In 2016, Ontario passed the first legislation of its kind in Canada declaring the first full week of November as Treaties Recognition Week.

This year, Treaties Recognition Week is November 5-11, 2023.

This annual event honours the importance of treaties and helps students and residents of Ontario learn more about treaty rights and relationships. By learning more about our collective treaty rights and obligations, we can create greater understanding and nurture relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

Treaties Recognition Week represents one of many steps on Ontario’s journey of healing and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. The week was launched in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (PDF)  to increase treaty awareness and provide students and the public with an important opportunity to learn why treaties matter.

Town of Smooth Rock Falls – The James Bay Treaty (Treaty No.9)

The James Bay Treaty – (Treaty No. 9) is an agreement between Ojibway (Anishinaabe), Cree (including the Omushkegowuk) and other Indigenous Nations (Algonquin) and the Crown (represented by two commissioners appointed by Canada and one commissioner appointed by Ontario). The treaty, first entered into in 1905-1906, covers the James Bay and Hudson Bay watersheds in Ontario, about two thirds of the province’s total landmass. The treaty embodies the nation-to-nation relationship between First Nations and the Crown.

To read more about Treaty 9, please visit the link here.