Friends and citizens of Red Deer.
There are moments when those to whom much has been given,
are obligated to speak with those to whom much has been taken away. I have been
given an outstanding heritage, one that I did not ask for or work for, it was
just simply given to me. My grand parents were immigrants to Canada, I am only
a second generation Canadian. I have enjoyed the benefit of a strong loving
family, who was for the most part left alone to explore their full potential
inside a new country. My blessings are many, to many to count.
There are many moments, when we forget the sheer luck of
what has happened for us. Where we were born, who we were born to, in what
province and country we were born. It is unreal, how lucky we are. My thoughts
often shift to this place when I am sitting in the presence of those who’s
lives have had a different story. I think often of these things when I see the
children that Heritage Family Services serves. They did not ask to be abused,
they did not ask to be neglected, they were born into different circumstance.
Some of them, have learned a lifetime of bad habits, self doubt, self loathing,
depression, hatred, anger, all these things have been written on minds who are
yet becoming. We have an opportunity to speak positivity, with strength, manifesting
encouragement, spreading joy, finding passion, exploring desire, we have the opportunity
every day to lift up. We do this, to serve these children in finding their own
voice – in a world of so many voices.
We have the opportunity every day to lend our voice, and we
do so, in so many little ways. We lend our voice every day, every time we drive,
we silently lend our voice to big oil. Every day we shop at the place we shop
we lend our voice to big box stores. Every day we live in a city we lend our voice. Every time we get our favorite coffee,
go to our favorite store, unthinkingly we give our voice.
Silently.
Silently we reinforce the plans of others, we may not even
know we are doing it, but we are. We vote every day with our feet. We agree
with the price of a Tim Horton’s double double. We agree with inexpensive
clothing sewn together by the hands of men women and children in Bangladesh.
Every day we vote, we agree, we speak our voice, on behalf of Brands, and the
ideas of others.
Everyday. Silently.
Try it. Try not speaking any words as you purchase fuel. Eat
a meal. Buy a T-shirt. Even if you are silent your are speaking, you are voting, you are agreeing.
I would like you to listen to a video by Shane Koyzan, if
you have found this by way of email or on my Blog you can just click the link,
if you are reading this in paper form then go to google a search Shane Koyzan “This
is my voice”. I love this little video, it shakes me up. It makes me aware,
that each one of us has a voice, we are NOT the invisible majority, we are
speaking everyday.
Then what I would like you to do is consider adding your
voice to those who need just a little help in these next days. The Red Deer
Native Friendship society has been working on a very unique project in Red Deer
for several years. A very loud minority
of Reddeerians, have previously spoken very loudly, some were on the cusp of
racial discrimination, some clearly just stepped over the line as they made
comments about Indians, and rising crime rates. My first thought is that I don’t need to remind people about
how Residential Schools for aboriginals forever shaped generations of
aboriginal people, and why, it is our responsibility now to stand with, but
perhaps I do. I will do so by asking a simple question, if your grandparents
were taken away from their homes, ripped out of the hands of their mothers and
fathers, taken away, taught different things, broken emotionally, spiritually,
physically, in the name of being educated by a foreign power, and then dumped
back, broken into their society, Where would you be today?
Where would you be? Would you enjoy what you
enjoy? Would you have your level of education? Would you have a love for
reading? Would you have a love for sport? Would you have the ideas you have?
Would you have the dreams you have? Would you have the passions that you have?
Would you be reading this?
Wouldn’t even small changes in your past change everything
for your future? What would become of me, if my grandfather had decided to
start “Hubert’s Grocery” in Calgary instead of Edmonton? Would I even exist?
We don’t know what the future would look life (or the
present) but what I do know is that there is something deep inside of me, that
hopes to help those who had something taken away, instead of something given.
If I am silent, others will speak on my behalf, will they
echo my heart? Will they echo my desire? Your city wants to hear from you. They
want to hear your words, I have attached a little letter, one that you can put
your own thoughts to, regarding Asooahum Centre, and aboriginal interpretive
and community project that is much needed in our community. It will be a place
of health, and healing. It may be a place where the clients we serve today
live, and serve their community as well.
Because those who disagree, because those who’s questions asked so
angrily and full of fear that it boarders on hate speak so loud, I am asking
you to speak. I don’t do this very often – ask specifically for your help- but
I am asking now. Speak with those who’s future is so
bright, but who’s present is still in need of much encouragement.
Justin Hubert
CEO
Heritage Family Services
P.S. Also see a letter from Tanya Shur to me as well as her
form letter
______________
Your honour Mayor Morris Flewwelling
As a citizen of Red Deer I want to add my voice along side Tanya Shur and the
Red Deer Native Friendship Centre. Asooahum will be an asset to the city of Red
Deer, to it’s citizens both aboriginal and non aboriginal. It will allow for
both safe, community housing, and the opportunity to experience aboriginal
culture in a way that encourages growth within a spirit of community.
As a citizen, I am aware there are many challenges when
considering a project like Asooahum, but I believe the opportunities out weigh
these challenges. I look forward to visiting the Asooahum, and learning about
the aboriginal culture.
Thank you for listening to your citizen, I consider it both
a right and a privilege to speak, and have my voice heard on matters in our
city. Thank you for considering the needs of those who’s voice is in need of
encouragement I hope this project will being a much needed component to our
city of embracing and interpreting aboriginal culture.
I urge you to vote in favour of this project receiving the
land above when it comes to council for 2nd & 3rd
reading.
Thank you
___________________
Name
___________________
address
May 22, 2013
Dear Friends and Family of the
Friendship Centre:
I come to you weak and small,
asking you to pray for the warrior within. Sitting Bull said that “the
task of the warrior is to take care of the elderly, defenseless, those who
cannot provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of
humanity.” It is for this reason that I’m asking for your
help. If you support this project please send your letter of support to
Mayor and Council at the addresses below.
The proposed Culture Centre has
been a community dream to have a community gathering space. When
Friendship Centre received money for a housing development in 2008 it was an
opportunity to create more affordable cultural housing and create the dream of
a gathering space.
This project has endured many
changes since it was first conceived in 2008. The City acquired the four
acre site in Clearview North from the Province for one dollar for an affordable
housing development; although negotiations began in 2008, the title was not
officially transferred to the City of Red Deer until July 2011 and rezoning was
required. In September 2012, City Council did not approve rezoning in
Clearview Ridge for the Red Deer Native Friendship Society’s cultural centre
and housing development.
Since then, discussions have
continued to ensure development of a facility that meets the needs of both the
RDNFS, The City of Red Deer and the community, while respecting the aboriginal
culture, and acknowledging the impact to the community as a whole. The proposed
site that was selected is a sustainable site that considers the social,
economic and cultural impacts and, above all, offers a community benefit that
cannot be sought elsewhere. The proposed site is on Riverside Drive,
close to, but not directly on the river adjacent to Lion’s Campground.
The joint steering committee chose this site from 20 possible sites as being
the most appropriate for our community. Although not the RDNFS’s
first choice it is a good choice providing natural land for ceremony, community
recreation, and accessible affordable housing.
Before this rezoning application
goes to council I have been meeting with landowners along with the consultant
that the City hired to represent them. What we are hearing is that people
support the project but feel that it is not appropriate for the 3.5 acre parcel
identified for this project. The biggest concern is that it is in
the flood plain. We were assured that it is not in the flood plain but
this matter has been referred back to the Engineering firm that did the site
study. We are moving forward with the request for rezoning and will
continue to research the site suitability. We feel that this site is a
good fit for our community project.
I would really like to hear from
you. What are your thoughts and concerns about this project?
The Friendship Centre needs your support. If we want to have this
Cultural Centre and housing development I believe that it will take all of
us, pulling together to make it happen in the best way
possible.
Please contact the City
Councillors directly, and encourage them to approve the zoning required for
this project to avoid delay and use available funding from other levels of
government to complete this project as a means to improve the relationship
between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Red Deer and promote the rich
cultural contribution our First people make to this city. To make it easy
I’ve attached a form letter for you to start from. The councillor emails
are below. Please tell council that you support this project and why the
land is so important to the success of this project.
The public hearing and 2nd and 3rd reading for this rezoning will be June 10, 2013. I am asking for your presence if you are able to attend
that meeting. The time will be advertised on the City Website on June
7, 2013. I humbly ask for your prayers on behalf of the Board of
Directors, the staff, and the community members we serve.
In Friendship,
Tanya Schur
Executive Director
Red Deer Native Friendship Society
Mayor Morris Flewwelling - mayor@reddeer.ca
City Manager Craig Curtis - craig.curtis@reddeer.ca
Councillor Buck Buchanan - buck.buchanan@reddeer.ca
Councillor Paul Harris - paul.harris@reddeer.ca
Councillor Cindy Jefferies - cindy.jefferies@reddeer.ca
Councillor Lynne Mulder - lynne.mulder@reddeer.ca
Councillor Chris Stephan - chris.stephan@reddeer.ca
Councillor Tara Veer - tara.veer@reddeer.ca
Councillor Frank Wong - frank.wong@reddeer.ca
Councillor Dianne Wyntjes - dianne.wyntjes@reddeer.ca
Date:_______________________
Dear Councillors and Mayor Flewwelling,
I am in favor of the rezoning
and allocation of the designated 3.5 acre parcel of land along Riverside Drive
to the Red Deer Native Friendship Society to build their new Cultural Centre
and housing development. I strongly urge you to approve this project when it
comes to council this June. The
project is critical to providing multifamily housing in a culturally
appropriate setting that will provide for elders and families requiring
community support. The Cultural Centre is needed to provide space, resources
and a natural environment for cultural activities. Once again, I urge you to
vote in favour of this project receiving the land above when it comes to
council for 2nd & 3rd reading.
____________________________________
__________________________________
Name Signature
Address:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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