Saskatoon’s North Commuter Parkway Bridge is likely to be named the Chief Mistawasis Bridge.
The committee tasked with naming the bridge announced the recommended name Thursday at the kick-off of the Rock Your Roots Walk for Reconciliation, which marked the start of National Indigenous People Day celebrations in Saskatoon.
“As we come together to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day in Victoria Park and get involved in ‘Rock Your Roots’ Walk for Reconciliation, it’s fitting that we have chosen to name the North Commuter Bridge after Chief Mistawasis to acknowledge the contributions of those who came before us and strived to create a better future,” said Harry LaFond, executive director of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner.
Chief Mistawasis, also known as Pierre Belanger, was an Indigenous leader in the Saskatoon area. He played a major role in the Treaty 6 negotiations of 1876.
The recommended name was one of 400 that were suggested for the bridge as part of a community engagement campaign that began in July of 2017.
Saskatoon’s city council is expected to formally approve the bridge’s name in August.
The bridge remains on schedule to open this October.
