Have Your Voice Heard on Reciprocity.

Hello Victoria residents!

2022 is here, and with it we all have a chance to do something really important: support our little city to make a big step towards decolonization and reconciliation.

Now is the time for support – we need your letters and emails!  

By the end of this week, the City of Victoria needs to hear and see us support their proposal to make a new annual Reconciliation Grant to the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. The City would allocate 15% of new assessed development revenue to go directly to the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, whose lands and waters make our city the incredible place we get to call home.

Think of it as reciprocity for public lands. 

This is our only opportunity to have this included in the budget for 2022. If this happens, it will be an important advancement of public land reciprocity, and a first of its kind in British Columbia and Canada. 

The problem is, some people are against this, and they are getting vocal in the local media. 

The decision to include the grant in the budget is happening in a motion at the City of Victoria’s next council meeting, this coming Monday January 17, 2022.

Last month we asked for your support (and thank you for it!) for this when the idea was at an earlier stage in the political process. Council voted to engage the public on a proposed community reconciliation levy. The results of that engagement can be found on page 20 of the document here (click g.1.f, then Item 3 and go page 20 of the pdf – or see the results below). As you can see, more respondents disagree with the proposal than agree.

This is where your continued support is crucial. While we know the need to move towards reconciliation should not be up to a vote, we also know that written letters count for more than a check box. 100 letters to Council would speak with the voices of approximately 1000 (or more) residents. Please take some time to write a letter today. We have directions and suggestions below!

Ready to take action? Here’s how.

There are three things you can do to help. Here they are, in priority order (to have the greatest impact): 

  • Send a letter to the City of Victoria’s Mayor and Council – it’s super easy, just send to mayorandcouncil@victoria.ca (see below for suggestions on what to write); 
  • Send a letter to the Times Colonist (oh, trust us, we’ll work on that name another day); and
  • Share this with your friends and neighbours so they can do the same!

The bigger our collective voices are, the stronger the pressure will be to get this important recognition of the Indigenous lands and waters we share into City’s budget. 

Victoria’s history has always been as the colonial capital of BC. Going forward, we want Victoria to be a de-colonial capital with a local government that shows strong and meaningful recognition and respect for the Indigenous lands we call home. 

You can help with that transition, today. And a big Hay’sxw’qa (thank you), to all of you who already acted on this before Christmas!

With thanks for your continued support, 

Sarah, Craig and the Reciprocity Trusts team

Sample Letter + Talking Points

Send a letter to the City of Victoria (edit as you wish):

Dear Mayor and Council:

I am writing to express my support for the proposed Reconciliation Grant for the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, to be included in the 2022 budget. 

This is an important step towards real recognition of the Indigenous lands our City calls home. Every year, the City of Victoria continues to acquire wealth through the development of new infrastructure and upgrades to existing infrastructure –by sharing 15% of this with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, the City of Victoria is taking an important step towards reconciliation.

The original spirit and intent of the Douglas Treaties was to pay rent for the lands we as settlers occupy. I support the City of Victoria implementing the Reconciliation Grant as a way of recognizing and respecting Indigenous lands. 

Sincerely, 

<your name>

Send a Letter to the Editor, Times Colonist:

  • Send to , or Letters to the editor, Times Colonist, 201-655 Tyee Rd., Victoria, B.C. V9A 6X5. Should be no more than 250 words and include your name. Provide your contact information; it will not be published. It’s better not to send your letter as an email attachment (include it in the body of the email). 

Dear Editor: 

I support the Reconciliation Grant proposed by the City of Victoria. It is a good thing, and I want to see it in the yearly budget. By proposing this grant, the City of Victoria is leading the way for local governments to recognize the Indigenous lands and waters we share.

Every year, the City of Victoria grows through the development of new infrastructure and upgrades to existing infrastructure –sharing 15% of this revenue with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations only makes sense. 

We live in a beautiful place. The original spirit and intent of the Douglas Treaties was to pay rent for the lands we occupy. I support the City of Victoria implementing the Reconciliation Grant as a way of recognizing and respecting Indigenous lands.  

I want the City of Victoria to see and hear that we support our local government being part of real recognition of Indigenous lands. 

Sincerely,

<your name>