Latest news with #IndianResidential
CTV News
25-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘A commitment to truth': Siksika Nation artist Adrian Stimson to design Calgary residential school memorial
Multidisciplinary artist Adrian Stimson has been selected to create the design concept for Calgary's future Indian Residential School Memorial. The city announced Thursday that an independent jury made up of Indigenous members including Elders and other technical experts, chose Stimson's concept The Wandering Spirit, saying it best aligns with competition criteria, including cultural and community values, and honours the vision for the site. The memorial will be built at The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland, described in a media release as 'a space of historical acknowledgment, ceremony, and healing. It's also intended as a lasting place for reflection, dialogue, and connection.' 'This memorial represents a commitment to truth, acting as a place of remembrance, and a call to action. It will stand as a permanent reminder of the children who never returned home, the survivors who carry deep scars, and the families and communities who continue to live with the intergenerational impacts of the residential school system,' said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek. Wandering Spirit, July 24, 2025 The Wandering Spirit was presented by Ground3 Inc. (groundedcubed) and Adrian Stimson. (City of Calgary) 'I'm grateful to the Elders, survivors, and Indigenous leaders who have shaped this vision from the beginning. Their voices, teachings, and strength have guided this process — and will continue to guide us on the path of reconciliation. Through this memorial, we honour the past while also building a future grounded in respect, understanding, and shared healing.' The significance of the memorial is tied to its location and the shared history it represents, the city said in a release. 'The Confluence has long been a place of connection and cultural meetings. This memorial will add another layer of meaning to that space, connecting past and present so that all Calgarians can come together to learn and heal,' said Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong. 'It will help us recognize the complex history of this land, while creating a shared space that invites reflection and understanding for generations to come.' The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland. (Facebook/TheConfluenceHistoricSite) Guided by Indigenous communities The memorial project has been Indigenous-led from the beginning, with members of Indigenous communities taking the lead in shaping its vision. 'We are honoured to unveil a concept that reflects the voices of survivors, Elders, and community members,' said Harold Horsefall, an Indigenous strategist at the city's Indigenous Relations Office. 'Every step of this process has centred Indigenous leadership and cultural teachings.' The process started in fall 2024 with a request for pre-qualification, moving to a request for proposals which led to four Indigenous-led teams being shortlisted to submit final concepts. Each submission reflected four shared pillars: healing, ceremony, truth and acknowledgement and was shaped by public feedback, as well as guidance from the IRSM Elders Advisory Council. The other shortlisted finalists were: Niitsitapilsini -- Our Way of Life, presented by Two Row Architect and co-designers Brian Porter and Matt Hickey; Nitsinii'Pokaako'sa -- My Special Child, presented by Spectacle Bureau for Architecture and Jared Tailfeathers; Footsteps in the Firelight, presented by Tawaw Architecture Collective Inc. and Wanda Della Costa; and The Wandering Spirit, the winner, was presented by Ground3 Inc. (groundcubed) and Adrian Stimson. POOS team Celestine Twigg, the late Troy Emery Twigg, Harrison Red Crow and Adrian Stimson are part of the team that created POOS, an animated short film that screens at the Calgary International Film Festival Monday, Sept. 23. (Photo: XstineCook) Stimson works in a variety of media, including paintings, installations, performance and video. His paintings often feature bison and his installations contain references to experiences in the residential school system. His work is part of the collection of the North American Indigenous collection at The British Museum, as well as The Glenbow Museum. He won the 2018 Governor-General's Award for Visual and Media Arts. 'The memorial will bring healing, celebration, and honour to Indigenous communities and those who continue to suffer the impacts and imprints of residential schools,' said Otsskoipiiks'aakii Paula Smith, (Blackfoot Confederacy, Piikani Nation) who is the Indigenous relations manager at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland. 'The land at the confluence was used by Fort Calgary to uphold the residential school system, but it has also been a significant place to Indigenous people since long before the North-West Mounted Police arrived here,' added Smith. 'The chosen memorial design is meant to bring both these histories together towards a unified future.' Next The project will move into the detailed design phase before construction planning gets underway. The city extended its deep gratitude to the IRSM Elders Advisory Circle, Elders, residential school survivors and their families, the four shortlisted design teams, The Confluence and community members who joined in the selection process. 'Through this memorial, we hope to foster understanding and connection for all Calgarians, now and for generations to come,' said Sherri Kellock, who is an Indigenous strategist at the City of Calgary.
CBC
09-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn under fire over residential school comments
WARNING: This story contains details of experiences at residential schools. The past tweets of the Conservative candidate in the North Island—Powell River riding have been making headlines for days. Aaron Gunn has been under fire for tweets about Canada's residential school system, in which he said that the system did not constitute genocide. CBC's Claire Palmer made the journey to the riding and talked to those defending Gunn, and others who say he's got to go. A national 24-hour Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available at 1-866-925-4419 for emotional and crisis referral services for survivors and those affected. Mental health counselling and crisis support are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat.
CBC
10-03-2025
- CBC
Supporters validated after Morgan Harris's remains identified but say search delay 'traumatized' families
An elder and an activist who have stood behind the families of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran in their push to search a Winnipeg-area landfill feel validated, but say the initial delays and rebuffs by government inflicted unnecessary harm. "No one should ever have to go through what they went through … it's heartbreaking," Geraldine Shingoose, an Indigenous elder better know as Gramma Shingoose, told CBC News on Sunday. "They were traumatized over and over again by people, all governments, telling them no." While it was long believed the remains of Harris, 39, and Myran, 26, had been left in a Winnipeg dumpster and taken to the Prairie Green landfill after they were murdered by a serial killer in May 2022 the Winnipeg police and Progressive Conservative provincial government argued against searching the landfill, citing feasibility and safety concerns. A change in government in late 2023 led to excavation at the privately-run landfill starting in December 2024, and the remains of Harris and another yet to be identified person discovered at the end of February. "Nobody listened to them. But as a grandmother I listened to them. Grand Chief Cathy Merrick listened to them. Grand Chief Kyra Wilson listened to them," Shingoose said. Just days after police first argued against a search, Shingoose said she was asked to help organize a ceremony at the landfill — one of many she would be a part of in the next couple of years. The elder has been beside the families through their fight, offering spiritual support and guidance, she said. Shingoose also followed them along as they took their plea for the search, meeting after meeting, from city hall to the Manitoba Legislature and on to Parliament Hill. "What was really heartbreaking for me … [was] just seeing when they were told no," she said. When they were faced with challenges, and even hatred, Shingoose said the families focused on bringing their loved ones back, finding their voices and developing the strong character they have today. "They taught me so much ... in all humility, being humble and kind," she said. 'The opposition was worth it' Vivian Ketchum, an Anishinaabe community activist and grandmother, was also among those who supported the families, including talking to reporters and police on their behalf during rallies. "Finally all our struggles and fights and all the ugliness, the opposition, was worth it, so worth it," Ketchum said. "The cold, the miseries, staying out in those camps … I'm willing to do it again." The news of Harris's remains being discovered brought confirmation and a sense of relief to Ketchum, similar to what she said residential school survivors like herself felt when former Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a government apology for the Indian Residential School system. "That's what I'm feeling for the families because I know we walked such a long and difficult road with them," she said. "It's amazing what a daughter's tears can move a community to do to fight for justice." With the discovery of Harris's remains also comes a learning opportunity for everyone, governments included, said Shingoose. "Indigenous women are important, they have daughters, they have cousins, they have sisters, they are grandmothers … nobody should have stayed in that landfill that long," she said. "When families are going through this, stand with them, support them." Shingoose is hoping Myran's remains can also be found soon, but the fight won't end there: "Let's pray for Buffalo Woman to come home," she said. "We need to know who she is. She's got family out there and we need to find her as well." An unidentified woman known as Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman — a name given to her by the community —was also murdered by serial killer Jeremy Skibicki, as was 24-year-old Rebecca Contois from O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation. Contois' remains were found at the City of Winnipeg's Brady Road landfill in June 2022. While there is anger and a feeling of injustice over the initial refusals to search Prairie Green, the discovery of Harris's remains is an opportunity to help her family heal, Shingoose said.
