My name is Dionne Reelis-Clazie. I am Métis, from Northern Labrador, and I work as a surgical clinical resource nurse at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. I was born in Labrador City, which today has a population of about 7,400.
On my father’s side, my family descends from Inuit and English/Scottish ancestry. We lived near Cartwright, Labrador, in a place called North River. My children are the last of this unique bloodline. I came to Ontario with my mother when I was six years old, and throughout my childhood I moved back and forth between Oakville and Labrador until my teens.
My grandfather was a trapper who hunted to provide food and clothing for our family. In the summer, he and my grandmother would set up fishing nets and sell their catch to locals. At home, my grandmother cared for 13 children on her own. Looking back, I realize what a gift it was to spend time in nature and with the people of North River, where our family home still stands. My great-great-great-grandmother, Lydia Campbell wrote a memoir called “Sketches of Labrador Life” and a relative Anne Budgell wrote about how Labrador endured during the Spanish Flu in the book We all Expected to Die.
My grandfather was also a gifted storyteller. When I was a child, he would begin by asking, “Have you ever seen the Borealis in the middle of the night?” I thought he was starting a conversation, but really, he was sharing a story that had been passed down for generations, one I now pass on to my own children. These are the moments I hold onto. They remind me to celebrate the beauty of our culture.
In the 10 years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its 94 Calls to Action, land acknowledgements have become more common in many aspects of Canadian life. I invite you to pause and reflect on what they truly mean.
When I learned Halton Healthcare worked with Grandmothers Voice to update its land acknowledgement for an upcoming plaque installation at all of our hospitals, I was encouraged. To me, land acknowledgements should be spoken with intention, not as routine or filler. Said with care, they carry meaning and impact.
They are also tied to the souls of animals and the respect we hold for them. Our people have always been grateful to Mother Nature and to the animals that allowed us to live from the land. Recognizing the significance and magnificence of animals has long been central to our reflections.
On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we honour the resilience, strength and dignity of residential school survivors, their families and communities. It is also a time to think about the broader process of reconciliation and our shared responsibility to build respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
Residential schools were part of a systemic effort to strip away Indigenous identity and culture. Today, we honour the voices, stories and experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. As we continue on the journey toward reconciliation, let us carry these lessons forward with humility, respect and commitment working together to build lasting relationships rooted in truth, healing and hope for future generations.
I encourage you to take time today to learn about the history of this land, the local Indigenous Peoples, and the ongoing impacts of colonialism. I also look forward to the formal installation of new land acknowledgement plaques at each of our sites. Their locations have been chosen with care, offering places for staff and visitors to reflect and connect with Mother Nature.