Message from the President re: vandalism

Posted on Wednesday, January 29th, 2020

Dear Colleagues and Learners,

I write to you this evening to let you know about an incident that has caused great pain in our College community. I want to acknowledge that, and tell you how I would like to move forward.

On Tuesday evening, someone defaced the three-storey mural in the DARE District, painting graffiti over our beautiful hawk. This mural is very special to our College — the artists who created it did so to mark the opening of our DARE District. It took them seven months to complete, and was created in consultation with our learners and Indigenous elders.

The mural tells the creation story of many Indigenous peoples — of the wildlife, forests and land of Turtle Island. It is a work, the artists said at the time “that celebrates the human imagination.”

I want you to know that we take this incident very seriously — it is a violation of the values of our College, and it is especially hurtful to those Indigenous learners and employees who rightfully see this as a violation of their culture. It is also a crime, and we are working with the Ottawa Police Service to make sure the person who did this is held responsible.

I also want you to know that this is not the end of the story. In some Indigenous cultures, the hawk represents courage and wisdom. I believe we will need both of these attributes now. Hawks are also seen as messengers, calling on us to see the world around us. I want us to see the damage this incident has caused, to see each other, and to see that it is possible for this incident to unite, rather than divide us. Together, our College community will gather together to heal, to support one another, and to transform a vicious act into an act of caring and compassion. And I promise you that, as soon as we are able, our mural will be fully restored and our hawk will fly freely once again.

I will be in touch in the days ahead to let you know about a special event we are planning so that you can all participate. Until then, I ask that anyone who has information about this incident to contact Algonquin College Security Services immediately at extension 5010 or visit the Security Office at A149 in person.

If you wish to report information anonymously, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Sincerely,

Claude Brulé

President and CEO


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