Edmonton council asked to commit long term to reconciliation

November 24, 2015.

Reconciliation in Solidarity Edmonton says it is not enough that Edmonton city council has re-allocated funding in its proposed three-year budget to implement five of 94 calls to action made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“I would like to see city council commit to reconciliation with words, resources, and actions in this three-year operating budget. I want funding committed to making the calls to action a reality in our city and to complement the grassroots change many are trying to make in Edmonton,” said RISE co-founder Kasey Machin.

Machin and fellow RISE member Sara Komarnisky appeared before city council yesterday as part of the public budget process. The RISE delegates were among about two dozen people who gave input as part of two separate panels on the three-year budget council is working on. The budget would begin in 2016.

At issue, says RISE, is money that the city has committed to reconciliation. That funding, according to the city’s proposed budget, comes from dollars saved through “responsible administration” of the Wicihitowin Society. The $250,000 saved will be allocated in the 2016 budget to supporting a handful of the calls to action made by the TRC.

During Treaty 6 Day in September, Mayor Don Iveson, an honourary witness for the TRC, committed the city to implementing the five calls to action that are specific to municipalities. Those recommendations are: fully adopting and implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; reforming laws and policies that embrace concepts that justify European sovereignty over Indigenous peoples; educating employees on Aboriginal history, including the legacy of Indian residential schools;  commemorating and protecting sites where residential school children are buried; and, collecting and providing relevant Indian residential school documents to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

“You’re not suggesting we fund all 94 because we’ve identified five … as the five we want to focus on as a city. Do you support taking a focus strategy or are you asking for something over and above that, that the city, through grants or something, support community action toward the other 89?” Iveson asked Machin.

Machin said she wanted to see the city take a full pro-active role.

“The final report of the TRC is not a list of recommendations or advice that can be ignored. They’re calls to action that require a response. Whether a yes or no. What is the city of Edmonton’s response to these 94 calls to action? I hope it’s a resounding yes, supported by long-term committed funding from my city council,” said Machin.

Komarnisky said that in her time living in Edmonton off and on, and now more consistently since 1999, she has noticed a change in attitude, pointing to the recognition of Treaty 6 territory by city council, the school board and the University of Alberta.

“It’s one thing to change the way people talk about this place, the people and our relationships to one another. But it’s also necessary to change the structures of the city, to bring reconciliation and relationships to the heart of how this city lives and works,” she said.

Komarnisky noted that in the preamble of the budget document, acting city manager Linda Cochrane wrote, “This long-term approach will put the city in a better position to bring council’s long-term goals to life.”

Said Komarnisky, “Given that we are looking at the budget as a long-term plan for the most important issues that face our city, I would like to see long-term dedicated and secure funding for work on reconciliation.”

Considering Machin understood the difficulties of the budget process and the proposed property tax increase of 4.9 per cent in each of three years, Councillor Andrew Knack asked if she wanted council to “continue to drive that number up” in order for reconciliation to be fully funded?

“I would be okay with paying more taxes if it meant we were investing in the city’s infrastructure, which to me, doesn’t just mean physical infrastructure. There’s a social and emotional infrastructure that I think we need to invest in. I think that’s as important, and perhaps, if we don’t have long term committed funding toward the calls to action, I think we will pay for it later,” said Machin.

Council is to begin budget deliberation on Nov. 27.