‘Understandably caused disappointment’: Smiths Falls addresses Spirit of the Drum Pow Wow cancellation, reaffirms commitment to reconciliation

The Town of Smiths Falls has issued an apology for how this year’s cancellation of the annual Spirit of the Drum Pow Wow was handled, and says it is “dedicated to reaffirming its commitment to reconciliation and fostering strong community relationships with all residents including members of our Indigenous community.”

Since 2017, the town has hosted the event annually on Duck Island, seeing First Nations from all over North America attend to share food and dance, and celebrate the diversity of Indigenous culture; however, it was not held this year due to an admitted “lack of preparedness” on the part of the town.

In an effort to “[address] the community directly and transparently,” the town issued a media release on the subject on July 31.

“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 release reads. “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.”

Mayor Shawn Pankow said that council recognizes its “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.”

He acknowledged that 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” Pankow said.

At their meeting on July 22, council committed the funding required in the 2025 budget to ensure the return of the Spirit of the Drum Pow Wow next year, and ensure the event “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,” the town states.