ST. PAUL – Last week, the intersection of 50th Avenue and 49th street between the Lions Park and St. Paul Eyecare was cordoned for some time from traffic. Town of St. Paul staff painted a new crosswalk unveiled on Sept. 30 during the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by members of the public as well as delegates from the Town and County of St. Paul. Elders from Kehewin Cree Nation, Frog Lake Cree Nation, and Saddle Lake Cree Nation also spoke during the ceremony, sharing their stories.
The project was made in partnership between the local TD Canada branch, the Town of St. Paul, and the Mannawanis Friendship Centre.
Oralee Williams, branch manager at TD Bank, who presided over the unveiling ceremony, explained the significance of the gesture, one that acknowledges the lost children and survivors of residential schools.
Williams, who pushed the idea for the crosswalk, said she did not know about residential schools until 2014. “That was the killer for me... how could I live this long and not know about residential schools?” And the vision came about.
“It was just a dream,” said Williams. A dream to start a conversation about reconciliation – conversations leading to action. While the road and journey toward reconciliation will be long, Williams said that ultimately, the crosswalk is a gesture.
The crosswalk “shows our community as welcoming, that we want to learn, [and] we want to stand as allies to move forward together.”
Rick Laroque, district vice-president of Alberta North for TD Bank, said that as Métis, he’s proud of the project. “To move forward, we have to acknowledge our past, and we have to make people comfortable to be able to speak their own truth.”
Like Williams, Laroque acknowledged there is still a long way to go on the path to reconciliation. And “We need to ask each of ourselves what more can we do here,” he said, encouraging others to take part in the journey.
For TD Bank Financial Group, Laroque said they are in the process of giving away 25 scholarships to Indigenous students, explaining education is a key component to “help us move forward on Truth and Reconciliation.” In addition, there has been ongoing training to bring awareness “of issues of the past” within the company.
Ben Steinhauer, who invited the Elders to speak at the event, and who is also the son of sculptor Stewart Steinhauer, said he is grateful for all the people who helped make the project a reality.
“It’s really encouraging to see that there were people who stepped forward to really try and make this happen,” he said, hoping more projects such as the crosswalk would happen, and that it could be the beginning of a broader movement.
Steinhauer also stressed the importance of teaching the younger generation to respect and appreciate Indigenous cultures and expressed his hope for the continued progress toward Truth and Reconciliation, and of actions that would foster understanding, respect, and unity.
Town of St. Paul Mayor Maureen Miller said she uses the crosswalk every day, and painting the crosswalk is a reminder. She hopes that when other people walk the crosswalk, they take a moment to “stop, breathe, [and] reflect on how we treat each other,” and contemplate ways of how people can collectively move forward toward Truth and Reconciliation.
When asked of the importance of gestures such as the crosswalk, Miller said it is because the community needs to heal. “We are walking this every day, and we are in this journey together.”
“So, everybody who steps across this walk will hopefully take that opportunity to be better.”
