Hello. I would like to start off by saying that, in my experience and within my career, going back to the elders and to ceremony is incredibly important. Even with our elders lodge and with other projects, including Aisokinakio'p—which was the first urban indigenous immunization clinic in Calgary, and we immunized over 15,000 people and addressed vaccine hesitancy—we listened to our elders. Our elders said, “These are the things we need, and this is how we would like to see them happen”, and we worked within that to make the space for ceremony, tradition and storytelling, which are key when we are working with our people, especially in an urban context.
What we're looking for when we're in an urban setting is that connection and that culture and home. If you have those components integrated within programs, within housing, seniors housing or whatever it may be, you're going to see connection response and people living with dignity and respect. That doesn't come naturally; we have to recover that. That doesn't come for free; it comes with connection, with doing that work and engagement.
That's what I would like to say. Thanks.