Four new treaty boundary signs were unveiled on Thursday and will be posted along some of the Saskatchewan’s most travelled highways by the Office of the Treaty Commissioner and Saskatchewan Government.
The new signs will mark the boundaries of Treaty 2 and 4 on Highway 18, east of Estevan and the Treaty 2 and 4 border on Highway 1 near Moosomin.
There will also be a sign at the Treaty 4 and 6 border on Highway 16, seven kilometres west of Lanigan and also the Treaty 6 and 10 boundary on Highway 102 north of La Ronge.
Mary Musqua-Culbertson, Treaty Commissioner for Saskatchewan said the treaties opened they way for people to come and live in Saskatchewan.
“There was never demarcation or acknowledgement of those treaty boundaries in these jurisdictions or territories so we started working on this with the help of the public.”
In 2022, Saskatchewan became the first province in Canada to mark treaty boundaries along provincial highways.
Musqua-Culbertson called the signs educational, a conversation-starter and gives Indigenous people a reason to be prideful.
“Too often we are pushed out of places that aren’t meant for us, weren’t built for us, spaces that we are not supposed to be in and today, as Indigenous people, we can drive through our treaty territories and know they are being acknowledged.”
Saskatchewan MLA Jim Lemaigre said that of the thousands of signs along Saskatchewan highways, the treaty signs will be unique and play an important role.
“They will be seen by thousands of motorists each day. Some will be on their morning or evening commutes, some will be tourists visiting our province and others will be shippers moving important goods and services but they will all see these signs in the language of the territories they represent.”
Lemaigre said the signs are more than just markers along the highway.
“They are all symbols of reconciliation. They are also tools to build awareness of the important treaty relationships that were built on the lands known today as Saskatchewan.”
Musqua-Culbertson said the provinces still have a long way to go in terms of reconciliation but said the signs are a great start.
“It’s the mandate of the office to keep going with that public education.”