Toronto to allow Indigenous people to have sacred fires at 3 city parks

The City of Toronto has designated three city parks as places where Indigenous people can have sacred fires.

On Tuesday, the city held a special ceremony to open the spaces. The three sites are Norwood Park, Allan Gardens and Christie Pits Park. Four more sites are planned. The sites can be booked for free.

Elder Blu Waters, a designated facilitator for the sacred fire site at Norwood Park, said the ceremonies are an important part of Indigenous culture and connect Indigenous people to the spirit world, the natural world and to one another. 

"That sacred fire opens that doorway between us here walking on our Mother Earth and those of us in the Sky world," she told the gathering.

She said Indigenous people have been asking for decades for access to land. She added that they need access to spaces without interference.

According to the city, the sites are part of its reconciliation action plan, which it says builds on its existing commitments to and relationships with Indigenous people. The spaces will increase access to land for ceremonial purposes, the city says.

The sites will be used by Indigenous people to perform ceremonies, including honouring those who have passed on to the spirit world, to celebrate the seasons four times a year and to mark community milestones.

"There were many hands involved in this. There were many hours of planning, of consultation and different nations coming together," Blu Water said.

"These are our inherited rights as Indigenous people to have these fires." 

Toronto Fire Services has inspected the sites and will do so annually. It said it will also ensure fire safety while recognizing the right of Indigenous people to hold open air burning for spiritual purposes.

The city will provide firewood, chairs, fire bowls, ash bins and signage. Community members are expected to have their own firekeeper, medicines, matches and kindling.

Toronto's Indigenous Affairs Office worked with Toronto Fire Services, after consultation with local Indigenous communities, to create the spaces.

In a news release on Tuesday, the city said: "Since time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have used Sacred Fires for wellness, healing and gatherings. Just as some people gather in churches, temples, mosques or synagogues, Indigenous ceremonies happen on the land. 

"Fire is a sacred gift from the Creator, as well as a doorway of communication with the Spirit world, ancestors and Creation and is an important part of many ceremonies."