Canada Day 2022 at The Forks: A Space for Celebration and Reflection

Mike Edwards attended the festivities with his family, all wearing orange shirts, the color associated with honoring survivors and Aboriginal families who were forced to attend boarding schools.

Mr. Edwards, who is not Aboriginal, welcomes the new direction taken by The Forks, which has included more elements of Aboriginal culture in this year’s July Day festivities.

He thinks it’s possible to strike a balance between Canada Day celebrations and reflect on the country’s history.

I think that after so many years of celebrating the traditional Canada Day, it’s important to tip the scales in the other directionHe said.

Newly born Camilo Nervaz from Colombia with his wife two months ago, participated in the festivities on Friday. He said he looked forward to learning about Canada’s past and Aboriginal cultures.

I will learn the many traditions of Canada. History is very important, because when we introduce the history and customs, we learn the stages of Canadian history.

Activities around the fire were introduced to the participants with the help of Nathan Ertell and Sean Thomas, from the Outreach Program Street links Saint Boniface.

It is important now that people understand what is happeningsays Mr. Thomas, member of the Peguis First Nation.

Charles Wolford, 25, is a member of the Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation in northwest Manitoba. He was also among the fire guards of The Forks.

It is important for us, First Nations, to re-learn our traditions and festivitiesMentionsed.

Noticeable change

The National Historic Site, where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet, has been an important gathering place for thousands of years. Two weeks ago, it was announced that the renewal of the shape that the usual activities will take on July 1st was announced. The goal is to provide a variety of experiences for attendees and promote a more inclusive party.

These are the results of months of discussions with indigenous people, community members, newcomers and youth.

These changes come on the heels of the discovery of unmarked graves in several former Indian residential schools in Canada.

These discoveries have prompted many to skip Canada Day in 2021 and instead dedicate the day to honoring the thousands of children who have been forced to attend these institutions.

Learn from experience

Forex CEO Claire Mackay hopes the organization can build on this year’s work to create much stronger programs in preparation for July 1, 2023.

That could include fireworks, which this year fell largely due to scheduling issues. Indeed, the program ends at 6 pm, and the fireworks display was not possible before 11 pm.

However, before presenting the fireworks again, The Forks will also consider the environmental impacts and other consequences of noisy performances, MacKay said.

The Forks will present their annual community poll at the end of the month. This year, you’ll be asking people specifically what they think of the revamped Canada Day festivities.

With information from Samson