As a show of support for reconciliation efforts with Indigenous communities, Chatham-Kent will be installing a Truth and Reconciliation crosswalk in downtown Wallaceburg.
The crosswalk, which will be made possible through a partnership with Whyte’s Pickles, will be painted orange in recognition of the tragic history of residential schools in Canada, with the insignia “Every Child Matters”. The crosswalk will also include feathers that were custom designed to represent guiding principles called the Seven Sacred Teachings, which include wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth.
“The orange crosswalk symbolizes our recognition of the harms that have been done. Incorporating the Seven Grandfather Teachings shows us a pathway for moving forward,” said Rebecca Haskell-Thomas, Chatham-Kent’s coordinator of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, in a news release. “True Reconciliation requires efforts from everyone in our community.”
The municipality has partnered with Nicholas Riley, an artist from Bkejwanong First Nation, who will design the crosswalk. Riley is a well-known graphic designer who also created the logo for the Sarnia Lambton Native Friendship Centre, as well as logos for the Walpole Island community.
The municipality has not released any information about the exact location of the crosswalk in downtown Wallaceburg, or when it will be installed.
Wallaceburg will join several other towns and cities throughout the county that have installed similar crosswalks in their communities, such as Timmins, Burnaby, Oakville, Kamloops, and Edmonton.
