The Niagara region is a natural choice as the location is rich in Indigenous history; the Treaty of Niagara was signed in 1764 bringing over 2500 Indigenous peoples together and numerous Indigenous landmarks including the Landscape of Nations: The Six Nations & Native Allies Commemorative Memorial, the First Nations Peace Monument, Fort George, Fort Erie and the Laura Secord Trail are within the region.

This interdisciplinary conference will bring together Indigenous peoples, health care providers, researchers and experts in the field who are working to address the huge health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. This disparity has its roots in colonization. As revealed by the Truth and Reconciliation and Murdered and Missing women’s reports much of the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada was minimized or erased. This negatively impacted the health and lives of many Indigenous peoples as traditions were stripped away and families torn apart.