The Town of Smiths Falls is dedicated to reaffirming its commitment to reconciliation and fostering strong community relationships with all residents including members of our Indigenous community. In light of the cancellation of the 2024 Spirit of the Drum Pow Wow, we understand the importance of addressing the community directly and transparently.

We acknowledge the communication issued by the Town regarding the cancellation of this year’s event was received as insincere, an affront to reconciliation efforts, and has understandably caused disappointment within our community. The Town of Smiths Falls sincerely apologizes for not being better prepared to manage the circumstances that led to this cancellation, particularly regarding the changes in funding that were instrumental in this decision.

“We recognize that our lack of preparedness to absorb any shortfalls in funding, and to take the necessary steps to overcome that shortfall, not only led to the cancellation, but also strained our relationships with our key stakeholders and partners. We also acknowledge that our communication should have been clearer and confirmed that the cancellation resulted from factors solely within the control of the town and not from our partners, who were fully committed to the 2024 Spirit of the Drum Pow Wow” says Mayor Shawn Pankow.

Moving forward, the Town of Smiths Falls is keen to ensure that the Spirit of the Drum Pow Wow returns stronger than ever in 2025. We have commenced discussions with our Algonquin partner, and lead organizer, Josee Bourgeois, and we are actively working on securing funding, and strengthening partnerships to enhance our organizational readiness to deliver a successful and meaningful event next year.

We thank the community for their understanding and patience as we navigate this process. The Town of Smiths Falls remains committed to reconciliation, cultural celebration, and community engagement. By resolution of Council on July 22nd, 2024, the Town of Smiths Falls committed the funding required in the 2025 budget to ensure the return of the Spirit of the Drum Pow Wow to our community next year. We are grateful to our partners, and are looking forward to working together to create a vibrant and inclusive event next June.

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Media Contact
Joanne Plontz
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
77 Beckwith Street N, Box 695
Smiths Falls, ON K7A 2B8
613-283-4124 ext. 1122
Communications@smithsfalls.ca