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Indigenous Relations Advisor to help New Westminister with its Reconciliation Efforts
An Indigenous relations advisor is helping the city move forward with its reconciliation efforts
In March, the City of New Westminster hired an an Indigenous relations advisor as part of its ongoing reconciliation efforts. Christina Coolidge, who is from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation on her father’s side and Cree and Scottish Métis from Treaty Six territory on her mother’s side of the family, has more than a decade of professional experience working in Indigenous relations.
“The City of New Westminster has already taken real steps toward reconciliation, and I genuinely believe that the city, and mayor and council, want to participate in their own healing,” Coolidge said in a news release. “It is my privilege to use what I know to ensure that our people will always have a place at the table and help guide the City of New Westminster on its journey toward reconciliation.”
Coolidge is focusing on the city’s relationships with local First Nations and the urban Indigenous community, as well as on educating her colleagues in Indigenous history and culture.
“New Westminster has a rich Indigenous history, so it’s important that city staff and the community have a clear understanding of the First Nations’ connection to the land here, both pre- and post-European contact,” she said in a statement to the Record. “Truth must come before reconciliation, and it’s important for the city to acknowledge its devastating colonial policies and practices; it is impossible to practise reconciliation without first knowing for what it is you are reconciling.”
Opportunities for city staff and citizens
Coolidge is in the process of developing a series of education opportunities for city staff and community members that would be offered next year. But she’s already helped launch a number of initiatives.
“I facilitate a medicine wheel workshop each month for staff, in which we discuss the importance of holistic processes and understanding that the city is a unified system of interdependent departments,” she said. “It must function in this way in order to prevent unintended consequence and will instead, create a healthier city and community.”
Coolidge has also established an Elder in Residence program, which involves a weekly lunchtime visit from an Elder; both Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff are invited to chat, ask questions and build relationships. The Elder is also available to provide support to Indigenous staff who sometimes feel isolated working within a colonial government.