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Truth and reconciliation not a one-off exercise for Banff, Canmore

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – while it helps to spur conversation – can’t be a one-off exercise for communities to acknowledge the harm of residential schools and make reparations, said Randall McKay, manager of strategic initiatives and special projects with the Town of Banff.

BOW VALLEY – Municipalities in the Bow Valley are making long-term commitments toward building relationships with the area’s Indigenous peoples by way of truth and reconciliation.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – while it helps to spur conversation – can’t be a one-off exercise for communities to acknowledge the harm of residential schools and make reparations, said Randall McKay, manager of strategic initiatives and special projects with the Town of Banff.

Over the past year, McKay’s work has focused on developing an Indigenous framework that will provide a starting point to guide and strengthen council and administration’s understanding of the past and working together with Indigenous peoples as partners and stewards of the land toward a new future.

“The framework will reflect the shared objectives of Indigenous peoples on matters of historical, traditional and cultural significance,” said McKay, adding the initial document is on schedule to be reviewed by council in the coming months.  

The framework is being created in collaboration with elders and traditional knowledge keepers in all Treaty 7 First Nations, including the Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda – comprised of the Bearspaw First Nation, Chiniki First Nation and Goodstoney First Nation – as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation and the Blackfoot Confederacy comprised of the Siksika, Piikani and Kainai, and the Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3.

In July 2021, council also directed administration to consult with neighbouring Indigenous communities to identify potential names for existing or planned infrastructure, places, and assets within Banff that would honour Indigenous peoples. A report will be brought to council in the future.

Historical commemoration will be an important component of the framework, said McKay, but the primary focus has been on developing key actions and ensuring dialogue with Indigenous people continues.

“When you look at Banff historically, as a municipality, we’ve really relied on Parks Canada to engage with First Nations communities,” said McKay. “Now we’re really trying to move into a much more involved role in that regard.”

Earlier this year, council began reading an interim Indigenous land acknowledgment to precede its meetings. It was adapted from reviewing other land acknowledgements at different levels of government, agencies, and the private sector, as well as reviewing the history of the land.

The interim acknowledgement is considered as such until the consultation process on Banff’s Indigenous framework has been completed and the framework adopted by council.

Elected officials with the Town of Banff also undergo cultural awareness and sensitivity training, joining the Town of Canmore in their staff training efforts.

The training is institutionalized by the Town of Canmore in response to call No. 57 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action, which calls on municipalities to “educate public servants on the history of Indigenous peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Indigenous rights, Indigenous law, and Indigenous–Crown relations.

“That’s probably the biggest thing that we’ve done is to make sure that we have a regular program that is led by Indigenous people, training our staff on the history of Indigenous people in Canada, including residential schools, truth and reconciliation and cultural awareness,” said Town of Canmore CAO Sally Caudill.

In 2017, the Town of Canmore made a commitment to advance 15 calls to action. Examples to date have included incorporating Indigenous books, art, and imagery into public spaces and social programs, installing signage highlighting the history of Indigenous peoples in the Bow Valley, and hosting blanket exercises for council, staff, and summer programs

“It’s a priority of this council, and for me, to really uphold our responsibility as Canadians to advance truth and reconciliation,” said Caudill. “Some of that work is really challenging to take up as an institution and implement, and sometimes our progress feels slow, but we are moving things forward.”

Canmore’s 2023-26 strategic plan also outlines building relationships with First Nations as a priority, including Îyârhe Nakoda, other members of Treaty 7 and the Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3.

The Town’s arts and culture department is the driving force of the work on the ground, building community and relationships through projects.

Most recently, the Town commissioned a mural by Indigenous artists Cheyenne (Chey) Suwatâgâ-Mu of the Îyârhe Nakoda First Nation Bearspaw band and Kayla Bellerose (aka bb iskwew), a Cree woman originally from Slave Lake in Treaty 8 territory.

The Three Sisters mural, spray-painted onto the west-facing wall of the old Canmore Visitor Centre, showcases the artists’ shared vision of a design that celebrates the strength and fortitude of all the area’s Indigenous people, particularly the women.

“A lot of the community relationship-building is done through that department and they do an incredible job through arts and culture projects and exchanges,” said Caudill.

This fall, Caudill and Mayor Sean Krausert will also be meeting with Îyârhe Nakoda chiefs and CEOs from all three bands – Chiniki, Bearspaw and Goodstoney – in a series of lunch meetings, with the core purpose of relationship-building and better understanding the priorities of the Nation and how the Town can help facilitate them.

On Friday (Sept. 30), the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Town hosted a flag-raising ceremony at the Canmore Civic Centre with members of Stoney Nakoda Nation and members of the Blackfoot Confederacy and Tsuut’ina Nation.

Youth from each Nation helped to raise the Treaty 7 and Every Child Matters flags. The event was scheduled to end with three friendship songs – one by each Nation – but they combined their performances into one instead.

Caudill described the performance as an “incredibly moving moment.”


The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.


About the Author: Jessica Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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