Calgary recalls decision to light Reconciliation Bridge in honour of Queen

Calgary has recalled its decision to light the Reconciliation Bridge in blue to honour the Queen after people spoke out Friday.

The city initially announced the lighting of the bridge from Sept. 15 to 19 along with Olympic Plaza and the Calgary Tower.

The colours are blue to reflect the jewels around the Queen’s neck in her final Canadian portrait. The bridge was only lit blue on Thursday night.

Reconciliation Bridge, which connects downtown Calgary with the Bridgeland area north, was renamed in 2017 as part of the city’s work to address past harm to Indigenous people. An official ceremony took place the next year.

Reconciliation Bridge in Calgary on Sept. 16, 2022. The bridge was initially used to mark the Queen’s funeral, but the city called it back due to public outrage. (Taylor Braat, CityNews photo)

With the monarchy’s complex past with colonization, the lighting was being called a step backward by Indigenous advocates.

“If there was one place in the entire city that should not have commemorated this in any way, absolutely, it should have been Reconciliation Bridge,” said Michelle Robinson, who also goes by Red Thunderwoman. She is an Indigenous advocate and host of the Native Calgarian Podcast.

“Talk about not understanding reconciliation and the role colonialism plays in hundreds of thousands of dead indigenous children that never made it home from residential schools, let alone that bigger picture of foster care, and colonialism in general.”

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Robinson was the first Indigenous woman to run as an MLA in the province. She also ran for Calgary City Council.

“The fact that they did is so insulting and just steps backwards in reconciliation, because of the absolute ignorance to have done that,” Robinson said. “I would even argue [that it’s] wilfully a symbol to perpetuate more violence against us and to continue trauma.”

The bridge being lit, along with the Queen’s passing, has only surfaced memories of the residential school system for many Indigenous people.

Sandra Lamouche, a multidisciplinary creator and storyteller from Bigstone Cree Nation in Northern Alberta, says, “It hurts. It does hurt.”

“With the Queen’s death, I first thought of my grandpa, my moosam who attended residential school. I think he was 3 or 4 when he went, and he said he only went up to grade 3 or so, and then he had to work, and he felt like it was slavery, like child slavery,” Lamouche said.

After concerns arose about the lighting of the Reconciliation Bridge, the city responded.

“In consultation with Calgary Municipal Land Corporation and the city’s Indigenous Relations Office, and in alignment with our ongoing commitment to Truth & Reconciliation, the Reconciliation Bridge will not be lit blue to honour the Queen’s passing,” said Ed Conway from the city of Calgary in a statement.

In consultation with @CalgaryMLC and The City’s Indigenous Relations Office, and in alignment with our ongoing commitment to Truth & Reconciliation, the Reconciliation Bridge will not be lit blue to honour the Queen’s passing.

— City of Calgary (@cityofcalgary) September 16, 2022

Reconciliation Bridge will be lit in orange on Sept. 30 for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation to honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families, and their communities.

The bridge will be lit orange to commemorate Orange Shirt Day (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) on September 30, 2022. For more information on the Reconciliation Bridge Program, visit https://t.co/fw9PzVZEUi.

— City of Calgary (@cityofcalgary) September 16, 2022