Congratulations to us!!! MSN’s report says “These small towns in Ontario get a major glow up every fall, and you’ll feel like you’ve wandered into a colourful fantasyland when visiting them. You can shop at unique shops, explore vibrant trails, and bask in autumn charm by road tripping to these spots.”
Strut a little straighter today and be proud of your Hometown. Yup – Hometown Pride.
Here is the link ….
In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized on behalf of the Canadian government for the Indian residential school system, and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada to find out what happened at the Indian residential schools. The commission released its final report in 2015, which found that the Indian residential school system was an act of “cultural genocide” against the First Nations of Canada.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that the residential school system disrupted the ability of parents to pass on their indigenous languages to their children, leading to 70% of Canada’s Aboriginal languages being classified as endangered. It found that the deliberately poor education offered at the residential school system created a poorly educated indigenous population in Canada, which impacted the incomes those students could earn as adults, and impacted the educational achievement of their children and grandchildren, who were frequently raised in low-income homes. It also found that the sexual and physical abuse received at the schools created life-long trauma in residential school survivors, trauma and abuse which was often passed down to their children and grandchildren, which continues to create victims of the residential school system today.
The inspiration for Orange Shirt Day came from residential school survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad, who shared her story at a St Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School Commemoration Project and Reunion event held in Williams Lake, British Columbia, in the spring of 2013. Phyllis recounted her first day of residential schooling at six years old, when she was stripped of her clothes, including the new orange shirt her grandmother bought her, which was never returned. The orange shirt now symbolizes how the residential school system took away the indigenous identity of its students.
Today, Orange Shirt Day exists as a legacy of the SJM Project, and September 30, the annual date of the event, signifies the time of year when Indigenous children were historically taken from their homes to residential schools. The official tagline of the day, “Every Child Matters”, reminds Canadians that all peoples’ cultural experiences are important.
The Canadian government recently passed legislation to make September 30th a federal statutory holiday called the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This decision relates to Federal employees only. The day provides an opportunity for people to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools. This may present itself as a day of quiet reflection or participation in a community event.
The final report of the Truth and Reconciliation has 94 Calls to Action. There are Calls to Action addressed to the Federal, Provincial and others for Municipal governments. There are also several Calls to Action for the Canadian public. In particular, Call to Action #57 states: We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills- based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.
The Council of Westport passed a by-law to combat racism, discrimination and harassment in 2020. Further, at its August 3, 2021 meeting, the Council of the Village of Westport passed the following resolution :
(a) proclaim the week of September 30, beginning on the previous Sunday, as Truth and Reconciliation Week,
(b) fly the “Every Child Matters” flag at Town Hall during that week, and
(c) provide September 30 as a day of rest and reflection for Village Staff.
I encourage you to spend some time reviewing the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. We all have roles to play towards reconciliation.
Click to access Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf
The UN has designated July 30 as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. Almost a third of all human trafficking victims worldwide are children, according to the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons released in December 2016 by the UNODC. Women and girls comprise 71% of human trafficking victims, the same report states.
The Leeds and Grenville Human Trafficking Coalition was established in 2017 to raise local awareness of its existence in our neighbourhoods. Another important objective of the Coalition is providing workshops to prevent our kids from becoming victims of human trafficking.
Learn more:https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-human-trafficking-day
Late July, and the Bloom’s efforts are in fully display in planters, flower boxes and municipal gardens. The 2nd year of the garden at the Spring has exploded in the past couple of weeks with flowers attracting dozens of pollinators. The beauty of the window boxes at the Museum, with their simple gardens of coleus, never fail to make me smile.
Thank you on behalf of those of us who live, work and visit Westport.
July 23, 2021
As of today, the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit tops the charts amongst public health units for both first and second dose vaccination rates throughout the province. Of the region’s population 12 years of age and over, 88% have first doses and 71% have second doses. The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit is also the first health unit in Ontario to achieve 70% of its population with second doses.
“Our government has been clear, nothing will stop us from having the most successful immunization campaign in the country”, said MPP Steve Clark. “And I couldn’t be more proud that this area is leading the way, demonstrating people’s willingness to be vaccinated and our complete healthcare system’s ability to distribute and administer those vaccines efficiently. I’m grateful for all of our frontline healthcare workers.”
Dr. Paula Stewart, Medical Officer of Health for the region, says she attributes this success to a number of factors.
“The people of LGL have been fantastic! This is wonderful for our community. So many people now have really good COVID-19 protection. And the work continues to reach 90% first and 90% second or higher. This success is a result of great collaboration with all of our partners. Thanks to our staff who have been on the front lines at the vaccine clinics, on the phones or working on supportive roles. Thanks also to the staff who have been doing other COVID related or essential service work that allows the rest to focus on the vaccine program.”
We definitely aren’t done….
There are still many opportunities to get both first and second doses. We have plenty of both Pfizer and Moderna vaccine available at all clinics. if it has been 21 days since you had your first dose of Pfizer or 28 days since your first dose of Moderna, you are able to book your second dose or walk-in at any clinic before the end of August (see dates and times here).
For more information about COVID-19 vaccine, visit https://healthunit.org/covid-19-vaccine/
Robin, The Mayor 
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