Rethinking “Duty”: The City of Toronto, A Stretch of the Humber River and Indigenous-Municipal Relationships

Abstract

As urban centres are increasingly the predominant sites of human activity, neglect of Indigenous-municipal relationships has far reaching consequences affecting all our lives. This article asks how cities, in their relationships with Indigenous people, can look beyond uncertainty about their existing legal obligations to build relationships that may serve as the basis for subsequent legal agreements. The article focuses on activities led by Indigenous people taking place in an urban park space in Toronto. It examines the municipal government’s response and its more recent approach to relationship building, arguing that recognition of Indigenous law is necessary for an Indigenous-municipal relationship centred on reconciliation.