Mandate

with appropriation often involving the problematic taking of cultural elements without proper context or respect, while exchange is a mutual and respectful sharing of cultural practices. Cultural appropriation can be characterized by exploitation and a lack of acknowledgement of the original creators' background, whereas cultural exchange involves understanding and appreciating the history and significance of cultural elements.  Here's a more detailed breakdown:

We understand concerns about viruses such as the flu, COVID, RSV, etc., are top of mind, and we want to be as transparent as possible and share information about what we are doing to prepare for the IDO World Championships and  other Team Canada Dance / IDO Canada events.

It is an ever-evolving situation, not just domestically, but internationally.   Many of the IDO Championships are back to usual without many health restrictions.

Meanwhile, we want to assure you of the following:

• Our top priority is focused on the health and safety of all participants at Team Canada, including dancers, family, staff, industry partners, and others involved in the organizations.
• We  will proceed as planned to attend safe Championships  unless otherwise noted 
• We will be in contact with the organizers to be sure there are not recent outbreaks in said areas.  
• Auditions / Teams have resumed with strict screening protocols.  PLEASE DO NOT attend any auditions, rehearsals, or related team events if you have symptoms of illness.  Please let Melissa at the Team Canada office AND your choreographer know and stay home.  IF you have been recently sick but are feeling better, please think about others on the team and wear a mask.  Always wash your hands thoroughly and use sanitizer when necessary.  Use your elbow to sneeze/cough.

We know that our time together is precious and that you may not want to miss a rehearsal due to illness, but there are others on the team that could get ill.  Last year, we had two teams affected by illness right at the time of departure, plus another team come home from the Championships sick.

Ultimately, we encourage everyone to make responsible decisions and stay home if they are sick.  We generally have several parents that are nurses and physicians who travel  with our teams who will be helpful to navigate us through this.   Please note that infection prevention and control is for everyday, not just during outbreaks!  

We will monitor the situation and report any updates.

For Indigenous peoples, acknowledging traditional territory is a long-standing practice and regular aspect of governance relationships and ceremony. Acknowledgements have become common across Canada at formal meetings, conferences and events as a sign of respect and a first step in reconciliation. For more information, visit Native Land 

Team Canada Dance acknowledges our creative spaces across Canada, located  on the sacred and traditional territories of  Indigenous peoples . This land is subject to many treaties in many territories.
We recognize the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples, and that the land continues to be home to many Indigenous nations.  The land upon which we perform has been home to the storytelling  and celebratory dances of Indigenous people through the ages.  We honour their stewardship, past, present, and future, and are blessed to continue our passion for performing on this land - to gather together as one and tell stories through various dance forms.  Our individual acknowledgments are taken  from each city that we have creative space.

The City of Brampton is located on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat Nations who have called this land home since time immemorial. We acknowledge the agreements made in Treaty 19 — the Ajetance Purchase of 1818 — and are committed to our ongoing role in reconciliation through meaningful action rooted in truth, justice, and respect. We are grateful to the original caretakers of this land who have ensured we are able to work, play, and live in Brampton now and in the future.

[Home of our main office]   This place we call Guelph has served as traditional lands and a place of refuge for many peoples over time, but more specifically the Attiwonderonk, and the Haudenosaunee. This land is held as the treaty lands and territory with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Guelph lies directly adjacent to the Haldimand Tract and is part of a long-established traditional hunting ground for the Six Nations of the Grand River. Many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples who have come from across Turtle Island call Guelph home today.

We acknowledge the lands which constitute the present-day City of Mississauga as being part of the Treaty and Traditional Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and The Huron-Wendat and Wyandot Nations. We recognize these peoples and their ancestors as peoples who inhabited these lands since time immemorial. The City of Mississauga is home to many global Indigenous peoples.

Located at the top of the escarpment, at the head of Lake Ontario, people have been born on, lived and died on this land for at least 15,000 years. Today, Waterdown and Flamborough are still home to many indigenous people from across Turtle Island.  This land is the territory of the Chonnonton, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and most recently the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and is subject to many treaties including the Dish With One Spoon Wampum, Treaty of Niagara (1764), Silver Convenant Chain of Friendship, and Treaty No. 3 (1792).  We are grateful to have the opportunity to live and work in this community, on this territory.

Burnaby is located on the ancestral, and unceded territory of the hən̓ ̓qəmin̓ əm̓ and Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh speaking peoples. Before Burnaby existed, its lands were home to the ancestors of several local Central Coast Salish Nations. Today, their descendants continue to live in Burnaby and the adjacent municipalities that developed within their traditional territories. Since time immemorial, each of

these Nations has celebrated its own unique culture and history, while maintaining relations with the others by family, social life, traditions, protocols, and language. hən̓ ̓qəmin̓ əm̓ and Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh speaking peoples remain deeply connected to Burnaby lands and waters today.  There are several Indigenous Nations who share territory in Burnaby.  All speak hən ̓ ̓qəmin ̓ əm ̓ or Sḵwx ̱ wú7mesh sníchim. Recognizing language groups instead of individual Nations is a way of being both specific and inclusive.

As one part of our reconciliation work, Coquitlam has adopted the following territorial acknowledgement:  We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.  Coquitlam’s territorial acknowledgement honours and recognizes the original inhabitants of the land on which the City sits today. It is reflected in a variety of locations including City email signatures, corporate print and online documents, the City website and introductions for formal meetings and events.