Edmonton Community Members Gather to Walk for Reconciliation

On a warm Wednesday afternoon in the heart of Edmonton, Alta., about 100 people walked for reconciliation. Members of Indigenous communities walked alongside non-Indigenous people from Canada Place to the Legislature Building for the July 11 event, drawing people in as they went.

Indigenous drummers kept time at the front of the procession, punctuated by encouragement shouted through a bullhorn, as walkers made their way along the route.

The event, Walking on Common Ground, was organized by Poundmaker’s Lodge Treatment Centre, the Edmonton Native Healing Centre, and the Northern Alberta Diaconal Conference (NADC) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the closing of a nearby residential school.

Poundmaker’s Lodge is an Indigenous-led treatment center for mental health and addiction. It stands on the grounds of the former residential school in St. Albert, just northwest of Edmonton. Staff there had been thinking of holding an event to mark the anniversary of the school’s closing — and before deciding what to do, they were approached with the idea of a reconciliation walk.

Jess Edgington, a consultant with NADC, initiated the walk after hearing about similar reconciliation walks in British Columbia through an article by Jenny DeGroot of Willoughby CRC in Langley, B.C. NADC is a standing committee of Classis Alberta North (a regional group of Christian Reformed churches).

“I read that article and thought, ‘This is so cool. We should be doing this all across Canada!’ So that’s when I started looking into the context of how a walk could fit within our community,” said Edgington.

He brought the idea to the Edmonton Native Healing Centre, a ministry supported by the Christian Reformed Church, who shared it with staff at Poundmaker’s Lodge.

“It was really neat how it all came about,” said Edgington. “It just takes a little seed, and God will do amazing things.”

Together, the three organizations hoped that the walk would help in the journey toward healing for Indigenous children and families affected by residential schools, honor the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, celebrate good things happening in Canada’s Indigenous communities, and bring awareness of work being done in and alongside the local Indigenous community.

On the day of the walk, marchers gathered at Poundmaker’s Lodge for a pipe ceremony to honor people whose lives and childhoods were lost in the residential school, and to remember the past.

As they headed out, the group carried flags and banners, inviting people to join as they went along. Vans followed marchers along the route, available for people with limited mobility.

“It was constant action, and a really good, upbeat celebratory atmosphere,” said Edgington.

Speeches followed once all had reached the Legislature Building. Representatives of various community groups spoke, including church leaders and politicians, and several survivors shared their stories and thoughts.

Michelle Nieviadomy of the Edmonton Native Healing Centre reminded people that, while it can be painful, it is important for survivors to remember and share their experiences.