Site of future residential school monument at Government House dedicated with traditional ceremony
On National Indigenous Peoples Day, a traditional ceremony marked a spiritual step forward at the future site of a monument honouring and remembering those who attended residential schools at Government House in Regina.
“I have ensured through advice and through conversations and outreach with elders and survivors that we do this the right way and follow appropriate protocols," said Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty.
Premier Scott Moe credits Mirasty's work to find a place that will allow people to visit the monument and reflect.
"[Mirasty's] intent of creating that quiet place of reflection, a place for people to sit and reflect on how residential schools have impacted their family, themselves, their friends, and also to use it a place for education for the broader population," said Moe.
The ceremony served to bless the land where the memorial will eventually be built, with the added significance of holding it on the solstice.
"This is when they pray to the land, connect to the other living creatures on the earth," said Joseph Naytowhow, an Indigenous knowledge keeper.
The ceremony is further amplified by recent discoveries of unmarked graves at residential school sites, with more searches set to be conducted.
“Kamloops and every other location that has that tragic news that’s there and we’ll find out about, it certainly reinforces the importance of the work here," Mirasty said. “In spite of the sadness at times, the elders express hope for the future, and I think that’s just as important.”
The physical work on the site is expected to begin soon as officials finalize the details of the eventual monument.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Closing arguments heard in trial for Sask. dad accused of abducting daughter
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.