This bridge that now spans the Cataraqui River is one of the city of Kingston’s most public steps forward in the name of reconciliation.
The bridge opened for use December 13, 2022 is called the ‘Waaban Crossing’.
“I think it’s really important that we do these kinds of things, that cities do these things, universities and different places kind of recognize the language of the land,” said Nathan Brinklow the Associate Head for Indigenous Affairs at Queen’s University. “It’s not just the language of the people, it’s the language of the land.”
The word “Waaban” is an Ojibwe word that means dawn or morning light.
According to the city Waaban was put forward to represent both the natural environment that the bridge crosses, and as a hopeful metaphor, with indigenous peoples and all Canadians working together toward a better world for future generations.
“Being an indigenous person, seeing that language there, being involved in that process, even just kind of seeing it happen, was really cool for me,” said Brinklow.
The city consulted with the advisory firm “First Peoples Group” as well as the Alderville First Nation and the Tyendinaga Mohawk council on the naming.
In the grand scheme of things, Brinklow says that he sees the new bridge as a big step forward in raising the profile of indigenous names in the community.
“Seeing indigenous presence, indigenous names creeping into the infrastructure of the city, creeping into the places, more obviously, I think can speak very strongly to little kids who might see that and think it’s super cool,” said Brinklow.
While the bridge was built to connect the east end to the central part of Kingston, calling it the Waaban Crossing means it can also build a connection to first nations culture and honour the indigenous history of the lands it connects, and the water that flows beneath it.