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Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the office of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario is situated on the ancestral homelands of the Anishinaabek Peoples, specifically the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
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Land Acknowledgement 

We acknowledge the office of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario is situated on the ancestral homelands of the Anishinaabek Peoples, specifically the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. 

Guelph is located on treaty land that is steeped in rich indigenous history and home to many past, present and future First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Through the Between the Lakes Purchase No. 3 Treaty (1792), the Mississaugas of the Credit ceded to the British Crown over 3,000,000 acres of land between Lakes Huron, Ontario and Erie. 

Our acknowledgement of the land is our declaration of our collective responsibility to this place and its peoples’ histories, rights, and presence. The College shares in Canada’s collective responsibility to advance reconciliation in the decisions we make, and in our policies, processes and procedures. We strive to continuously learn, share and support truth and healing. 

As settlers, we thank the generations of people who have taken care of the land for thousands of years. The College, with representatives from all areas of Ontario, recognizes their presence in our lives and our work. 

For more information on the College’s land acknowledgement: 

Jan Robinson 
Registrar and Chief Executive Officer 
College of Veterinarians of Ontario 


Anishinaabek is pronounced “Ah-nish-nah-beg” 
Métis is pronounced “May-tee” 
Inuit is pronounced “In-ou-eet” 
The College President or designate acknowledges the land at the start of Council. The acknowledgement is also posted on the College website. 
A territorial acknowledgement starts with the land: it’s about acknowledging the land we reside on and honouring the relationship between the land and the people living and thriving here long before settlers arrived. It offers an opportunity to pay respect to ancestral and traditional territories; be mindful of our collective role as stewards of the land; and build awareness of present-day Indigenous culture in our community. 
To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those on whose territory you reside and a way of honouring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important to understand the long-standing history that has brought you to reside on the land and to seek to understand your place within history. Land acknowledgements do not exist in past tense or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build mindfulness of our present participation. It is also worth noting that acknowledging the land is Indigenous protocol.