ABOUT
Photo by Deb Halbot
ABOUT
Green Orillia is a volunteer-run community organization focused on climate action, social justice, advocacy, education, democracy, and community resilience.
Founded in January 2018 by Gillian Lowry and stewarded by Madeleine Fournier since July of 2020, Green Orillia continues to grow thanks to the support of family, friends, and other community members.
Green Orillia is inspired to address the root causes of our environmental crisis and recognizes that social and environmental justices are intertwined. To this end, we acknowledge that colonialism and capitalism are at the root cause of the environmental (and many other) crises facing us today. We also acknowledge the multiple and intersecting oppressions that stand in the way of sustainability, including race, class, sexuality, ability, and gender. Through our platform we intend to centre the voices and experiences of those most impacted by environmental degradation as they can offer real and meaningful solutions.
contact
greenorillia@gmail.com
Land acknowledgement
Green Orillia acknowledges that our work is centered on the Land of the Anishinaabeg people. The Anishinaabeg include the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Pottawatomi nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy. We also acknowledge the many other Indigenous, Métis and Inuit Peoples who have and continue to inhabit this Land.
In 1830 the ‘Coldwater Experiment’ was actually one of the first examples of the reserve system within Canada, where Indigenous peoples in this region were forced to abandon their culture and traditional ways of living and relocate to the Coldwater Reserve which stretched from Orillia to Coldwater.
They were later separated into three communities, known today as Mnjikaning/Chippewas of Rama First Nation, the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation and G’Chimnissing/Beausoleil First Nation – together known as the Chippewa Tri-Council. These First Nations, along with Alderville First Nation, Curve Lake First Nation, Hiawatha First Nation and Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, are signatories to the Williams Treaties which Orillia is subject to.
Further we wish to acknowledge the Land as a living being, along with the countless, beautiful and diverse life forms that call this place home. Recognizing the Land we are on expresses gratitude and appreciation to that which sustains and provides for us. Learning about the true history of this land and whose territory we reside on, honours the Indigenous people who have long been living with and taking care of the land.
While reconciliation in Canada has been a long, slow, and mostly disappointing process, land acknowledgements and Land-based education are important steps among many others. We intend our activities to take place within the larger context of genuine and ongoing work to build real understanding, and to challenge colonialism.
We stand with Indigenous peoples and strive to use this platform to amplify Indigenous voices wherever possible, to promote Indigenous events and initiatives, and to engage in advocacy about Indigenous justice campaigns and struggles.
We support Land Back.
Check out Beyond Land Acknowledgment Resources from the Native Governance Center: Action Plan Video and Action Plan Guide.
Please visit our Indigenous Solidarity page to learn more.