Shíshálh Nation and the District of Sechelt are welcoming the public to come together for a march on July 1 to support residential school survivors and acknowledge the children whose remains have been discovered in unmarked graves near residential school sites across Canada.
“Following today’s announcement from the province, that large outdoor gatherings will be allowed as of Thursday, shíshálh council representatives and the District of Sechelt council representatives planned a march that would bring the shíshálh community and Sechelt community members together for a walk,” said the nation in a statement June 29.
Participants are asked to wear orange “to show support for all Residential School survivors and to honour the children whose unmarked graves were found at the former Kamloops Residential School and those at Cowessess.”
People are asked to gather at the Grieving Mother statue, located behind the shíshálh government administrative building, at 11 a.m. Thursday.
The walk will proceed on band lands along xweus to memmiman, down swiykals to the waterfront, through Friendship Park, down to Trail Avenue and will finish at Snickett Park.
The walk had originally been planned to end at Hackett Park, but according to Sechelt communications manager Julie Rogers it was changed to Snickett “to avoid pedestrian and car interactions.”
“We all want a safe event,” she said.
On July 1 a protocol ceremony will be presented online on the District of Sechelt’s Facebook page that will include a shíshálh welcome song, teachings by elders and the singing of O Canada.
The district cancelled all other Canada Day activities last Friday, June 25, following the announcements of the discovery of unmarked graves near Kamloops residential school in B.C. and Marieval residential school at Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan.
