ST. PAUL - Town of St. Paul council has agreed to a request from a local business to have a crosswalk created in honour of residential school survivors, and those who never made it home.
A letter was presented to Town council during the Aug. 28 council meeting, signed by Oralee William, Branch Manager at TD Bank. The letter asked for the Town's support and partnership to create a crosswalk at the intersection of 50th Avenue and 49th Street, between the Lions Park and St. Paul Eyecare, "as a permanent acknowledgement of the lost children and survivors of the residential schools."
"I believe this monument would be a step towards showing our commitment to reconciliation within our communities and show our willingness to listen, learn, share, and grow together towards a stronger inclusive community," wrote Williams.
She explained that she has partnered with the Mannawanis Friendship Centre, as well as acquired a donation from TD Canada Trust for funding for the project this year. She asked the Town of St. Paul to support the painting of the crosswalk and support the annual maintenance of the monument.
Williams said she also consulted with University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills, along with reaching out to surrounding communities and settlements "for guidance and support for honouring the survivors of residential schools and the children who never made it home, and have received the blessing and letters of support from Saddle Lake Cree Nation and Frog Lake First Nations."
An unveiling ceremony is being scheduled for Sept. 30, said Williams.
CAO Steven Jeffery said Town administration has been engaged in conversations with Williams about the project.
"Administration has requested that the artistic design of crosswalk be one that is easily replicated each year when annual maintenance of painting occurs," said Jeffery. The CAO recommended council approve moving forward with the project.
Coun. Nathan Taylor noted that while he supports the project, he would like to see work done toward a more permanent monument, which could include a brick crosswalk, for example, or another form of permanent artwork, rather than painting the crosswalk each year.
"Our art is fantastic and one of the highlights of our community," said Taylor.
Jeffery said it was a good suggestion to look at a more permanent monument. He also noted that artistic crosswalks are becoming more common in some communities, and he recommended the municipality consider creating a policy around the topic.
He noted that the project being proposed is not simply an orange crosswalk, but it will include more detailed work, although those discussions are still taking place.
Mayor Maureen Miller noted that TD Bank has been part of similar crosswalks in other communities, and as she understood, the idea behind the crosswalk is to encourage people to "walk in the shoes" of those who attended residential schools.
Jeffery noted that he would recommend moving forward with painting the crosswalk as a first step, especially with costs being covered this year by the funding from TD Bank. The municipality can then review the permanence of the crosswalk at a later date.
Council agree to move forward with the project.