A local group is looking to improve the lives of their fellow Indigenous community members with the launch of the Guelph Indigenous Community Council.
While attending recent meetings for the city’s Indigenous Framework development, Randy Freese noticed there “wasn’t a unified voice.”
“We’re all very scattered and kind of butting heads on different ideas,” said Freese, who is Plains Cree and Red River Métis.
“So a few of us left that meeting thinking … we should put together a council and try to unify the people, get them together, repair relationships, build new ones, in order to be unified to talk to the city and different organizations.”
In its early stages, the council is made up of Freese, Evaristo Ramos (Lipan Apache), Verna Miedema (Woodland Cree) and Lori Thomas (Ojibwe, Saugeen First Nation (Bear Clan)), and several advisors, but intends to grow as membership increases.
“Rather than create something with a board of directors like you'd have in a corporation, we wanted to do it in Indigenous way, led by Indigenous people. Why not call it a council and make it so we can all have a voice,” Freese said.
“We can't just keep talking about it over and over. Something needs to change, because obviously, this path hasn’t worked,” Ramos said.
The idea is to unite the community as a catalyst for change – to ensure local Indigenous needs are being met, and foster a sense of culture and community.
They see it as a sort of community hub to get things started, ensure the proper people (not necessarily the four of them) are speaking for the community, and facilitate communication within the community to develop a unified voice.
They also hope to bring more resources and teachings to Guelph, and to leave a legacy for local Indigenous youth, in part with a land-based community learning space that will include Guelph Indigenous peoples, businesses and artists.
Freese said since moving to Guelph in 2017, it’s been difficult to access proper teachings, which was part of his motivation for wanting to start the council.
“I was going to events, meeting people. But they weren't sharing information. And then we had that meeting at the city hall, it really showed me just how fractured we are as a community. And it didn't sit right with me.”
He emphasized they’re not trying to control everything or step on toes – “we’re not really even trying to be political. It’s just to bring people together.”
The council intends to unite everyone – from First Nations to Métis and Inuit, and anyone else who might “fall through the cracks” of other Indigenous organizations.
They’re also in the process of looking for a regular location to meet, “to foster a place where the community knows that they can come join us,” Ramos said.
“We're all just kind of urban, Indigenous people that needed a place for people to come together. And I'm hoping that's enough for people that want to be a part of something,” Freese said.
“The whole idea behind the unified voice (is that) there can’t be two or three Indigenous people, in a whole city full of Indigenous people, saying ‘this is what we want, and we’re demanding it now,” he said.
Ramos said they want to be respectful and ensure every person has a voice. He also said it’s important the roles within the council be “changeable” between people, to ensure it carries on when people leave positions.
“We are stronger as a group,” Ramos said.
You can read more about the Guelph Indigenous Community Council, share your ideas or apply to become a member here.
