Lands summit coming up
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) is encouraging community members to attend a “lands summit” that’ll be hosted at the Knights of Columbus next month. The two-day event will centre on getting people engaged and educated about land-related issues in the territory, said Carly Kateri Diabo, among those helping to organize it.
Participants will get the chance to provide their feedback on land use in Kahnawake, the community engagement officer for the MCK said, mentioning the returned land around Highway 30 as one example.
The Lands Unit came up with the idea to host the summit while consultations over the land by Highway 30, Diabo said. Nearly 500 acres of land there has already been returned from Quebec, but community members still need to be engaged on how exactly to best make use of that land.
“We knew that we needed to consult the community. And then it kind of just snowballed somewhere,” Diabo said. “It just makes sense to bring everybody together, with the common theme of land.”
The summit will be hosted at the Knights of Columbus on February 11 and 12. Attendees aren’t expected to attend on both days; the first is aimed at youth and elders in town, with the second geared toward the general public.
“We’re really trying to encourage anybody who wants to come on out, students and teachers, to come on down,” said Diabo, who sent out invitations for elementary and high school classes to attend. “We’re going to be having a lot of games and hands-on demos.”
While there, participants will also be able to weigh in on environmental protection and visioning projects currently underway by the Kahnawake Environment Protection Office (KEPO). Feedback will also be sought by Sports and Recreation about upgrades to Matty’s Park and its recreation plan, which touches on the design of a new Kahnawake Youth Center (KYC) building.
Community members can also come to learn more about the outstanding Seigneury of Sault St. Louis land grievance against Canada and share their thoughts on how land in the Seigneury footprint could be used in the instance it was returned.
Various keynote speakers are scheduled to speak, including Roiahtate Horn from Sports and Recreation, Carlee Loft from KEPO, and Neil McComber, the consultant the MCK hired to speak to the community about the land around Highway 30. A more detailed agenda with all the speakers expected to attend should be released soon, Diabo said.
Those who attend will be able to enter their name for various prizes, which will include tickets to educational workshops, Shop Kahnawake gift certificates, and even hours of free ice time at the Sports Complex.
“You'll be leaving with information and some swag,” Diabo said.
