Kids on the Land. Reconciliation in Action.
On Friday, February 27, 2026, leadership from the Kateri Native Ministry of Ottawa and the Ottawa Catholic School Board gathered in ceremony to sign a monumental Reciprocal Land Use and Stewardship Agreement — a relationship three years in the making.
It was more than a signing. It was reconciliation in action.
The agreement centers on Naategamaa — meaning “Peaceful Waters” in Algonquin — a beautiful 200-acre property on the south side of the Ottawa River entrusted to Kateri Native Ministry since 2001. Naategamaa has become a sacred space where healing, training, and ceremony take place on the land. For Indigenous peoples, encountering the Creator on the land is essential to restoration and growth.
Through this partnership, the Ottawa Catholic School Board will fund and support the installation of yurts on the land, creating dedicated spaces for Indigenous land-based education. Indigenous Teachers will be able to significantly increase time on the land for Indigenous youth, helping them reconnect with creation in a safe, calm, natural environment. The Ministry will also be able to better support family gatherings on the land for the Indigenous community living in Ottawa’s downtown core.
This is the healing.
“When our children are on the land, they remember who they are. This is about restoring hope in their way of being.” said Donna Naughton, Executive Director of Kateri Native Ministry of Ottawa.
The signing agreement was grounded in smudging, prayer and pipe ceremony with members from the Ministry’s Healing Lodge Committee and senior leadership from the Ottawa Catholic Schoolboard.
After three years of relationship-building, this Reciprocal Land Use and Stewardship Agreement establishes a foundation of trust and a model pathway forward for healing.
Miigwetch