The Creemore
ECHO
Friday, February 12, 2021 Vol. 21 No. 07www.creemore.com News and views in and around Creemore
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Sunnidale Winterama Contest winners announced PAGE 7
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Clearview council approves policy on use of Indigenous images in parks
St. Luke's Walkers take on the Coldest Night of the Year
by Trina Berlo Clearview Township has passed a policy on the Use of Indigenous Images and Themes and will work with the Creemore Braves to encourage a name change. On Monday, council unanimously approved a policy stating, “the township will not permit the display of any Indigenous images in the township’s sport facilities that are related to non-Indigenous sports organizations and teams, including during events. The township will work with Indigenous groups, as well as community sport groups, to proactively build awareness of this policy through open communication and education. Staff in the parks, recreation and culture department, will coordinate all engagement with Indigenous and community sport organizations.” Indigenous images include symbols, team names, logos and imagery/themes on banners, trophies, plaques, signs and murals that pertain to Indigenous culture. “I want to remind council that what we may consider an innocent logo or team name can be hurtful to others, and in this case Indigenous groups,” said Councillor Doug McKechnie, who worked on the policy with Clearview’s general manager of parks, culture and recreation, Terry Vachon.
A team from St. Luke’s Anglican Church is participating in the Coldest Night of the Year, walking 10km to support Home Horizon’s Barbara Weider House in Collingwood, which supports youth who are at risk. The event takes place each year in Collingwood but this year, during the pandemic, the event is spreading out. The St. Luke’s Walkers will be departing the church at 2 p.m. on Feb. 20 and walking 10km through the streets of Creemore and into the hills and back to St. Luke’s. The exact route has not been determined. Anyone can join in. Sign up and donate online at CNOY.org. Just search for the St. Luke’s Walkers, Collingwood. The community is also welcome to cheer on the walkers as they depart from the church. For more information, call Lorna May at 705-352-2759.
Images of Chief Wahoo were removed from Gowan Memorial Park in August. “I think we owe some support to the baseball team in Creemore because we have to encourage them to change their name,” he said, recognizing that new uniforms will need to be purchased.” Councillors were in agreement that money could be found to help with the cost of rebranding and purchasing new uniforms. McKechnie hopes that a rebranding of the team would be a community effort. “I look at this as a positive. I’d like to thank Terry for working on it and bringing it forward. I think there will be a lot of comments out there in the community but I think that we have to get past that and look at it as a positive, help the Creemore baseball team change their name and move forward,”
said McKechnie. The policy is the result of a campaign spearheaded by Christopher Dodd, who looped Creemore’s local baseball teams that use the name The Braves and have used the Chief Wahoo image into a global conversation about the inappropriate use of Indigenous names and imagery for sports teams. Last summer, the Home of the Braves sign in Gowan Memorial Park still displayed the image, and later in the summer, yard markers with the image were installed, and promptly removed by staff after complaints were received. The current logos use tomahawk imagery. “Clearview Township is consistent with its message,” said Dodd. “Clearview Township has come out against racism and they mean what they say. Our communities have come out against racism and we mean what we say.” “I’m very pleased that the township seems ready to assist. I think it would be an unfair financial burden to place on the shoulders of a not-for-profit organization, to foot the bill entirely by themselves,” said Dodd. “But I also know there are people who are ready to reach for their chequebooks, myself included. But it requires a humbling first step maybe for The Braves, and that’s to open the door and ask for that (See “Baseball” on page 10)
Doc takes cautious approach to re-opening by Trina Berlo High numbers of COVID-19 in the province, the spread of variants of concern and outbreaks in SimcoeMuskoka has Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit medical officer of health Dr. Charles Gardner approaching the re-opening of the province with caution. He said he would prefer to remain in lockdown a while longer to see case counts come down a bit more and assess
the effect of returning to school. Even if the stay-at-home order is lifted on Tuesday as expected, Gardner said he will continue to advocate for limiting interactions and travel. It is not yet known what colour zone identified in the province's framework for re-opening Simcoe-Muskoka will be in when the lockdown is lifted. “The province is moving in the direction of making this change and I
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think they need to be ready to move right back again, back into shutdown and stay-at-home order if numbers start to go up. If they do start to go up again, we know it will take a while for them to come back down again,” said Gardner during his weekly media briefing. “I’m going to continue with the messaging that regardless of where we end up, it is very wise of us all if we (See “Possible” on page 3)
The Robert G. Kemp Arts Award seeking submissions The Robert G. Kemp Arts Award Committee, as part of the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts is seeking applications with a project proposal that benefits the community. The award winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize. The award was created in 1989 to encourage and recognize an individual or group residing in the South Georgian Bay area, which includes Collingwood, Creemore, Town of Blue Mountains, Stayner, Thornbury, Meaford and Wasaga Beach. It also includes the Townships of Clearview, Osprey, Sunnidale and St. Vincent Euphrasia. The deadline for submission of applications is March 24 at 5 p.m. Applications are available online at w.w.w.bmfa.ca.