Staff Report: UBCM Urban Communities Partnering for Reconciliation Grant Application

BACKGROUND

The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) recently announced a grant program ‘Urban Communities Partnering for Reconciliation’ (UCPR) to support communities reconciliation efforts. The purpose of this report is to seek Council approval of a submission for a grant application to this program for the 2023 Change-Makers Gathering Festival, which supports the City’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.

The Change-Makers Gathering Festival is an annual event held at Starlight Stadium in Langford. The free community festival is a collaborative event between the City, Indigenous communities, Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, non-profits, sports teams, local businesses, and community members. The UCPR program is intended to support events and activities that provide a time and place for dialogue to build on opportunities, support reconciliation efforts, resolve issues of common responsibility, interest, or concern, and/or to advance tangible outcomes.

Funding is available to eligible Indigenous organizations and local governments who want to create opportunities for in-person dialogue and relationship building which can help advance collaborative reconciliation plans, protocols, agreements, or future projects.

COMMENTARY

The Change-Makers Gathering Festival is a one-day event located at Starlight Stadium, planned for Saturday June 3, 2023. Admission to the festival is free and each activity is designed to remove any financial barriers of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants. The event was designed to honour and celebrate Indigenous people and culture and provides an opportunity for community members of all backgrounds to come together in a comfortable setting and honour the launch of Indigenous History Month.

The festival is structured to allow for the sharing of Indigenous knowledge in a fun, interactive and welcoming way for everyone. A free lunch is provided for each attendee that is an Indigenous community favourite – bannock tacos and a beverage. The bannock recipe and cooking technique was taught to the food services team at the Stadium by T’Sou-ke Elder Daphne Underwood.

The festival offers:

• Free drop-in cedar weaving, drawing, and drum making workshops; participants can leave with the drum, cedar bracelet, or drawing they created. Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers lead these workshops.
• Entertainment including Indigenous drum and dancer groups, and a live DJ playing a mix of pop music from Indigenous and non-Indigenous musicians.
• An artisans market showcasing many local Indigenous artists and their work. Each artist is provided a space with a table and chairs free of charge.
• A community art project coordinated by a Coast Salish youth artist.
• An Indigenous story walk and an Elder sharing language lessons.

Elders and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers are offered an honorarium for their gift of time and knowledge sharing. In addition, local Indigenous youth are offered an honorarium to help with the logistics and operations of the day.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

• The UCPR can contribute a maximum of 100% of the cost of eligible activities – up to a maximum of $10,000.
• The total budget for the event is $55,000 of which an estimated 50% will be covered by corporate sponsorships.
• The remaining 50% would be covered equally by the MRDT (hotel tax) budget and community events budget, should this grant application not be successful.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

None noted.

OPTIONS

Option 1
THAT Council direct staff to apply for grant funding for the 2023 Change-Makers Gathering Festival through the UBCM – Urban Communities Partnering for Reconciliation program.

OR Option 2
THAT Council direct staff to not apply for a grant to fund the 2023 Change-Makers Gathering Festival project and fund the entire project using a combination of MRDT (hotel tax) budget and Community Events budget.

SUBMITTED BY

Donna Petrie, Senior Manager, Business Development & Events

Concurrence

• Yari Nielsen, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities
• Matthew Baldwin, MCIP, RPP, Director of Planning and Subdivision
• Katelyn Balzer, P.Eng., Director of Engineering and Public Works
• Michael Dillabaugh, CPA, CA, Director of Finance
• Marie Watmough, Deputy Director of Corporate Services
• Braden Hutchins, Director of Corporate Services
• Darren Kiedyk, Chief Administrative Officer