NEWS RELEASE
CREDIT VALLEY CONSERVATION
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Maple syrup production is a Canadian tradition enjoyed by many across the country. The maple syrup harvesting season is a big part of Canadian culture and identity and has been practiced by Indigenous Peoples throughout history.
This year, Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) is honoured to partner with Indigenous Peoples to bring ancestral storytelling and songs to visitors at Maple Syrup in the Park.
The event takes place March 13 to 16, 22 and 23, at Terra Cotta Conservation Area in Halton Hills.
“We feel fortunate to partner with our friends in the Indigenous community to bring visitors an opportunity to learn traditional Anishinaabe teaching through stories and song,” said Terri LeRoux, Director, Parks, Lands and Community Engagement at CVC.
“This is a wonderful addition to the event that helps honour Indigenous tradition, the sacredness of nature and the ancestral connection to the land.”
CVC welcomes a special one-day experience taking place on Sunday, March 16 when visitors can enjoy ancestral storytelling with Traditional Grandmother Kim Wheatley.
Guests can explore traditional Anishinaabe teachings through stories that are shared during this seasonal cycle of maple syrup harvesting. Sessions will take place at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Terra Cotta Conservation Area’s outdoor amphitheatre.
Anishinaabe Traditional Grandmother Kim Wheatley is Ojibway, Potawatomi and Caribbean in ancestry. She is a band member of Shawanaga First Nation located on the shores of Georgian Bay in Robinson Huron Treaty Territories and is part of the Turtle Clan.
She carries the spirit name “Head or Leader of the Fireflower” and has worked for three decades with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities across Canada.
Fireside Chats will also be offered daily at Maple Syrup in the Park. Visitors can see a traditionally built sweat lodge (Madoodiswan) and learn how Indigenous Peoples honour Mother Earth by incorporating that sacred connection into healing.
Teachings will be offered by a traditional helper (Oshkabewis) while a fire keeper shares stories and songs that speak to the sacredness of nature, responsibility to the land, caretaking of the animals and being in balance with all our relations around us.
Maple Syrup in the Park also provides a variety of family activities that celebrate maple season including:
- Children’s entertainment and wagon rides
- Five educational stations with historical and modern demonstration of how sap turns to syrup
- A mystery challenge to find out which of Terra Cotta’s woodland animals has been sipping all the sap in the Maple Hills Sugarbush
- Blacksmith demonstrations of how iron tools were hand-made
- A maple-themed storybook walk and giant games
- Pancake breakfast offered at the Pancake House, warm maple taffy and more.
For more information about CVC’s Maple Syrup in the Park and to get tickets, visit cvc.ca/MapleSyrup. The Indigenous teachings and ancestral storytelling sessions are included with your admission to the event.
Maple syrup events are an annual tradition at Credit Valley Parks, drawing visitors from across the GTA. Through these activities, CVC helps visitors understand, enjoy and appreciate nature.
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