Action Area 3: Infrastructure and Service Delivery
Focus Area B: Systemic Discrimination
Ensure the full implementation of the City of St. John’s commitments under Council’s 2020 Declaration in Support of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Call for Change 29 evolves to include City of Mount Pearl’s commitment
Call for Change 29 was initially phrased exclusively in terms of the City of St. John’s. In September 2024, the City of Mount Pearl issued its own declaration in support of truth and reconciliation, necessitating an adjustment to the phrasing in this Call for Change.
Under the City of St. John’s Declaration, Council committed to work to decolonize the City by making indigenization and antiracism priorities with respect to its governance and municipal services. Council approved the City’s first antiracism work plan in December 2025 and is now working to develop an equity lens tool for municipal policymaking and decision-making. The tool includes Indigenous Peoples as a priority group for consideration.
The work of this Call for Change is being led through the new Metro Reconciliation Partnership, which brings First Light together with municipalities of the Northeast Avalon. See Call for Change 19 for more detail.
City of St. John’s Municipal Reconciliation Liaison supports this work
See Call for Change 27 for more detail.
Action Area 3: Infrastructure and Service Delivery
We envision a city that reflects the histories and cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of Newfoundland and Labrador and one where members of the urban Indigenous community are able to access essential services free of discrimination. To realize this vision, we call on all residents of St. John’s to help advance change in the following ways: