'Keep that going throughout time': Metis leader says historical designation a source of pride
An English-speaking Metis man and founding father of the City of Prince Albert has been recognized by the Historical Sites and Monuments Boards of Canada for his contribution to the fabric of Canada.
“The City of Prince Albert and knowledge keepers have been working on acknowledging James Isbister. Some of his ancestors are still living right in Prince Albert,” said the Director of Western Region 2 Metis Nation-Saskatchewan Sherry McLennan.
A plaque to commemorate the historical significance of Isbister was unveiled at the Prince Albert Historical Museum with representatives from Parks Canada and the Historical Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The city’s mayor and members of the Prince Albert Historical Society were also present.
McLennan says the recognition is a source of pride for Metis people.
“We want to instill that in all of our children and keep that going throughout time,” said McLennan.
Isbister's nomination to the national monuments board has been 20 years in the making and was supported by Isbister’s descendants.
“We’ve had many calls from Isbister family members, and they are just ecstatic,” said McLennan.
James Isbister was designated as a national historic person in 1997.
The University of Regina participated in the nomination, says Parks Canada’s Northern Prairies Field Unit Superintendent Cal Martin.
He says he’s honoured to be part of the team that delivered the commemorative plaque.
“The storytelling in Canada and the future of looking at our history is about recognizing the tapestry of Canada’s culture and heritage, particularly the contributions of Indigenous people,” said Martin.
Isbister brought together English Metis, French Metis, and Cree Metis together and worked to build relationships with others in the region, says historian, author and board member of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board Bill Waiser.
“This person was instrumental in working with not only the French Metis but the white populations in the Prince Albert area. It’s something that we can sure appreciate today - that coming together and working together for a common solution,” said Waiser.
The groups plan to install the plaque at a location near the former Isbister homestead, now a residential area in Prince Albert’s West Flat neighbourhood.
According to the Government of Canada biography, Isbister was born at Oxford House, Manitoba in 1833 to a Scottish father and a Metis mother.
He was an employee of the Hudson’s Bay Company and settled on a river lot on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River in 1862 with his wife Margaret Bear to farm.
In 1884, he was one of four Metis delegates who travelled to Montana to ask Louis Riel to return to Canada from exile to lead the Metis protest movement.
Isbister did not join the Northwest Resistance of 1885 after the Batoche-area Metis took up arms.
He remained on his homestead, engaged in the Anglican parish and taught school on a local reserve.
The plaque says he guided his people through the 1870s and 1880s in their many attempts to have Canada recognize their claim to river lots.
He died in 1915 and is buried in the St. Mary Anglican Cemetery west of Saskatchewan Penitentiary.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.