
There has been a change with regard to our meeting on December 3rd. There will be no club election. A roster for the election is settled but it was decided to delay the election pending a presentation from the merger committee. If some club functions are to be merged over the five city clubs then we will be electing a different group than if we remain responsible for all our own administration. The merger committee will report to our club very early in the new year. Other clubs are also delaying their elections.
The new program for the December 3rd meeting with feature Winston Blake giving the club an update on the RAP project.
The December 11th meeting will have a presentation by Peter Voldeng and the membership committee. We need the whole club to support our efforts in this area. Hopefully, Peter will bring some practical suggestions of the things we can do.
Our last meeting before the new year is on December 18th and will be our traditional Christmas luncheon. The meal will be more extensive so the Bessborough need an accurate head count ahead. Please get the information as to how many you are bringing to Dave Sundby as soon as you are able. We also need to know the number of children who will be present as we want to alert Santa so he has something special for them. It was decided only children present and willing to sit on Santa’s knee will receive presents. Please get information as to numbers and children in as soon as possible.
We use the Christmas meeting to recognize Bethany Homes. Wayne McG will invite their representatives to our meeting. The cheque to recognize our guest speakers will be ready to be presented at the meeting. We also provide supplies for the girls. If you can donate items it would be greatly appreciated.
Thursday November 7th is the North Club’s steak night at the Sutherland Bar and Lounge. Tickets are only $20 and are available from Dave Sundby.
King George Christmas Market: Please sign up to set-up, work or take down. The sheets are on the tables. Many hands make for light work. We could always use more gifts so see what you and those around you can do.
Enchanted Forest: Dave still needs help particularly on the weekends and between Christmas and New Year when things are busiest. Dave reported that things have been very busy at the forest to date. Several records have been set including one on the first walking night.
Grocery cards: Unfortunately, Gary Rusu reports that the rate of sales is down. We were planning to purchase $10,000 in Sobey’s cards but it wouldn’t make sense to do so if they cannot be sold in a reasonable time. Please buy some cards. You need groceries over the holidays. You can also express to Gary your intention to buy cards in the new year so he can estimate our needs and purchase cards accordingly.
There were two points of interest announced by President Mark. First, he has now signed on behalf of our club the Rotary memorandum of understanding for the RAP program. With Mark’s signature all five clubs have officially endorsed this memorandum. Secondly, our club was recognized at the zone level with an award for public image. This was in recognition of the work we did to raise the profile of our hundredth anniversary and of all Rotary in Saskatoon. The award recognized our club and District 5550.
Sergeant at Arms - Dave Sundby
- Gary Rusu was fined for too aggressively selling grocery cards.
- It was suggested that those who had not yet signed up to work at the KG Market should pay a fine.
- Those who had brought guests were fined. I am not sure why. I thought we wanted guests particularly guests that might become members.
- Peter Z was fined for sending long emails and Wayne S was fined for not responding to emails.
Happy and Sad
- President Mark put in a mixed dollar for his last son moving out of the house. He is happy for his son but not sure how the empty house is going to feel. Mark was happy for the Stamps choke their second in two years.
- Wayne McG put in a happy dollar for the Stamps choke and one for the impending arrival of the Australian grandchildren for six weeks in the Saskatchewan deep freeze (maybe not). He was only able to put in one happy dollar because he claims entertaining Australians becomes expensive.
- Gary Rusu four happy dollar for being able to golf four days in a row for the first time ever. It was kind of nice and hopefully will happen a few more times in the years to come.
Guest Speaker - Gilles Dorval from the City of Saskatoon.
Saskatoon Answers the Call to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Gilles has been with the City of Saskatoon for 27 years. He reports being brought in and mentored by our own Paul Gauthier. At the present time he is Director of Aboriginal Relations for the city.
Our members have now had several meetings devoted to aspects of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This commission grew out of the Residential Schools commission. The damage done by residential schools still resonates through the aboriginal communities. It is impossible for people to parent well when they have no model in their own lives. In the Residential School hearings, the survivors asked for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission similar to the one undertaken in South Africa after the end of apartheid. The purpose was positive to try to find a way forward and to begin to work together.
The original commission was led by Denis Arcand and it decided it would not issue recommendations like the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples had. Instead, they chose to issue calls to action and then challenge all stakeholders to implement those calls within their own communities. In this way, it was hoped the TRC would do something lasting beyond producing a document to gather dust for all time.
Gilles did recognize our RAP program as an important initiative in the area of aboriginal relations in Saskatoon. We did not conceive the program in this way in the first instance. It is wonderful to hear that it is able to serve the goals of the TRC. The club most appreciated Gilles’ remarks.
From the beginning, the City of Saskatoon has taken the call to action issued by the TRC seriously. This call was issued about the time of the Stonechild Inquiry which made improving aboriginal relations in Saskatoon an imperative. The first aim was to create an ethical space for conversation. Healing could not begin until there was an acknowledgement of the past.
City efforts began with a Listen Learn Show-up and Share conference in 2012. The purpose was to stress that there were things we all could do as organizations and as individuals. From the beginning the city has sought to use social media in this area. Settlement agencies have participated from the beginning. There has been a desire to make the place of the aboriginal people in Canada known to new Canadians. Often elders participate in ceremonies to induct new Canadian citizens.
A logo was created which was a slow process. At first the logo featured a cross at the center to represent ‘where our paths meet.’ This was seen by some in the aboriginal community as putting a religious symbol at the centre. Specifically, the religious symbol of the groups that had run the residential schools. Eventually the problem was solved by rotating the cross a quarter turn and putting it on its side. Corporate Canada now wants to use the logo but there are problems with using it in a commercial sphere.
A large part of Gilles’ talk took us through a series of specific calls to action made by the TRC and examples of what has been done in our city to meet those calls. It was impossible to get all the items he mentioned or all the detail but here are just a few examples:
#40: Create Aboriginal Specific victim services: The city police and other agencies now maintain a list of translators that can aid with many languages. Many aboriginal languages are available including one that are less common in this area. As well, services in many non-aboriginal languages are available. This makes it much easier and comfortable for non-official language speakers to negotiate the justice system.
#43: To support aboriginal rights as outlined in the United Nations Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNRIP). This includes allowing aboriginal groups to hold land on a fee simple rather than a communal basis as reserves are held. This gives the holder much more leeway to operate as a business and seek commercial profit. Most urban reserves hold land on this basis. When aboriginals hold land this way they no longer need their neighbours to approve of changes in land use. This speeds things up and decreases the ability for racially motivated holding up of acquisitions and projects.
#47: To reform law and policies based on European sovereignty over indigenous peoples. The Indian Act is still a huge problem in Canada. Progress is being made with equity and inclusion policies.
#53: Educate public servants on the history and culture of aboriginal people. The city has undertaken several initiatives in this area and they have been very well received.
#57: Collaborate to promote public dialogue for reconciliation. The city now has over 60 community partners in the effort. There are initiatives in community education to support these initiatives.
#67: Call of libraries to make information on Aboriginal issues available to the largest community possible. The Saskatoon Public Library has been very active in this area. Specific space has been dedicated for this purpose and materials have been bought and made available to the public.
#79: Commemorate aboriginal people’s history and contributions to Canada. This can involve such things as naming streets and other civic features for aboriginal people. The new north commuter bridge will be named for a yet undecided aboriginal person. It also includes the statue to missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls that stands outside the new police station. There was some resistence to this statue but, as Gilles pointed out, what community would want to recognize such a thing. [editor’s note: it is likely useful for the police to have to go by the statue everyday to remind them of their responsibility to protect everyone.]
#92: Ensure access of aboriginal people to jobs. Again, there are several initiatives in this area.
Our club was left knowing that there exists a commitment in Saskatoon and this is being translated into some very practical initiatives by dedicated people such as Gilles. We all could be doing more.
Gilles was thanked by President Mark and a regular donation will be made to Bethany Homes. Gilles seemed pleased.
Adjournment
