Victoria council has agreed waive the fee to use Royal Athletic Park and provide a $50,000 grant for the third annual South Island Powwow this fall.
Council unanimously endorsed the move, matching the contribution the city has made over the last two years.
The event, which is co-hosted by the Songhees First Nation and the City of Victoria, is held on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, and last year drew 12,000 people from around the region as well as visiting First Nations.
Mayor Marianne Alto, who will be inviting neighbouring municipalities to contribute to the event, noted the day is an opportunity to nurture the city’s relationships with local nations and help facilitate learning and observation of local protocols with other municipalities.
“This opportunity for collaboration continues our journeys on the paths of reconciliation,” she wrote in a motion presented to council Thursday.
In a letter to council, Songhees Nation Chief Ron Sam noted this year’s event will honour Indigenous resiliency and the survivors of the Indian residential schools, day schools and the Sixties Scoop – the mass removal of children from their families — as well as the children who didn’t make it home from the institutions.
