'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
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.