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Host: Namish Modi

This piece features an interview on May 26, with Guy Freedman, president of the First People’s Group, an Indigenous advisory firm based out of Ottawa.

The First People’s Group is in the midst of conducting a community engagement process in regards to the Prime Ministers Path in Baden and steps forward.

Debate around the need for the path began when the Sir John A. Macdonald statue was painted red in June 2020. The painting off a heated debate within the community of whether the statue should remain. After much deliberation, Wilmot council temporarily  removed the SJAM statue later in 2020.

Earlier in 2021, council hired the First People’s Group to conduct a consultation process and conduct community engagement for the path. 

“These are Wilmot recommendations,” said Freedman, highlighting the need for community engagement on the future of the path.

The community engagement process launched earlier in May. The next official update from the First People’s Group is on June 5 while people can input their opinions right now on the Township of Wilmot website.

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This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

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