For Canada 150 Let's Celebrate New Partnerships

As Canada prepares to celebrate 150 years since confederation, I think we can use this anniversary to celebrate the beginning of new partnerships between the people that have lived here for thousands of years and those who have come in the last 400.  They are being created all over this country.  People aren’t waiting for the government to begin the process.  Instead they are leading the way.  Here are three such partnerships.

Classroom Buddies

I recently heard a CBC radio interview with  Lisa Howell, a teacher in Gatineau, PQ who uses a buddy program with seniors to work with her students. There are also many indigenous students in her class.  The seniors and students work together once a week on all kinds of projects. It gives the students the experience of elders and the seniors the experience of being with the youth.

   Teacher Lisa Howell (centre) and senior buddy Louis Comerton
chat with a student at Pierre Elliott Trudeau elementary
school in Gatineau. (Halima Sogbesan/CBC)

Recently, she taught the class about Jordan’s principle, residential schools and reconciliation.  Jordan's Principle  is used in Canada to resolve jurisdictional disputes about which government will provide services for First Nations children.  It was created after Jordan River Anderson, an indigenous child born with a complex medical condition, spent all 5 years of his short life in hospital because the provincial and federal governments fought over who would pay for his medical care at home.  In the radio interview, the teacher relates how her students felt when they learned about Jordan.  As the students worked with their  buddies, they told the seniors about Jordan’s Principle.  Many of the seniors had never heard about Jordan or residential schools and they learned about them from their young buddies. 

On another occasion, one senior went home and looked up the First Nation that some of the kids are from and came back to share that she now knew where they were from.  The kids were very happy to have their homes recognized.  This offers a new way of understanding Canada for the seniors and new partnerships of respect are being formed across ages and cultures.

Hockey Cares

 I recently got an email from the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund letting me know that my earlier donation is being put to use.  The first recipient of a $5000 ReconciliACTION grant is Hockey Cares.  The email from co-chairs Mike Downey and Charlene  Bearhead goes on to say,

“With the help of this grant, young Indigenous hockey players from Attawapiskat, Ontario will be supported to take part in a hockey tournament to play on teams of combined Indigenous and non-Indigenous players in Oakville, Ontario.  Through this project, all players will make new cross-cultural connections, share their stories and learn from one another – cornerstones to our collective reconciliation journey.”

Hockey Cares participants from Attawapiskat

Springwater Park

In 2012, the Ontario government changed the status of Springwater Park, near Barrie, ON from operating to non-operating because of financial losses.  Some in the community decided to challenge this.  Two grassroots organizations, the Springwater Park Citizen’s Coalition and the Friends of Springwater tried to keep the park open.  But it was the women from Beausoleil First Nation who occupied the park throughout the spring, summer and fall of 2013 to bring attention to the fact that the park is on traditional Beausoleil First Nation territory who were successful.  Eventually a deal was struck between the First Nation and the Ontario government to keep the park open.  The five year deal between 2015 and 2019 gives the First Nation the responsibility to staff the park and increase revenue.

Some aspects of the park were taken away due to high maintenance cost such as the wild animal exhibits and playground equipment.  The park is for day use now with hiking trails, a large playing field, pond and picnic areas. Beausoleil First Nation is doing education programs with local schools at the site as well.

I was recently at Springwater Park for the Barrie Native Friendship Centre Pow Wow at which everyone is welcome.  It was wonderful to see the dancers from toddlers to grandparents dance in their beautiful regalia. The announcer explained what was going on, when pictures could be taken and when the dance was a ceremonial one in which pictures were not appropriate.  He added dances as they were requested and cracked jokes along the way.

“The Great Responsibility: The Throwing and the Catching
 of the Ball of Life” by Mary Lou Meiers printed on aluminum
and mounted on cedar

We also found that the 16 works of art in the Call to Action 83 project had been printed on sheets of aluminum which allow them to be displayed outside permanently.  We were looking at the first 5 when a staff member on a small motorized machine pulling a trailer stopped to talk.  He asked us if we knew about the art and we told him that we had been at the opening at the McLaren Art Centre.  He went on to tell us that he had used old cedar park benches to make the frames for the aluminum prints.  The weathered wood looked perfect with the bright paintings and spoke of the history of the park as well.  He had only managed to get 5 out that day because he was so busy with the pow wow but he pointed out the posts he had put in to hold all 16.  “The others are in the park office if you want to see them,” he added.

Painting number 4 by Negik, Star Otter
You can read his statement here

Curious to see what they looked like in their new form, we walked the short distance to the park office.  The staff member there was happy to let us in to see them.  She knew one of the artists, who had taught her daughter to paint.  She proudly pointed out one of her daughter’s paintings she had displayed in the office.  As we looked at the paintings and talked to the woman, we shared stories about the artists we knew and talked about how powerful the project was.  Initially, Steve, the man we met earlier will put all 16 out each day and take them down again in the evening to prevent vandalism.  They will be officially opened on June 21 which happens to be National Aboriginal Day.

It wasn’t until I came home that I researched more about this unique park partnership.  In an article  in Anishinabek News  the author writes, “Ontario and the Beausoleil First Nation have embarked on this journey to develop a relationship based on mutual respect, sharing and the principles of recognition and reconciliation.”

While I can't celebrate many aspects of the history of Canada, I can celebrate the wonderful people that are taking chances, showing courage and offering leadership in how we can move forward together.  These stories are everywhere if you start looking out for them.  We can celebrate our new story together on July 1st.