Niagara Roundtable
The Niagara Roundtable will serve as a new historic Indigenous gathering and forum for meaningful dialogue on the foundational role of Indigenous relations in the making of Canada, and the enduring cultural relations that reinforce the relationship between humans and nature. Building upon the long history of treaty-making, alliance-building, and cross-cultural diplomacy in the Niagara region (which has national implications) the Roundtable aims to foster renewed understandings of the principles of respect, reciprocity, and nation-to-nation relationships.
This compelling event will be held in the Upper Canada Hall of the Pillar and Post Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The conference will feature lectures and presentations that detail Indigenous relations forged within the region. From early 17th century contact through the 1764 Treaty of Niagara, to the numerous and large Indigenous engagements with Crown representatives at the Indian Council House, and through to contemporary contentious times, this focused conceptual knowledge-sharing event will expand attendees’ understanding not only of the Indigenous experience, but how that experience has fundamentally shaped the political, diplomatic, and cultural foundations of Canada.
Registration information and agenda will be forthcoming.
Annual Programs
Indigenous Niagara Outstanding Achievement Awards
The Indigenous Niagara Outstanding Achievement Awards acknowledge and celebrate influential leaders having a positive impact upon the Indigenous Niagara community on both sides of the Niagara River and along the Niagara Escarpment. The awards correspond with the concepts, constructs, and attributes that have come to define the highest standards for Indigenous excellence in six categories. These include Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Intellectual Advancement, Language and Culture, Empathic Traditions, and Two-Row Alliance (for those who support Indigenous peoples). The highly respected Outstanding Achievement Awards have become an esteemed honour, known for revealing the quality, and quantity, of exceptional Indigenous people and allies who are advancing Indigenous relations within the region.
Valour & Victory: Honouring Indigenous Veterans
The Battle of Queenston Heights on October 13, 1812, served as an extraordinary expression of historic alliances that extended back generations and marked an essential moment in the emergence of a fledgling country whose borders and character were being tested and defined. In recognition of the contributions and sacrifices made by Six Nations and Native Allies in supporting their British and Canadian compatriots and securing victory at pivotal events at Queenston Heights and throughout the War of 1812, we continue this important annual service, Valour & Victory: Honouring Indigenous Veterans, to remember and honour those who secured our freedom by exhibiting both strength and peacemaking skills.