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Members of First Nations communities gathered on Saturday to ask federal political leaders to respect the sacredness of the unceded Algonquin land and stop the controversial Zibi multi-use development at Chaudiere Falls, in the spirit of reconciliation.

“You hear this word quite a lot: Reconciliation. What does that really mean?” Peter Di Gangi, research and policy director at the Algonquin Nation Secretariat, told about 100 people at Southminster United Church.

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“It’s easy for something to become a catchword, but when you really think what reconciliation means and what needs to be done at this time, the islands at Chaudiere Falls are an example of what could happen. Let’s stop, step back and think about what really needs to be done given the history of those islands and their meaning.”

Windmill Development Group has billed its $1.2-billion project of condos and retail buildings on the abandoned industrial Chaudiere and Albert islands as one of the most sustainable communities in the world.