Time to (re)Commit to Truth and Reconciliation

Today marks seven years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) presented its full, ten-volume final report to Canadians. The report was the culmination of nearly 7,000 witness statements, 1,355 hours of recordings from seven national events, and dozens of community events over its seven-year mandate.

You will see the number seven come up several times when referring to the TRC and that is what makes this anniversary so significant. The Commission was founded on the principles of the Seven Sacred Teachings, also known as the Seven Grandfather Teachings: Love. Respect. Courage. Honesty. Wisdom. Humility. Truth. These teachings are present in the seven flames that create the circle of the TRC logo and in the way they carried out their work. Now that seven years has passed since their work was completed, we should be reminded to revisit and recommit to the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action.

Since the TRC, the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) has been on its own journey of truth and reconciliation. In early 2018, a presentation was made to OPPI Council and conversations amongst leadership began about the role of OPPI in reconciliation. A year later, the Indigenous Planning Perspectives Task Force (IPPTF) was formed. The Task Force met several times over the first half of 2019, soliciting input from a broad range of planners through focus groups, surveys, and one-on-one conversations. The Task Force’s final report was presented to Council in June 2019 and 14 recommendations were adopted.

In follow up to the report, OPPI struck an Indigenous Planning Advisory Committee (IPAC). Over the past two and a half years, IPAC has continued to advise staff on key actions to move the recommendations forward. This coming June, on the four-year anniversary of the report, OPPI will present an update to its members and the broader community, outlining the status of each of the recommendations and the actions that have been taken since they were first adopted.

Turning back to today’s anniversary, OPPI, like all Canadians, still has a tremendous amount of work to do in the broader work of reconciliation. There is a role to play for OPPI in nearly every one of the 94 Calls to Action, whether with the Ontario planning profession directly, with the partners and networks we are connected to, or as individuals who call this place home. In the coming months, we will be working to tie the recommendations of the Indigenous Planning Perspectives Task Force report to the TRC Calls to Action and continuing to share our progress. We will also be looking at opportunities to adopt the Principles of Reconciliation and the articles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into our organizational practices.

The work of truth and reconciliation must be a collective effort. OPPI will be looking to our membership and partners to support us in this work in the weeks, months, and years to come. As Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Murray Sinclair said upon the TRC final report release, “We have described for you a mountain. We have shown you a path to the top. We call upon you to do the climbing.” We hope you will continue to join us on our reconciliation climb.