City of London, Oneida politicos seek common ground in historic sit-down
For the first time in the roughly 150-year history of the Oneida Nation of the Thames, London city council sat down with the nearby Indigenous community's politicians in an official meeting.
The Wednesday meeting was what many politicians described as a historic joint session of the two local governments at the Oneida Community Centre in Southwold, southwest of London.
The agenda consisted of several issues in which the governments have a joint interest, including wastewater overflow into the Thames River, housing, and serving Oneida band members who live in London. But arranging the meeting itself was a true challenge, Mayor Josh Morgan said.
“This was an opportunity for us not only to get together, but also recognize that was a very difficult thing to do,” he said. “There were a number of hoops we had to jump through, there are a number of our rules we had to suspend.”
The provincial law that governs how local governments operate, the Municipal Act, allows meetings between cities and other levels of government, but is “silent” on the ability to meet with local First Nations, Morgan said. Both governments plan to lobby Queen's Park to change that.
Nonetheless, Morgan said
Wednesday's meeting of London council “went great.”
Chief Todd Cornelius said it's the first of many relationships the First Nation wishes to build with neighbouring communities.
“I do feel there's progress made in regards to partnerships and movement in a good way,” he said.
Several Oneida councillors asked London politicians about the remainder of the city's combined sewer and stormwater pipes, which can lead to sewage being released into the Thames River — a bone of contention between London and other communities for decades.
Ward 12 Coun. Elizabeth Peloza noted the city only had 11 kilometres of combined pipes left and that the latest budget cycle committed to cutting that number in half. City hall, she added, has nearly finished a website tracking the progress.
“I'm hoping that we can get a stronger timeline that we can hold the city accountable to, because every time it rains — it's thunderstorming right now — bypass is going through your systems, into the Thames River, and it's coming downstream,” said Oneida Coun. Brandon Doxtator. “We have to find a solution, it's been taking too long.”
The establishment of a band office in London to serve its many members living in the city also was discussed, along with proposals to have offices in community centres or Ontario Works buildings while a more permanent arrangement could be reached.
Housing and homelessness was another topic, both in Oneida and in London itself. With roughly 30 per cent of the city's homeless population being Indigenous, Oneida Coun. Alizabeth George-antone requested a seat at the table for Oneida as the city works on homelessness, something London politicians agreed with.
“Many of our members are facing homelessness due to various socio-economic factors that are a dire result of the colonization, and the Indian residential school system,” she said.
George-antone also asked if the city had a plan for Indigenous supportive housing, to which London politicians pointed to the Athlosa homeless hub, an upcoming Indigenous affordable housing project at 18 Elm St., and the Native Inter-tribal Housing Co-op in Manor Park.
The two governments committed to meet again this fall.
“This is just the beginning of a new-founded partnership that is going to accomplish a great deal of things,” Morgan said.