From the Office of the Mayor – 2024 Land Acknowledgement Ceremony

Invitation to Annual Land Acknowledgement Ceremony 

Since 2020, Mississippi Mills Council has held a Land Acknowledgement Ceremony at the start of each year to help re-establish relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in our community. To underline its importance, the ceremony is embedded in Council’s Procedural By-law so that this time of acknowledgement and learning happens at least every year. 

This year’s ceremony will be held during tomorrow’s, January 30th Council meeting and led by Larry McDermott, Algonquin Elder from Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation. Elder McDermott has remained a source of guidance to me and to Council as we continue to strive to restore relationships.  

Our community has a long history of settler and Indigenous relations. We see tomorrow’s Annual Sacred Ceremony as a time of renewal and recommitment to relationships that may have been forgotten.  The ceremony will include smudging, the land acknowledgement statement and an address from Elder McDermott. Like all Council meetings, everyone is welcome, and I encourage you to attend.  

Those who cannot attend, are able to livestream the meeting at https://events.mississippimills.ca/council .  Our Council meeting will begin with the Land Acknowledgement at 6:00 p.m. 

Mayor Christa Lowry

Municipality of Mississippi Mills