TELUS' commitment to placekeeping
Fostering culturally responsive experiences for Indigenous team members and customers within TELUS spaces is a crucial part of our reconciliation journey. Our goal is for these initiatives to provide a safe environment for Indigenous team members and to offer others the chance to learn about the communities on whose traditional territories TELUS buildings are located.
TELUS Harbour
In 2024, TELUS successfully completed the first placekeeping project at TELUS Harbour in Toronto, which is located on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Ojibwe-Anishnaabeg,the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. The 28th floor is now named Place of Many Rivers and invites you to reflect on the natural elements around you and the traditions of the lands as you enter the space.
The vision and inspiration for the 'Place of Many Rivers' was made in collaboration with
Two Row Architect
, BOOM InterTribal
and Indigenous leaders, Elders, Knowledge Keepers and community members. The stories, talents and culture graciously shared by the artists, photographers, sculptors and designers made the space come to life. TELUS House Burnaby
TELUS, in collaboration with xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, has redesigned spaces of TELUS House Burnaby, 4519 Canada Way, in its second placekeeping initiative.
Hereditary Chief Ian Campbell of Squamish Nation guided TELUS throughout the process, sharing the protocols of the Nations whose traditional unceded territory TELUS House Burnaby sits upon and ensuring this project honours the interconnection of the land, stories, histories and cultures of the three host Nations through art.
Completed in 2024, the final design includes the installation of nine distinctive artworks, now prominently featured on the main floor and lobby, reflecting the themes of transformation and interconnectivity across the region.
TELUS Park Royal Store
As part of our commitment to creating culturally relevant spaces for customers, our first store placekeeping project at TELUS Park Royal located on Xwmelch'stn (Capilano Indian Reserve No. 5) lands was completed in 2025.
The artwork on the storefront and a column within the store is titled, "Wa Ihtima ta Swa7am"
("The Ways of our Elders") by Chief Kwakwee Baker. This piece represents the history of the Xwmelch'stn lands, the Capilano River area of the Squamish Nation.
Protected by the great Thunderbird, the famed legend of the "Twin Sisters," also known as the “The Lions” which are mountains that face each other, overlooking the Capilano River valley. Below, the Dog Salmon and its bones, that are an integral part of Squamish society's foundation, return to the river. Also within the design, are elements of Eagle, Raven, and Seagle - themes and characters common in Squamish’s ancestral teachings and mythology.
Created by Eyoälha Baker, the lightbox on the interior wall of the store is a rigid grid with each image telling its own story about the powerful and unstoppable resilience and flourishing regrowth of Squamish lands, people and culture.
“The themes of this work explore the roots, the ancestors, and the perseverance, resilience and regrowth of the lands and people - against all odds,” shared Eyoälha.