Halifax city hall to unveil reconciliation space inspired by Downie, Wenjack

Halifax City Hall will unveil a Legacy Space next Thursday, becoming the first such municipal building in Canada with a space dedicated to reconciliation discussions.

The city says the space was created in partnership with the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund and will be “a safe, welcoming place where conversations about the past, present and future will be facilitated and encouraged.”

It says it will also serve as a “symbol and reminder” of reconciliation with indigenous peoples for regional council.

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The city already has five such Legacy Spaces.

Among the speakers Thursday will be Mayor Mike Savage, Chief Deborah Robinson of Acadia First Nation, and Sarah Midanik, president and CEO of the Downie-Wenjack fund.

READ MORE: Toronto sings for Gord: Public sing-along to raise money for Chanie Wenjack fund

Halifax council ordered a statue of the city’s founder, Edward Cornwallis, removed from its downtown pedestal last winter amid a heated debate over his role in a bloody conflict with Nova Scotia’s Indigenous people in the mid-1700s.