Calgary moves closer to permanent residential school memorial
Posted May 31, 2023 1:39 pm.
Last Updated May 31, 2023 1:54 pm.
The City of Calgary is one step closer to creating a permanent memorial recognizing the history of residential schools.
The city’s Indigenous Relations Office, alongside the Indian Residential School (IRS) Elders Advisory group, IRS working group and the local Indigenous community are working together to create a memorial guided by the seven sacred teaching and community discussions, according to a release.
This permanent memorial is to honour all the residential school survivors and the thousands of children who never returned home, it adds.
“This monument will provide a place for people to gather, pay respects, and ensure that the history and legacy of the schools are never forgotten,” Indigenous Consultant and co-lead of the IRS Memorial project Sherri Kellock, said.
Engagement on the project began last fall, and focused on getting input from Indigenous community members and Indigenous-serving community organizations and agencies.
According to the city, the first phase focused on location and design themes; the central ones emerging as healing, ceremony, truth and acknowledgement.
An online portal created to receive feedback saw around 9,500 visitors and got more than 730 responses, the city says.
In-person engagement sessions were also attended by members of Indigenous communities in and around Calgary.
Locations that arose as possibilities included Fort Calgary, the Olympic Plaza, and the municipal building, while design elements favoured traditional Indigenous designs, incorporating the spirit of the temporary memorial currently in front of the municipal building, the inclusion of nature and meaningful symbolism, and the value of both accessibility and seating availability, according to the city.
The second phase of the project is expected to launch later this year, and will include the completion of feasibility studies, procurement, design, construction, blessing the ground and construction.
More information on the project can be found at engage.calgary.ca/IRSmemorial
