As a non-Indigenous organization, Dimensions Algonquin Highlands occupies space in Treaty 20 territory. As such, we must remain conscious of the deeper history of the land where we operate. Dimensions is committed to being a genuine ally to Indigenous Peoples and place, with an emphasis on the communities where Dimensions Retreats are located. We are in the process of establishing relationships in Algonquin Highlands with Indigenous Elders, individuals, and communities. Over the past few months, Dimensions has:

• Entered into a formal contract partnership with Waaseyaa Consulting, an Indigenous consulting company. Waaseyaa Consulting will guide us through best practices related to Indigenous engagement and meaningful relations at our Algonquin Highlands location.
• Met with a local Indigenous Elder on the Algonquin Highlands property to introduce our vision and commitment to the community.
• Begun working to support and develop commercial partnerships with Indigenous businesses.
• Dimensions team to continue to learn about professional responsibilities and educate ourselves on the history of the land and Indigenous peoples.
• Developed initial engagement strategies to meaningfully involve Indigenous communities including:
  • Creating a Diversity and Inclusion policy for hiring purposes, with guidance from neighbouring Indigenous communities.
  • All Dimensions therapists will be trained in Indigenous cultural safety training to enhance self-awareness and strengthen the skills of those who will provide care and work directly with Indigenous people.
  • Dimensions is committed to donating a portion of its revenues to local Indigenous communities and organizations.
  • Dimensions has established formal considerations and protections for Indigenous cultural heritage sites during all construction projects. Dimensions will work with Indigenous communities and those archaeologists they recommend on construction projects. We commit to surface work on hiking trails to ensure as little disturbance to potential cultural heritage sites as possible.
  • Dimensions has begun discussions about how to honour Indigenous Peoples and knowledge appropriately and meaningfully, through relationships and Indigenous-led initiatives, specifically in the areas where we will operate.

  In addition to continuing work around the above initiatives, we commit to the following next steps:

• Commenced recruiting Indigenous representation on our Advisory Board. We encourage individuals from Indigenous communities within Treaty 20 and all Indigenous candidates with professional or lived experience to contact: [email protected]
• Relationship building with Indigenous communities connected to the land now known as Algonquin Highlands
• To non-Indigenous people in the Dimensions community, we strongly encourage you to enter into a long-term commitment to learn about the deeper history of the land that you’re on and to develop respectful, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous Peoples in your area. Learn from them. Support them – support artists, craftspeople, knowledge-holders, and events. These actions are specific and local – so you have to do your own homework to get connected.We promise to remain open and committed to working with Indigenous individuals, communities, and nations to determine ways that Dimensions can best support Indigenous communities in the Algonquin Highlands region and all other places where Dimensions is located.We don’t have all of the answers. If you have any suggestions as to how Dimensions can continue to support Indigenous Peoples, we are open to all feedback.

Land acknowledgements have become like financial disclosures – something that most companies have but many skim over. Dimensions is conscious to go beyond land acknowledgements; we know that it’s more than just stating whose land we are guests on and that we must continuously recognize and dismantle the ways that settler colonialism continues to attempt to cripple Indigenous communities, territories, and cultures.

I have learned that the land now known as Algonquin Highlands is Anishinaabeaki, the ancestral territory of Anishinaabeg People, where many Indigenous communities still remain. I have also learned that this area is a place where Indigenous Peoples travelled, traded, and harvested on the land, lakes, and river systems that are scattered throughout the region until settler colonialism interrupted their traditional lifeways.

As a descendant of settlers, I have learned that it is unacceptable that many people do not understand how colonialism has shaped the history of the land now known as Canada. Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have had connections with land that are deeply rooted in reciprocal relationships, and a deep understanding of the land was of the utmost importance for survival.

In our arrogance and ignorance, settlers and further generations of their descendants took the land and attempted to decimate Indigenous existence through genocidal actions. European settlers came to this land with the belief that they were civilized and knew better than those who have thrived here – with complex and sophisticated trade-based economies and spiritual systems – for thousands of years.

As you read this, I encourage you to think and reflect on the history of the land you are on right now and to learn of those Indigenous peoples who remain the original stewards of that land. Do you know whose ancestral territory you’re on?

For settlers, it is extremely important to acknowledge the land that we are on and the Indigenous Peoples we have displaced, severely harmed, and forced to assimilate into settler colonial culture. It is our responsibility to try and rectify this situation through open communication, honesty in our school classrooms, diversion and inclusion policies, supporting the Indigenous Peoples in our community by building authentic relationships and, finally, reciprocity.

We must acknowledge and understand that genocide, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, land theft, and many other atrocities continue to take place. Further, we must alter our own existence on this land that we now share in order to form respect-based relationships with Indigenous Peoples and the lands that we now call home.

To become a better relation to Indigenous peoples I strongly encourage you to take action around the question: “What can I do to become a better relation to Indigenous Peoples where I live, work, and visit?” If you need a place to start, look to Native-Land.ca to find out whose territory you’re on. Then you can begin researching the deeper history of your area.

Though I still have so much to learn, some very surface-level research has taught me that two treaties cover the Algonquin Highlands area: the Williams Treaties and the Robinson-Huron Treaty. The Williams Treaties were signed on October 31 and November 15, 1923, by seven Anishinaabe First Nations and representatives of the Crown. A commission was established by Canada and led by treaty commissioner A.S. Williams to address lands that had not been surrendered via treaty. The territories covered by the Williams Treaties stretched from the northern shore of Lake Ontario to Lake Nipissing, and together cover approximately 52,000 square kilometres. The geography of the Treaties overlaps with several previous treaties.

The Robinson-Huron Treaty was signed on September 9, 1850, in Sault Ste. Marie. Treaty commissioner William Robinson signed on behalf of the Crown, and several chiefs signed on behalf of First Nations, including noted Anishnaabeg Chief Shinguakonse (1773-1854), also known as “Little Pine” and a veteran of the War of 1812.

Though these are some of the facts surrounding the treaties that cover the area now known as Algonquin Highlands, I have yet to learn directly from Indigenous Peoples who are included in these treaties exactly what impact of these treaties have on their lives today, and how I can step into my role – as a settler on this land – to uphold up my part of the agreement.

It is my hope, that in sharing this information with you, we are encouraging greater settler consciousness. We seek to participate in a longer, deeper understanding of Indigenous history. For us, it is the only path to developing genuine, respectful relationships.

With gratitude,

Andrew Galloway, Co-founder + COO