(Toronto, Ont. – February 24, 2025) The Chiefs of Ontario will be hosting a hybrid media event following the Special Chiefs Assembly (SCA) on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario on the ancestral territory of many nations, including the Anishnabeg, Chippewa, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat peoples. Toronto is also part of Treaty 13, signed by representatives of the Crown and Mississaugas of the Credit, as well as the Williams Treaties, signed with various Mississauga nations.

The SCA will focus on two key agreements:

  • The Agreement on the First Nations Child and Family Services (FNCFS) Program Reform in Ontario (Ontario Final Agreement)
  • The Trilateral Agreement in Respect of Reforming the 1965 Agreement (Trilateral Agreement)

Ontario First Nations Leadership will have the opportunity to vote on resolutions to approve these agreements.

Please note that media are not permitted in the meeting room however, can watch the live stream on YouTube here: https://youtube.com/live/RqtDuiaNtJs?feature=share The livestream will begin at 9:30 a.m. EST on February 26, 2025. For more information, including an agenda, please visit https://www.chiefsmeeting.com/cooscafa To access resources, including fact sheets, please visit: https://fncfsreform.ca/

Members of the media are cordially invited to attend in person or virtually as follows. Media accreditation is required.

  • Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025
  • Time: 4:00 pm. – 5:00 p.m. EST
  • Location: Ontario Room, Toronto Airport Hilton Hotel, 5875 Airport Road, Mississauga ON L4V 1N1

The media event will begin at 4:00 p.m. EST on February 26, 2025, and will begin with remarks from:

  • Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict, Chiefs of Ontario
  • Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, Nishnawbe Aski Nation
  • Grand Chief Joel Abram, Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians,
  • The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada

Following their statements, speakers will be available to answer questions from the media.

Please register by emailing Isak Vaillancourt, Communications Manager at isak.vaillancourt@coo.org and Tyler Gary, Communications Officer at tyler.gary@coo.org – please specify whether you will be attending in-person or virtually. There is no cost for accredited media to attend.

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The Chiefs of Ontario supports all First Nations in Ontario as they assert their sovereignty, jurisdiction, and their chosen expression of nationhood. Follow Chiefs of Ontario on Facebook, X, Instagram, or LinkedIn @ChiefsOfOntario

Media Contact:

Isak Vaillancourt

Communications Manager

Chiefs of Ontario

Telephone: 416-819-8184

Email: isak.vaillancourt@coo.org