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By Kerri Loudoun, EDI Committee Member (kerri.loudoun@skipatrol.ca<\/a>)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n As ski patrollers, our goal is simple: to provide aid, comfort, and safety to anyone who needs it. When winter arrives, we gather from all walks of life to care for our communities. However, truly caring for our guests requires us to understand who they are and the history of the lands we patrol.<\/p>\n On September 30, Canada observes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation<\/a>, also known as Orange Shirt Day<\/a>. Coming just ahead of our winter operations, this day offers CSP members a vital opportunity to reflect on our role in active reconciliation, cultural safety, and trauma-informed community care.<\/p>\n Every ski resort, backcountry trail, and Nordic centre across Canada sits on the traditional, ancestral, and often unceded territories of First Nations, Inuit, and M\u00e9tis peoples. The mountains and wilderness areas we love and protect have been stewarded by Indigenous nations since time immemorial.<\/p>\n As first responders, our interactions with the public happen during moments of high stress, pain, and vulnerability. Understanding the historical and ongoing impacts of systemic trauma \u2013 such as the legacy of the residential school system \u2013 allows us to approach patient care with deeper empathy, respect, and awareness.<\/p>\n Land acknowledgement is an Indigenous protocol, part of Indigenous tradition and custom. By making a land acknowledgement, we recognize the ties the descendants of the First Peoples have to the land \u2013 its importance to their culture, ceremonies, and traditions.<\/p>\n Land acknowledgement is also one of many critical components of reconciliation. It demonstrates recognition of, and respect for, Indigenous peoples and their lands in the context of the past, present, and future. It is a sign of respect and recognition, and it is hard to go wrong with respect and recognition.<\/p>\n In discussions with the equity, diversity, and inclusion committee members, we offer this suggested wording for those patrols who wish to acknowledge the land on which they patrol. Should you choose to recognize the territory on which you patrol, you are encouraged to do so with the following wording:<\/p>\nWhy this matters to ski patrollers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
CSPs land acknowledgment<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u201cWe acknowledge (insert name) territory \u2013 the traditional and ancestral territory of the (insert name). We acknowledge the many First Nations, M\u00e9tis, and Inuit who have lived on, and cared for, these lands for generations. We make this acknowledgement as an act of reconciliation and gratitude to those whose territory on which we volunteer.\u201d <\/div><\/div>\n