STC chief hopes walk along Circle Drive sparks change
Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief Mark Arcand is walking the entirety of Circle Drive to raise awareness and encourage government, local businesses and organizations to incorporate Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action.
Arcand started walking at the Sutherland entrance to Circle Drive Monday morning. He said he chose the 30-kilometre route because of the high visibility and the opportunity for the public to see the importance of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) calls to action and residential schools.
“Those calls to action were made for a reason and that is so residential school survivors to tell their stories about what happened to them,” Arcand told CTV News.
He hopes the walk results in the those calls to action being implemented by all levels of government and making a difference in the lives of Indigenous people.
He started thinking about mobilizing the walk after the discovery of 215 bodies at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
“Here at home lot of our residential school survivors were affected and they were triggered. I sat back for a week to 10 days and waited for things to unfold and talked to residential school survivors here and got input.”
120 people started with Arcand with others joining along the route which was escorted by members from the Saskatoon Police Service.
Representatives from different companies and organizations joined the walk including Nurtrien, Mayor Charlie Clark, University of Saskatchewan President Peter Stoicheff, trustees from Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, according to Arcand.
Last week Arcand held a media conference where the STC called on the City of Saskatoon to have John A. MacDonald's name removed from a city street. He suggested Reconciliation Road as a new name.
“I heard it was supposed to go to a city planning committee on June 21 which is a really positive step. It just creates discussion and there’s no disrespect to people on that street. It’s about understanding and there are name changes all the time in different cities,” Arcand said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.