We acknowledge and are grateful for the opportunity to gather on land which is in traditional Mi’kmaw territory, and we acknowledge with respect the diverse histories and cultures of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Innu, and Inuit of this province. We also want to acknowledge that the term 'rural' may not represent or encompass  the living and ancestral knowledge of lands and waterways that we speak of and that this terminology can also be used as a way to be complicit in on-going colonial discourse. We also acknowledge that 'design' disciplines have been complicit in the appropriation and destruction of traditional cultures and knowledge lineages. As First Peoples have done since time immemorial, we strive to be responsible stewards of the land and to respect the cultures, ceremonies, and traditions of all who call it home. As we open our hearts and minds to the past, we commit ourselves to working in a spirit of truth and reconciliation to make a better future for all.