Kwantlen Polytechnic University recently hosted a land awakening ceremony to mark the start of construction on its childcare centre project. The 61-space centre—developed in partnership with Métis Nation British Columbia—will offer early childhood education that meets the needs of Métis children and families, as well as the broader community. The awakening ceremony included a blessing of the land and comments from representatives of the Kwantlen First Nation, Katzie First Nation, and Semiahmoo First Nation, on whose traditional territory the centre will reside. “This goes deeper than a land acknowledgement. It’s an understanding that the land that we’re on, that we thank it, for letting us build on it. We’ll be learning on it as well,” said Sqwayeten Cheryl Gabriel, a Kwantlen First Nation Elder. “It’s no longer going to be a parking lot. It’s going to be a building for children — for our future.”
