Land Acknowledgement

& Equity Statement

As I create my practice, I am aware of the profound benefits I receive because Indigenous people have cared for this land over time. As the child of settlers to Turtle Island, I am committed to furthering my own learning about Indigenous lives and experiences, and to active participation in reconciliation wherever possible.

I cannot talk about my privilege as the descendent of settlers without also acknowledging the ways in which my wealth and privilege is a direct result of the coerced, unpaid and too often unacknowledged labour of Black people on this land. I am committed to challenge anti-Black racism and to making space for Black lives to thrive and to lead.

Some specific ways that I centre equity in my practice include:

• Naming and interrupting racist language or practices whenever I encounter them

• Building equity benchmarks into all projects in which I work

• Curating teams that include and reflect Black and Indigenous perspectives

• Spending regular time reflecting to deepen my understanding of my own power and privilege

As I build toward the impact I am seeking, I do so with an openness to think differently, to listen and allow myself to be changed by the perspectives of people who are racialized, and to do my own work to educate myself about our shared history, and my responsibility as a beneficiary of settler colonialism.

- Janet Fitzsimmons, Founder and Principal Consultant