To: Mayor of Ottawa <Mark.Sutcliffe@ottawa.ca>
Cc: City of Ottawa Councillors <Matt.Luloff@ottawa.ca>, <Laura.Dudas@ottawa.ca>, <David.Hill@ottawa.ca>, Cathy.Curry@ottawa.ca>, <Clarke.Kelly@ottawa.ca>, <Glen.Gower@ottawa.ca>, <BayWard@ottawa.ca>, <Collegeward@ottawa.ca>, <knoxdalemerivale@ottawa.ca>, <Jessica.Bradley@ottawa.ca>, <Tim.Tierney@ottawa.ca>, <stephanie.plante@ottawa.ca>, <rideaurockcliffeward@ottawa.ca>, <Ariel.Troster@ottawa.ca>, <Jeff.Leiper@ottawa.ca>, <Riley.Brockington@ottawa.ca>, <capitalward@ottawa.ca>, <Marty.Carr@ottawa.ca>, <Catherine.Kitts@ottawa.ca>, <George.Darouze@ottawa.ca>, <Ward21@ottawa.ca>, <Steve.Desroches@ottawa.ca>, <Allan.Hubley@ottawa.ca>, <Wilson.Lo@ottawa.ca>, The Governor General of Canada Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon <info@gg.ca>, Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations Gary Anandasangaree <gary.anand@parl.gc.ca>, Police Chief Eric Stubbs <eric.stubbs@ottawa.ca>, Ottawa Police <info@ottawapolice.ca>, Executive Director of the Ottawa Police Services Krista Ferraro <krista.ferraro@ottawa.ca>, Ottawa Police Services Board Assistant Randa Ben Guedria <randa.benguedria@ottawa.ca>, OPIRD Complaints <OIPRDcomplaints@ontario.ca>
Re: Gratitude and Continued Commitment to Reconciliation and Community Support
January 27th, 2025
Dear Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Ottawa City Council Members, and the Ottawa police services,
Aniin. As you know from the other letters I have sent you, I am a Hereditary Crane Clan Chief of the Chippewa Nation, a former elected Chief of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, a former Land Claims Director and President of the Union of Ontario Indians, and the last President of the National Indian Brotherhood (the forerunner to the Assembly of First Nations, which I helped to found). As President of the National Indian Brotherhood I negotiated the inclusion of Sections 25 and 35 into the Canadian Constitution in order to enshrine the protection of Aboriginal and treaty rights in Canadian law.
I am writing to you today again on behalf of Mr. Anthony Tenasco, a proud member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg. Mr. Tenasco has asked me to express his heartfelt gratitude to the City of Ottawa and its police department for your commitment to reconciliation and recognition of the unceded lands of the Anishinaabe Algonquin people.
Your respect for Mr. Tenasco’s constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights has had a profound and direct impact not just on Mr. Tenasco’s operations, but also on the streets of Ottawa and the community of Kitigan Zibi and beyond. Through the success of Red Roots Trading Co., Mr. Tensasco has channelled 16% of his profits back into community initiatives, thereby creating meaningful change and addressing real needs for those most vulnerable and unable to access other forms of support.
With your cooperation, Red Roots Trading has been able to accomplish the following within the last 6 months:
In Kitigan Zibi:
- Purchased and donated 100 winter coats for children on December 14, 2024.
- Provided snow plowing services for over 100 elders and disabled individuals in need.
- Supplied firewood to over 100 elders to help them keep warm during the harsh winter.
- Sponsored an elder’s eye surgery and purchased a washer and dryer for another elder.
- Funded physiotherapy sessions for an elder in need.
- Sponsored a 14-year-old girl practicing Jiu-Jitsu to compete in an out-of-province tournament.
- Donated hundreds of containers of pain cream and CBD oil to elders requesting it for relief.
- The Aki Wellness line of medicinal products for pain relief is provided at no cost to all KZ members at all four of Mr. Tenasco’s stores.
- Hosted Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve parties for the AA community in Kitigan Zibi.
- Provided $1,000 each in funeral expenses for the 30+ community members who passed away in KZ last year.
- Donated 300 pumpkins for children to carve and celebrate Halloween.
Supporting Ottawa’s Vulnerable Communities:
- Donated 100 warm hoodies to Ottawa’s homeless community.
- Contributed $1000 to a Christmas event at Rideau Mall.
- Employing over 45 people full time in the Ottawa area, predominantly from Indigenous communities.
Reinvesting in Kitigan Zibi’s Local Economy
- Financially supported and reinvested in local businesses to help grow the community’s economic future.
- Provided grants to local entrepreneurs
- Purchasing of the creations of local artists and craft makers for resale in our stores.
Mr. Tenasco and Red Roots Trading are committed to continuing this work. Your leadership and recognition of our rights on these lands empower us to invest in our community, preserve our culture, and strengthen relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
The spirit of reconciliation is more than words—it’s action. By respecting constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights you are directly contributing to the betterment of both Kitigan Zibi and the broader Ottawa community. For that we wish to thank you.
Mr. Tenasco also wishes to make it clear that he is willing to meet with any Ottawa political leader to tour his stores and the testing facilities which ensure the safety of the products he makes. Should you have any questions or concerns about Mr. Tenasco’s trading posts or wish to take him up on a meeting, please reply to me at this email.
Miigwetch,
Chief Del Riley, Crane Clan Chippewa Nation
