CENTRE WELLINGTON – As banners are proposed to return to the Jefferson Elora Community Centre, banners from Non-Indigenous sports teams using Indigenous-themed sports logos and names could be excluded until a relevant policy is developed.
A new report to be discussed next week has recommended Centre Wellington council approve re-installing banners at the Jefferson Elora Community Centre (JECC) arena "exclusive of banners displaying Indigenous-themed logos or names" until a policy is implemented on Indigenous-themed sports logos in township facilities.
The home centre for the Elora Mohawks Junior B Lacrosse Team and the Centre Wellington Minor Lacross Association (CWMLA), staff said JECC facility users have "shown a desire" to reinstall banners at the facility after renovations led to their removal.
The report also recommended council direct staff to continue working with the Indigenous-themed Sports Logos in the Township Facilities Working Group, which includes representation from the Elora Mohawks Junior C Team and Grandmother's Voice, a Halton-based organization focused on elevating Indigenous knowledge and culture, under the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (DEI) to develop a relevant policy.
"Sports organizations have the authority to name their teams and create their logos, without interference from the township. The township does have control over what is displayed in the township-owned facilities," said staff in the report. "The work on this is in progress, and it takes time to collaborate with all parties, to listen, to learn, and to know how to respectfully move forward in regards to the Indigenous-themed logos, in order to create a policy."
Delayed by COVID-19, work on the policy began after the township received a letter from the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) in 2019 urging the township to "take the first step in removing barriers to participation for Indigenous peoples" by developing a policy on the use of Indigenous-themed logos and names in sports facilities and arenas.
The letter also quoted the Indigenous Youth Council of the Ontario Federation of Friendship Centres statement that "for too long Indigenous people have been branded by communities other than (their) own" and advocated for Indigenous communities to have ownership over their images.
"We recognize that municipalities are committed to providing environments that promote healthy and active lifestyles in the most inclusive manner. To this end, the OHRC and municipalities have a shared goal of actively removing barriers to participation in sports for Indigenous youth," said the OHRC letter, included in the report. "The OHRC recognizes that the use of Indigenous-themed names and logos by sports teams has been a long-standing norm in our 'society. However, it is time to revisit these pervasive images."
Two non-Indigenous teams with the JECC as their home centre used Indigenous names and logos when the letter was received: the CWMLA's Centre Wellington Mohawks and the Elora Mohawks Junior B. Lacrosse Club.
The CWMLA and the Elora Mohawks did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new recommendations.
In 2022, the CWMLA changed their name from the Mohawks to the RiverHawks and removed Indigenous imagery from its logo after a 2019 decision by the OHRC regarding the use and harm caused by Indigenous names and logos used by non-Indigenous sports teams.
The Junior B Lacrosse team continues to use Mohawks as their name and logo.
Staff said the project has cost the township $3,000 in consultants to date and Grandmother's Voice will receive an honorarium in the range of $200-$400.
Progress on the initiative is to be shared on the Connect CW website.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
