The use and display of Indigenous images and themes is now banned at Point Edward sports facilities.

Village council passed a new policy related to non-Indigenous sports organizations, teams and events at its meeting Tuesday.

Point Edward Minor Hockey Association President Liz Page said it was expected.

“We’ve been working closely with council, the City of Sarnia and our friends at Aamjiwnaang since 2019,” said Page. “COVID derailed our progress for a bit, but this is not a surprise to us. This is something that we’ve been aware of and working towards for quite some time.”

Page said a transitional approach will be taken this season.

“This year, our game jerseys are going to be devoid of the Indigenous logo. They’re going to have the name, ‘The Blackhawks’, on our jerseys and we’re quite proud of how they look. We hope everybody embraces the transition, but we do want to engage our membership and our community about whether, or not, they want a total name change, or whether they want to keep the name and go with a logo that doesn’t have an Indigenous undertone.”

Page understands some people won’t agree with the decision.

“We certainly leave space for that kind of reaction, however, we know that this is the right path to take. Truth and reconciliation is more than an Orange Shirt Day and we really want to be part of leading with respectful and inclusive interactions with our players, our families, and other centers we visit. So we want to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.”

Page said the Chicago Blackhawks Indigenous logo they had used was removed from centre ice at the Point Edward Arena a few years ago.

Ultimately, Page said the association hopes to develop something everyone in the community is proud of.