Colonization Road presents path to reconciliation, leaders say

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This article was published 17/09/2020 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The renaming of a street in Libau can be a learning opportunity about colonialism, community leaders say.

The RM of St. Clements and Brokenhead Ojibway Nation collaborated on the process of renaming Colonization Road after a band member raised concern about it, Brokenhead Chief Deborah Smith said.

She contacted St. Clements Mayor Debbie Fiebelkorn. The two leaders met last week and agreed Brokenhead would put in a formal request to change the name of the road. St. Clements will hold a public hearing on the issue.

“What it does, I think, is we become more aware of Canada’s colonial history, as a country, as a province, as communities, as people,” Smith said Thursday.

Fiebelkorn said the process is “in the spirit of reconciliation.”

“It is important we understand the impact these symbols have and recognize the negative impact of colonialism,” she said. “We would like to establish a process of collaborative leadership and seek consultation to have meaningful dialogue on a difficult topic such as this.”

Smith said she has asked that Brokenhead have fair representation during the hearings on the name change. The process, she hopes, will encourage other areas in the province with names and symbols that normalize colonization to take action.

“I am aware that there’s other communities that have Colonization Road as a road name within their municipalities … so I think maybe Brokenhead and St. Clements can be an example of two communities coming together to tackle an issue like this,” she said.

When the road is ready to be formally renamed, Smith wants to hold a re-dedication ceremony.

“We need to recognize that colonialism is very much alive and well in this country because it’s embedded in Canada’s legal system, Canada’s political system and even its economic systems,” she said. “So it’s another opportunity to have a conversation, but also to evoke change, change that would see First Nations and Indigenous people part of those conversations and a part of that change.”

In Winnipeg, the city has struck an eight-member citizens committee to help it make decisions on requests to create new, remove or rename historical markers and place names. The goal is to tackle the absence of Indigenous perspectives and contributions to the city.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_