To Whom It Concerns, I am a…

To Whom It Concerns,

I am a Mi'kmaq (Indigenous) woman who has called Toronto home for 50 years.

To this day, Indigenous peoples have always and continue to hold respect, love and gratitude for all of creation. We are all interconnected and must consider our human impacts upon all of our relations now and seven generations ahead. Water is life. All living beings need clean healthy waters to survive and thrive. We have teachings about the waters and the responsibilities of being in a respectful and reciprocal relationship with all kin. Mother Earth continues to be greatly harmed by colonial and capitalist systems. Reparations and "reconciliACTION" also needs to happen with the lands, waters, and all beings. It is time to think of our future instead of economic development. These wetlands are priceless. All species of turtles in Ontario are at risk. This will destroy their habitant and will have devastating impacts as we are all interconnected to one another.

Development upon wetlands will increase risks of floods especially as the climate crisis worsens. What happened in BC in 2021 is a perfect example. That area was a lake that was drained and is now prone to flooding.

When will people realized the consequences of their actions? Probably when it's too late. Indigenous peoples are less than 5% of the world's population yet protect 80% of the world's biodiversity by being in relationship with the Earth.

It is important to remember these are Indigenous lands. Consultation and collaboration with Indigenous peoples is an important step in reconciliation. Canada's government continues to perpetuating colonial practices. All levels of government need to honour treaty rights. This is a violation of the Nations of Indigenous peoples whose territory you live and work upon.