Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (Holland Bloorview) has opened outdoor smudging areas to provide safe, accessible and welcoming spaces for Indigenous clients, families, staff and community members to practice an important cultural and spiritual tradition.

The smudging spaces were officially opened during a celebration on June 16, in recognition of National Indigenous History Month. The ceremony was attended by special guests including Conrad Prince, lead of Indigenous health strategy, Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN); Deborah Richardson, Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Health; Kirk LeMessurier, chief, communications and public affairs and Sundeep Sodhi, chief, strategy, member relations and long-term health policy, both from the Ontario Hospital Association.

“This space, this celebration, isn’t about checking a box,” said Richardson. “It’s about warmth, welcome, education and creating culturally safe care for everyone. This is a beautiful step in reconciliation, one that invites all of us to learn, participate and honour Indigenous life and ceremony.” 

Smudging is a sacred Indigenous spiritual practice that involves burning four sacred plant medicines: sage, cedar, sweetgrass and tobacco to produce smoke and scent. The ceremony is used to clear negative energy and prepare for ceremony, reflection or healing. We also smudge to centre ourselves, honour Indigenous traditions and connect with ancestors.

Holland Bloorview offers both indoor and now outdoor spaces where smudging can take place safely and respectfully. “These indoor and outdoor smudging areas are more than just physical spaces,” said Julia Hanigsberg, president and CEO of Holland Bloorview. “They are symbols of our shared commitment to healing, respect and reconciliation.”

She added: “Our journey toward Truth and Reconciliation is both collective and individual. It calls on each of us to reflect deeply on our role as health-care providers and the ways in which colonization has shaped care. We must take meaningful steps to decolonize health care.”

Hanigsberg emphasized that this commitment is not a one-time effort: “We’ve listened, we’ve learned, we’ve unlearned and we’ve acted. One outcome of that process is making smudging more accessible for Indigenous children, youth and families in our care. We’re not at the end of a journey; we’re at the beginning. And we’re traveling this path with humility, openness and the guidance of the communities we serve.”

These sentiments were echoed by Conrad Prince, lead of Indigenous health strategy at TAHSN, who also attended the opening.

“Today, we’re not just opening a smudging space,” Prince said. “We’re creating room for ceremony, for spirit and for Indigenous life to be recognized and accepted in this hospital.”

He continued, “This isn’t just a smudging space. It’s a place where Indigenous people can show up fully, with our ancestors walking with us, where our traditions are honoured and healing can happen in the ways we know and trust.”

This initiative is part of Holland Bloorview’s broader commitment to implementing the calls to action set out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s report. By creating spaces where smudging can be safely and respectfully practiced, Holland Bloorview reaffirms its commitment to culturally safe care and advancing Indigenous health equity.

This past year, Holland Bloorview introduced a new smudging policy to support Indigenous staff, clients and families in practicing smudging safely and respectfully. Our IDEAA (inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility and anti-racism) office has also created tools and education to support culturally safe care, including:

• a land acknowledgment guide tailored for the health-care sector;
• new anti-racism education materials centering Indigenous anti-racism and health inequities;
• celebrating Indigenous days of significance including National Indigenous People’s Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation; and
• regular learning opportunities such as training and immersive sessions to deepen their learning about Indigenous history and perspectives.

“This moment is one step on our journey,” said Joanne Maxwell, vice president, experience, transformation and social accountability. “Together, with humility and respect, we’re building a health-care system where everyone feels seen, valued and cared for.”

Learn more about smudging at Holland Bloorview.