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
'The root cause': Canada outlines national action plan to fight auto theft
The federal government is launching what it calls its 'national action plan' to combat auto thefts, which will include stronger penalties for thieves, and increased information sharing between police agencies, government officials and border enforcement.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Prosecution rests in Donald Trump’s hush money case. The defence now gets its turn to call witnesses
Michael Cohen testified Monday that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his ex-boss Donald Trump’s company, an admission defence lawyers hope to use to undermine Cohen’s credibility.
Red Lobster probes 'endless shrimp' losses after bankruptcy filing
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
'Next man up': Canucks coach, teammates bracing for Game 7 without Brock Boeser
Questions about how the team is going to handle the absence of star winger Brock Boeser from a do-or-die game seven dominated pre-game interviews with the Vancouver Canucks coach and players Monday morning.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Woman, 35, in critical condition after her truck collided with a Via Rail train near Montreal
A 35-year-old woman is in critical condition after the pick-up truck she was driving was struck by a Via Rail passenger train Monday morning in Quebec's Monteregie region.