Board meetings begin with acknowledgement of territory

Peel District School Board trustees approved a motion to start meetings with the statement:†We would like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. Mississauga Wards 6 and 11 Trustee Robert Crocker brought the motion forward. Crocker is a former history teacher who always made a concerted effort to make First Nations history a part of his lesson plans. When he became a trustee last fall, Crocker was appointed the board’s representative to the First Nation, MÈtis and Inuit Circle. “I knew that the (Aboriginal) community would appreciate the verbal acknowledgement, and knew as well that it has become increasingly commonly used at political gatherings and union meetings,” Crocker said.