UPPER CANADA DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
UCDSB Recognizes Treaties Recognition Week with Indigenous Learning

The first week of November is Treaties Recognition Week and schools across the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) have been taking part in activities and presentations focused on the importance of treaties, the significance of treaty rights, and their relevance today.

UCDSB Indigenous Education System Support Teacher Bill Montgomery leads students through a Blanket Exercise at Meadowview Public School during Treaties Recognition Week.

Launched in 2016 in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action, Treaties Recognition Week is one of the steps being taken by the province on its journey towards reconciliation with First Nation, Inuit and Métis people. The goal is to help nurture relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples by educating students and residents on collective treaty rights and obligations.

At Meadowview Public School and Williamstown Public School, UCDSB Indigenous Education System Support Teacher Bill Montgomery and UCDSB Indigenous Education Manager Ryan Jacobs guided students through traditional Blanket Exercises.

For this activity, students sit on blankets representing Indigenous lands, and as the narrator progresses through history, they see firsthand how their tools, food, land and culture are slowly taken from them, leaving the students crowded on a single small blanket.

"It's humbling to have the opportunity to share this experience with students and staff," said Montgomery. "The Blanket Exercise is a valuable tool to educate our students on how relationships have been developed, particularly at a time when we need to reflect on these relationships during Treaties Recognition Week. I am so thankful to our teachers for continuing to create these opportunities for our students and warmly welcome our Indigenous guests in to share. Ja how'aa!"

"I think it was great to show us how the Indigenous people felt because it was very unfair and I'm glad we got to learn about it," said Meadowview PS Grade 6 student Libby Waterman.

"We need to know what happened in the past and we don't want it to happen again," added fellow student Ava Schruder.

The learning around Treaties Recognition Week coincides with strategic initiatives laid out in the UCDSB's 2026-27 Action Plan that call for promotion and support of Indigenous education initiatives all year long. In partnership with its Indigenous Advisory Committee, the UCDSB continues to explore opportunities to strengthen connections with Indigenous students and families across the district as we work towards reconciliation.