WESTLOCK – The Town of Westlock, Village of Clyde, Westlock Conex and the Kipohtakaw (Alexander) First Nation have partnered to host an inaugural gathering in advance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, held annually Sept. 30.
Slated for Wednesday, Sept. 28, at Memorial Hall, the free event starts with a traditional First Nations meal from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., followed by dance performances until 6 p.m. The remaining two hours will include a presentation from a Kipohtakaw elder who will provide “education and learnings” while the night will wrap with a question-and-answer period.
The federal government has designated Orange Shirt Day, Sept. 30, as a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, while the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has identified Truth and Reconciliation Week from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1.
Town CAO Simone Wiley said they were initially unsure if the community would embrace the gathering but have received an “overwhelmingly positive response” and even upped the number for the catered meal. She expects Memorial Hall, which has room for roughly 300 people, to be full and is hopeful it will become an annual event on the town’s calendar.
“Really we had no idea what to expect, but the community has really embraced it,” said Wiley, noting they intentionally chose Sept. 28, leaving the actual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Sept. 30, for reflection.
“We decided against making people pre-register for the event because we didn’t want to turn anyone away and we didn’t want any barriers to attend.”
Wiley said over the past couple of years, especially following Canada Day 2021 which occurred in the wake of the reporting on the mass grave site at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, the town has tried to figure out how to participate in reconciliation in a meaningful way.
Starting in late September 2021, the municipality became the first locally to recite an Indigenous land acknowledgement to open its meetings, while in May 2022 a cultural sensitivity training workshop was held at Memorial Hall that included staff and politicians from the three municipalities.
That workshop, led by Kori-Leigh Arcand from Kipohtakaw, focused on “awareness of Indigenous history, culture and customs specific to Treaty 6” and counted six attendees from the town, five from the village and three from Westlock County.
The night also highlighted the different Indigenous groups within Treaty 6, particularly surrounding Westlock and Clyde and their history, and included an introductory overview of Indian Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, treaties and inherent rights, First Nations governance, the Indian Act, respectful protocol and allyship. Ultimately, the workshop aimed to “develop and plan best practice engagement strategies with surrounding Indigenous communities” and assist the municipalities “with applying cultural awareness to everyday operations.”
“It’s a combination of all of those things over the last year. We attended the cultural sensitivity training and during that part of the process we asked, how can we as municipalities facilitate and help our communities achieve a better level of understanding? And I believe this is a start, just having a level of understanding and being educated,” said Wiley, noting that on Sept. 30 town facilities will either be closed or, as in the case of the Rotary Spirit Centre, operating at reduced hours.
“This is our way of being able to provide that education to our community. Alexander has been great to work with being that they’re the closest First Nation to our community. We look forward to putting this event on and we’re really happy they have stepped up to help us with it.”
