The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers operates on the original land of a vast diversity of Indigenous Peoples, much of which has been and still is occupied by settlers. We are privileged to have the College’s office located in Toronto, on the “Dish With One Spoon Wampum Territory” – a treaty between the Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee peoples that binds them to share the area and protect the land in the spirit of community.
Today, the province of Ontario continues to be home to a vast diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Each nation is unique in its world views, language, histories, current position and future accomplishments. We encourage all registrants to know and seek to understand the local First Nations communities on whose lands they practise.
Today’s society is built upon colonialism and the genocide of Indigenous Peoples. The social work and social service work professions have played a shameful role in perpetuating harm against Indigenous Peoples, including the residential school system, Sixties Scoop and ongoing overrepresentation in the child welfare system. We also recognize that Indigenous registrants did not contribute to perpetuating this harm and are actively working to help heal their communities from the impacts of systemic oppression and intergenerational trauma.
A land acknowledgement is a first step, not an end point. The College is actively working on building meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and individuals, in the spirit of partnership, collaboration, truth and reconciliation. We all share in the healing journey.