Oct 11 - ThanksGIVING: Sharing Knowledge, Perspectives & Resources

Plus: Five Owen Sound Current subscribers can have a turkey on us this weekend

👋 Welcome to The Owen Sound Current, your source for what’s happening in and around Owen Sound. Community-contributed content is open to free subscribers, while full subscribers get premium content, curated news, local events, and commenting features in these weekday briefs. Thank you for supporting independent local journalism!

---

As we wind down for the long weekend and trade typing for food prep here at The Owen Sound Current, we’d like to thank all of you, our readers, for participating in and supporting this community publication we’ve built over the last year. We hope you have a safe and restful Thanksgiving weekend, whatever you have planned.

Barring need-to-know news, you won’t hear from us again until Tuesday.

While this is a celebratory time for some, it’s important to recognize the darker side of Thanksgiving’s history, too. We cannot celebrate Canada without acknowledging the impact of colonization on Indigenous people.

We acknowledge today and always with gratitude that The Owen Sound Current is produced on the Traditional Territory of the Anishinabek Nation: The People of the Three Fires known as Ojibway, Odawa, and Pottawatomie Nations. We further give thanks to the Chippewas of Saugeen, and the Chippewas of Nawash, now known as the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, as the traditional keepers of this land.

Thanksgiving has long been a part of Indigenous traditions, with harvest celebrations that predate colonization. These gatherings were about giving thanks not only for nature’s abundance but for the well-being of the community. Gratitude for the Earth and togetherness should not be marked just once a year; it should be a daily practice.

While early interactions between settlers and Indigenous peoples were cooperative, they quickly shifted to conflict and exploitation. Following up on the recent National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Thanksgiving is another opportunity to reflect on this history and the impact of residential schools.

The path forward requires a commitment to restoring Indigenous cultures and languages. Canadians must take responsibility for supporting reconciliation and holding institutions accountable for past harms.

Doing our homework to understand Indigenous points of view is an important first step. Here’s a reading list to dig into when you have a quiet moment this weekend:

• A First Nations Take on Thanksgiving: You’re Welcome Weekend - an interview with Kim & Jordan Wheeler in Muskrat Magazine

• Canadian Thanksgiving and the Indigenous Tension - by Parry Stelter, a Sixties Scoop Survivor originally from Alexander First Nation, part of Treaty Six Territory.

• Canadians need to learn 'dark history' of Thanksgiving in spirit of truth and reconciliation, educator says - CBC

Those of us with a roof over our heads, family and friends visiting, and food on the table have extra reason to be thankful this year. Many in our community are struggling with food insecurity and affordability, and a new report jointly released our local OSHaRE, Salvation Army, and United Way takes a closer look at the impact.

As of October 10, OSHaRE had served as many meals so far this year as they did in all of 2023. That’s 146,000 meals, and we still have close to three months to go.

Before we take you to the news, Maryann and I would like to share a bit of our Thanksgiving bounty with readers who may be struggling to put a turkey on the table this year.

This is not a contest; there’s no skill-testing question. We aren’t publishing the winners or sharing your names.

We’re giving away 5 (FIVE) approx. 10-12lb turkeys to the first 5 (FIVE) Owen Sound Current subscribers in need who respond to this email.

The fine print: This giveaway is for our readers and is open to all subscribers who were active as of October 10, 2024. We’re going on the honour system here as far as need; there is no financial assessment or judgment here. Please be prepared to receive the turkey today and cook it this weekend; we’ve begun to thaw them in the refrigerator, and they cannot be refrozen. The turkeys were purchased at No Frills on October 10 and are sealed in their original packaging. Contactless drop-off is available in town; out-of-towners must pick up TODAY in Owen Sound.

Full subscribers - keep reading for our original + curated local news updates, including a report from South Bruce OPP about a serious collision involving a motorcycle last night, numerous charges for a man caught doing 50 km/h over the limit while impaired on Highway 6 on the peninsula, a notice from Public Health about another rabid bat, an Attack player headed to the U17 World Challenge, and more.

If you can’t see the info below, you’re missing out on what’s happening in and around Owen Sound.

~ Miranda

P.S. Don’t forget to visit and bookmark OwenSoundCurrent.com. Full subscribers can access local events listings and our entire archive of content on the website.

P.P.S. Have something to share? Submit a letter to the editor or your photo to owensoundcurrenteditor@gmail.com and share what’s happening in your corner of Owen Sound with the community.