CHALLENGE

TELUS set out to advance its Reconciliation Action Plan not just through policy — but through place.

The goal: to reimagine a floor of its downtown Toronto headquarters as a space that honours the local First Nations rights holder’s presence, welcomes community, and reflects its commitment to reconciliation not just in words, but in place.

But the challenge was layered:

• How do you make a corporate space feel sacred, culturally safe, and community-connected?
• How do you design something that’s both internally inclusive for Indigenous employees and externally educational for the broader public?
• How do you embed Indigenous perspectives into design, rather than overlay them?

TELUS knew this space needed to be more than symbolic. It had to be authentic, culturally grounded, and community-informed. And they knew they couldn’t do it alone.

So, they came to BOOM InterTribal with a question:

How do we create a space that isn’t just beautiful — but deeply rooted in Indigenous culture, protocols, and purpose?

BOOM became the partner TELUS needed — guiding the process with cultural fluency, creativity, and integrity.

SOLUTION

BOOM InterTribal led TELUS through an Indigenous-led PlaceKeeping journey — a holistic process rooted in community, cultural protocol, and lived experience. It wasn’t just about placemaking. It was about protecting, preserving, and bringing First Nations worldview into the built environment — in ways that are living, layered, and lasting.

We began by listening. Through facilitated sessions with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous community members whose ancestors first inhabited the land where the TELUS building now stands, we gathered meaningful cultural direction. This included additional engagement with Elders, Indigenous TELUS associates, youth, artists, and knowledge keepers across the GTA.

BOOM then translated these shared perspectives into a strategic vision— a creative brief rooted in insight, not assumption.

Key themes included:

• Aligning the space to natural elements — honouring the sun, land, and four directions as opposed to the colonial gridlines of city streets. Orienting it to the sun — east and west, not Bay and Front.
• Designing for ceremony, smudging, and meaningful gathering
• Embedding Indigenous language, teachings, and stories throughout
• Creating environments that feel communal, inclusive, and alive

BOOM recommended the name “Place of Many Rivers”, derived from Mississaugi in Anishinaabemowin — meaning “many river mouths.”
The name honours the ancestral geography of the area, once shaped by riverways that supported trade, ceremony, and connection among Nations. It also speaks to the convergence of people, cultures, and commitments that this space now represents.

Supporting this name, BOOM developed:

• A custom wordmark influenced by Anishinaabe syllabics
• Interpretive signage layered with story and language
• Space naming (e.g., Bizan Room, meaning “peaceful, still”) that grounded function in spirit

BOOM worked closely with the design team to ensure that the insights we uncovered weren’t simply layered on top, but rather embedded from the very beginning — shaping how the space would look, feel, and function.

These choices were not added in after the fact. They were planted early, nurtured with care, and brought to life through respectful collaboration – with BOOM serving as the cultural and strategic bridge throughout.

Having faced challenges with artist engagement on previous projects, TELUS leaned on BOOM to lead the call-out, curation, and coordination of Indigenous artists across the GTA.

We managed:

• Outreach strategy and relationship building
• Review and curation of 30–50 submissions
• Vetting for cultural and thematic alignment
• Ongoing liaison with selected artists through installation

Ultimately, 15 Indigenous artists were commissioned – their works woven throughout the space as expressions of identity, territory, and transformation.
“We also have the implementation of 15 amazing Indigenous artists… it starts to add that tertiary layer to the work of the architecture, the design — all these things that help tie that nice bow on the work.”

RESULTS

The “Place of Many Rivers” is now one of the most frequently used and celebrated spaces within TELUS Harbour — by Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees alike. It has become a place for gathering, learning, and quiet reflection.

What began as a reconciliation commitment has become a living, breathing cultural space — rooted in Indigenous worldview and grounded in relationship.

The impact includes:

• A widely used culturally enriched space – regularly booked for group functions, national meetings, and to immerse TELUS stakeholders and clients in a crucial part of our reconciliation journey
• A visual and emotional transformation – featuring work from 15 Indigenous artists with ties to Toronto and surrounding Nations
• A ripple effect – sparking replication discussions across TELUS offices, and generating interest from other institutions seeking to move from performative to participatory reconciliation
• A space of belonging – where Indigenous employees feel seen, honoured, and at home

“I felt heard and appreciated… I can truly be myself.”
— Christy Morgan | Manager, TELUS Reconciliation Strategy

The space now stands as a model for reconciliation-informed design – demonstrating what’s possible when corporate environments are guided by Indigenous insight from the start. With interpretive content, inclusive design features, and deep cultural grounding, the “Place of Many Rivers” invites reflection and understanding – not just for those who work at TELUS, but for everyone who enters.

“BOOM didn’t just help us name a space, they embedded meaning into it. Through consultation with Chiefs, Elders and local Indigenous TELUS team members, BOOM ensured that the space accurately represents the local Indigenous history of land that the Place of Many Rivers sits on. This is reconciliation in action, not just sentiment.”
— Phil Moore | TELUS Corporate Real Estate