We Come Together For National Indigenous Peoples Day

For generations, many Indigenous groups and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or around June 21 because of the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year, and also a time of renewal and connection. Now, it's an opportunity for everyone to celebrate the cultural richness and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

This year's theme is qatᶿɛnxegəs (qats-sun-wheegus), which means to unite or come together – and that hits the mark for the work we have been doing on our team.

At TCU Place, we have been working hard to build and bring to life our Reconciliation Action Plan, to come together to learn, grow, celebrate, and question. Many on our team knew only the history that was shared in school when we grew up, and now we understand how flawed that historical account was.

Thanks to the generosity of our Indigenous Advisors, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers – our team has participated in multiple learning experiences – with the Blanket Exercise being the most impactful for our team.

We are also working to ensure that our workforce truly represents the diversity in our community – and in Saskatoon, Indigenous People represent about 17% of our community. We are looking to hire, welcome, onboard, and train Indigenous People as part of our team. We have partnered with SIIT (Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies) to develop career opportunities at TCU Place and leverage trained pools of employees. We have participated in the Atoskewin Career Fair and are also looking to use Indigenous-owned companies through our procurement. We are engaging with our team on “Treaty Talks” as part of our regular team check-in meetings, and during that time, we share stories, ask questions, and share events that our team can participate in.

These are small steps designed to help level the playing field. But more than that – building the diversity of our workplace through work and play, adds a level of richness that just makes us all better and stronger.

This week we have shared multiple events that are happening around Saskatoon to celebrate National Indigenous People’s Day. We are looking to participate in the stories and continue the learning. We want to honour the resilience, stories and achievements of the Indigenous People, people who have been on this land for centuries, and who continue to shape our nation today.

At TCU Place, our tagline is This Is Your Place. As we celebrate the cultural richness and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples – we are reminded that we can celebrate, remember, laugh, mourn and question – all in the safe place that we call home at TCU Place. How will you celebrate?