Wellington County Supports Indigenous-led Project To Foster Education And Reconciliation

Wellington County has dedicated two acres of land for a project that aims to foster education and reconciliation with the community.

The Indigenous Gathering Circle Project, a culturally safe space for the county’s Indigenous community and allies is in its early stages of a final design.

The land is part of Wellington Place, an area made up of 77 hectares in Aboyne, between Fergus and Elora, that hosts several county services like Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health, New Groves Memorial Community Hospital and the Wellington County Museum and Archives.

Part of the project will be to restore the land to what it was before farming practices removed the area’s native plant species.

The group plans to grow a medicine garden that include plants like tobacco, sweetgrass and sage.

Colleen Brunelle, a Fergus program manager in social services and a member of the county’s Indigenous advisory committee revealed that the Indigenous Circle Project goes beyond restoring the land.

She said it fills a need for a space that Indigenous and community members have been asking for.

She and other committee members, along with the county, hope the community will use the space to gather, learn and heal.

Administrator for Wellington Place, Jana Burns, said they are working with the committee to understand “what is important from their perspective.”

Burns said the first step is to provide this outdoor gathering space and then next year, it will be building a pavilion that will provide a covered room for workshops and for learning.

An information session is scheduled for Monday afternoon, where community members will have an opportunity to learn more about the project.

The project is expected to commence this summer.