Sea of orange descends upon downtown Saskatoon to raise awareness on TRC Calls to Action

Downtown Saskatoon was a oversea of orangish Tuesday to rise consciousness astir the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action.

The Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) led implicit 100 radical done downtown. Tribal Chief Mark Arcand said much radical person been consenting to perceive since the find of unmarked graves astatine residential schools successful the province.

Still, helium said systems request to change, including kid and household services and acquisition successful the Prairies.

“Learning astir Columbus and Macbeth is not doing justness to our people,” Arcand said.

“We’ve got to larn astir acquisition this time and property and however we enactment from this truthful it ne'er ever happens to immoderate kid successful this province, successful this country, successful this world.”

Many organizations and section figures joined the march, including the Roman Catholic Dioses of Saskatoon.

Bishop Mark Hagemoen said helium wants to enactment those hurting and connection healing for past mistakes.

“We request to physique and not interruption down,” said Hagemoen.

“We request to determination from choler which is understandable and each the sentiments that travel with wherefore did radical bash this and our past to however bash we determination guardant and assistance radical heal.”

Saskatoon politician Charlie Clark said Indigenous voices request to beryllium reflected wrong the city.

“We request to truly admit the radical who are stateless and connected our streets are radical who successful galore cases are suffering the effects of residential schools,” helium said.

“We request amended programs moving with the tribal assembly and different organizations to enactment people.”

Donna Heimbecker’s grandma attended residential school. She said Canada is successful for much symptom arsenic much unmarked graves are found, earlier healing from the legacy can begin.

“The world is going to beryllium exponential for radical to grasp,” she said.

“It’s truly hard to grasp arsenic a mother, and a grandmother, and a descendent of a subsister but it’s thing that has to beryllium done.”

The STC said they has much consciousness events planned in the coming months.