Land Acknowledgment

Land Acknowledgment and Background

Fillmore Riley LLP has embarked on the reconciliation work of developing our own Land Acknowledgment. Through a facilitated discussion with an Indigenous advisor, and using Indigenous ways of learning and teaching, a team of Fillmore Riley lawyers, managers, and staff considered our individual, and our firm’s, relationship with the land and our understanding of its history.

In developing our Land Acknowledgment, we considered the following questions:

  1. What do we know about land acknowledgments?
  2. What do we know about the history of Canada, and its relationship with Indigenous people?
  3. What is our relationship with the land we currently live and work on?
  4. How did we introduce ourselves to the land?

 Our team engaged in deep introspection on these questions. 

 A Land Acknowledgment is much more than the words on the page.  We are proud of the work and the process that went into developing our Land Acknowledgment, and of the work we are doing beyond those words. 

 Fillmore Riley LLP is located in Winnipeg, on Treaty 1 Territory and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. The Province of Manitoba encompasses the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe (Ojibway, Saulteaux), Dakota (Oyate), Assiniboine (Nakota), Anishininew (Oji-Cree), Ininew (Cree), Dene, and Inuit.

 We acknowledge that most of us are guests to this land where we are privileged to live, work and find comfort. We recognize that privilege has often come at the expense of Indigenous people, including the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation in Treaty 3 where our water is sourced.  We are committed to building a relationship based on mutuality, reciprocity and respect with the land and its Indigenous people, and to be stewards of the land we occupy.

 Our commitments include the following:

  1. to engage in continuous learning about the history and lived experiences of Indigenous people in Canada;
  2. by engaging in sustainable business practices to reduce waste and our impact on the environment;
  3. to assist our Indigenous clients in furthering economic development in their communities;
  4. to support the Fillmore Riley Internship at FortWhyte Farms, which sponsors under-served youth to learn about sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry, production, and food handling skills on a small, sustainable working farm onsite at FortWhyte, as well as supporting annual workshops with Indigenous knowledge keepers at the farm and/or FortWhyte Alive; and
  5. to provide work experience and scholarship funds to Indigenous students who might not otherwise have exposure to the law firm environment .