National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

Optima Living honours National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on September 30 with a commitment to continuous learning about the tragic impact of the residential school system on Indigenous Peoples. It’s also a promise to take steps toward reconciliation through our actions.

Inclusion is a vital part of making our residences feel like home, and we wanted to share a couple of examples of where our increasing understanding of the importance of Indigenous culture is taking us.

Some Optima Living communities have introduced smudging, a sacred ceremony of most First Nations whereby sweetgrass, sage, and/or cedar is burned to purify the body, mind, heart, and spirit of all persons who enter the ceremonial area.

Golden Sands in Lac La Biche is in Treaty 6 territory, and family members are welcome to engage in smudging with their loved ones. General Manager Kerri Jones explained that when an Indigenous resident is palliative, smudging is sometimes conducted, and their room is smudged after they pass away. Golden Sands has also held and continues to encourage Indigenous drumming events to promote a culturally attentive environment.

The Hamlets at Duncan is on the lands of the Quw’utsun people, and the five “hamlets” are named for local flora and fauna that have traditional significance for the Cowichan Tribe: “Salmon,” “Snowberry” and “Camas,” “Swan” and “Heron.” The signage is written in the Hul’q’umi’num’ language, with English translations as subtitles.

The Hamlets at Duncan created a sacred area and chapel called Su-li (the Hul’q’umi’num’ word meaning “spirit” or “soul”), which has additional ventilation to accommodate smudging ceremonies.

Recently, Cowichan Tribes’ artist Shawn Johnny painted a mural at the Hamlets in Duncan to honour the local First Nations. It contains Canadian geese, herons, and frogs, which are creatures you can find in the Somenos Marsh beside The Hamlets.

If you are on Vancouver Island, we hope you can experience the mural.

On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and every day, we honour the Indigenous Peoples who share the land with us and who care for it still.

We end by acknowledging that the lands on which our communities stand that our care partners and residents call home are the traditional territories of diverse Indigenous Peoples – of the Cree and the Dene First Nations; the Blackfoot Confederacy, including the Siksika, the Piikuni, and the Kainai Peoples; the Métis Nation; the Stoney Nakoda and the Nakoda Sioux; the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations; the Syilx Okanagan Nation; the Secwepemc Nation; the Tk’emlups; the Tsuut’ina Nation; the Saulteaux; the Wesley, Chiniki, and Bearspaw; the People of Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3; the Coast Salish Peoples; the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) Tribes; all Peoples of Treaty 4, 6 and 7 territories; and many more.

Discover our Communities



Pictures of seniors visiting in the outline of BC and Alberta
Our Communities Optima Living—founded in 2007—owns and operates innovative seniors’ living communities throughout Alberta and BC, taking an unprecedented approach to senior life. Our unique company culture is one where both residents and team members are family.

Sign up for updates


A lady teaching a fitness class to senior women

Blog

Optima Living’s Blog discusses topics ranging from Health, Family Support, Construction, and Mental Health Tips.
A senior woman and man looking at a laptop screen

Events

Events on rotation—classes, social gatherings, and more—will be fun, engaging, and always full of meaningful connection.

Join Us

Do you share Optima Living’s vision for the future of senior communities? We would love for you to join us!


Land Acknowledgment

Optima Living recognizes and pays respect to the diverse Indigenous Peoples, including but not limited to the Cree and Dene First Nations, Blackfoot Confederacy, Métis Nation, Peoples of Treaty 4, 6 and 7 territories, Stoney Nakoda, Nakoda Sioux, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, Kainai, Northern Piikani, Southern Piikani, Siksika, and others, whose traditional territories our communities stand on and where our staff and residents call home.

We firmly believe in pluralism and strive to make it a part of our everyday business and lifestyle. Our commitment is to continue learning, growing, and working towards reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island, while also acknowledging the ongoing impact of the residential school system on Indigenous communities in Canada.