Drumming, marching and sharing stories were just a few things happening at the annual smudge walk in Regina’s North Central neighbourhood Friday.
But at the heart of it all, was the sense of healing.
“The event started in response to the Maclean’s article 10 years ago that basically dubbed (North Central) as Canada’s worst neighbourhood,” said Treena Amyotte, a volunteer committee member with the smudge walk. “And at that time people really just wanted to get together and basically show community pride.”
The afternoon was filled with live entertainment, a barbecue and speeches from elders and local politicians.
Hundreds of people came out to show support for their community, and work towards a creating a positive change.
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“North Central is a beautiful place with a lot of character. A lot of good people live here,” said Mayor Michael Fougere. “Some of the things you hear about in social media and otherwise people are concerned about, but people love the area. You can see that very much, and I am very proud to be part of the smudge walk today.
Mayor Fougere says increasing safety, economic and educational opportunities are top priorities in the North Central area.
“People are happy,” added Mayor Fougere. “It is a focal point of recognition of the challenges facing North Central, but when you talk to anybody in North Central, they’re pretty happy. There are challenges, yes, (but) this is a unique part of Regina and we should be very proud of North Central because a lot of people are taking action themselves to make their lives better and that’s so, so very important.”
Someone who can appreciate that sentiment is the Chief of Police.
“Just the community support, the horn honks, the waves, even people taking their hat off as we’re walking by,” said Chief Evan Bray, with the Regina Police Service. “Just that show of respect that the community has for the importance of the smudge walk, it’s pretty humbling and very impressive.”
Chief Bray also noted the key to increasing safety, takes a lot more than just a police force.
“Policing is something that takes more than just a police service,” said Chief Bray. “It really is about a community effort to educate, to understand and to try and reduce crime.”
This year marked the 10th annual smudge walk in North Central. The event also comes at the start of National Aboriginal History Month.
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