In a unique step, Monday’s Calgary city council session was devoted to discussions about reconciliation and issues of importance to Indigenous people in the city.
City councillors were expected to receive an update on progress made in response to the White Goose Flying Report, which was written in 2016 by the Calgary Aboriginal urban advisory committee.
The report includes 43 calls to action from the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report that the authors said Calgary could implement or work to implement. The TRC report explored the history and legacy of residential schools in Canada.
City councillors were also expected to discuss ongoing plans to assemble a permanent residential school memorial in Calgary. In 2022, city council approved funding for the memorial site. The current plans are to have the memorial be located at the Confluence Historic Site.
The city is still looking for Indigenous-led design teams to help plan the memorial. Final plans for the site are not expected to be announced until next year.
On Monday, Mayor Jyoti Gondek spoke about the importance of acknowledging the history of residential schools and to actively take part in reconciliation efforts.
“I invite all of you to engage with Indigenous peoples through opportunities like Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30 at the Confluence Historic Site,” she said. “That is one way we can demonstrate our commitment, not only to truth and reconciliation, but to foster a society that is able to embrace Indigenous worldviews and rights.”
After Monday’s council meeting, city councillors travelled to the Confluence Historic Site to speak with elders.
The site had previously been known as Fort Calgary, which was established by the RCMP in 1875. Before that, it was a sacred place for Treaty 7 members.
Now there are questions about whether an archaeological dig should occur before construction begins.
“There’s always a desire to balance doing a dig of that nature with speed of delivery of an Indigenous gathering space,” Gondek said.
“We would need to make sure we’re well engaged with everyone involved to make the right decision.”
A temporary memorial at city hall will stay until the permanent one is completed.
“There were so many things that were happening in Alberta before Alberta became a province,” said Marina Crane, an elder with Tsuut’ina Nation.
“Whatever is uncovered and what needs to be done is going to validate not just First Nations, Inuit and Métis — it’s important that whatever is uncovered, it’s going to validate our history.”
–with files from Karen Bartko, Michael King and Sarah Offin, Global News