New chapter for local greenway

St. Vital

Fort Garry

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/06/2023 (909 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Usually in south Winnipeg at this time of year, as spring pivots between the latest unforgiving winter and beckons what many hope will be a glorious summer, Bishop Grandin Greenway is alive with the sights and sounds of Mother Nature.

During a trip to the greenway on May 31, for example, a mother duck could be seen guiding and supervising her very young offspring in a retention pond near the bank.

And while the spring cycle remains consistent year upon year, other elements of the local landscape are now undergoing change in light of the ongoing process of Reconciliation.

In March, Winnipeg city council concurred with the recommendation of the executive policy committee and ratified the renaming of Bishop Grandin Trail to Awasisak Meskanow (pronounced Aa-wa-sis-uk Me-ska-noh); and also recommended that the renamings of Bishop Grandin Boulevard to Abinojii Mikanah (A-bin-oh-gee Mee-kin-ah); and Grandin Street to Taapweewin Way (Tap-way-win) be endorsed, and that the public service be directed to report back regarding the requirements of the Street Names By-law No. 115/2011.

The rulings were made based on recommendations originally made by the city’s Indigenous Relations Division. According to a news release from earlier this year, the division was directed to consult with Indigenous peoples to come up with a proposal for renaming the streets “to honour Indigenous experience, culture and history,” and these recommendations were submitted.

According to the city, the legacy of Bishop Vital Grandin, a leading campaigner for residential schools, has been reconsidered in recent years following the release of the Final Report on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada.

“My parents and grandparents were survivors of the residential schools, and so am I and my siblings,” said Elder Joan Winning, who spoke as a delegate at the EPC meeting in support of the name changes.

“I wanted to (note) the significance of changing the name of Bishop Grandin to Children’s Road (the meaning of Abinojii Mikanah) — because Bishop Grandin was one of the architects of the residential schools, and his philosophy was that we would hate ourselves so much by the time we graduated from these schools that we would feel humiliation when we were reminded that we are Aboriginal peoples.”

“In doing so, he created a cultural genocide against our people, and the renaming of Bishop Grandin is not changing history, because you can’t change a history when you’ve lived with the after affects of the residential school and day school system all your life. I’ve felt my parents’ pain, I’ve felt my grandparents’ pain, and I have pain. My children, even though they didn’t go to a residential school or day school, felt my pain. So, in the end, what we are wanting to do is honour all the children, the survivors that came before us, the children that never made it home,” she added.

Winning, who is from Sagkeeng First Nation, concluded by asking the city “to take a big step” in approving the name changes.

At the meeting, council also concurred with the recommendation of EPC and approved an additional historical marker that will be created and installed on the greenway, in the form of permanent interpretive panels, that will provide context to the existing historical marker dedicated to Bishop Grandin.

Derick Young, Bishop Grandin Greenway’s executive director, said the non-profit organization supports the name changes.

“For some, the name is a painful reminder of the harm that was done by Canada’s residential school system. Changing the name — and involving the Indigenous community in the selection of the new name — is a small but important step toward Reconciliation,” Young said.

Young clarified that, in fact, Bishop Grandin Trail and Bishop Grandin Greenway are different. He said the trail refers to the active transportation path that runs the entire length of Bishop Grandin Boulevard that runs from Waverley Street to Sage Creek.

He said the greenway refers to the greenspace between the Seine River and the Red River including ponds, gardens, and other features: “The trail runs through the greenway, and in fact was initiated by BGG, but it refers to a separate thing.”

For some time, Bishop Grandin Greenway has worked to acknowledge and commemorate the city’s Métis and Indigenous history and heritage, with Bittersweet Way being one example.

“We all ought to be mindful of the past,” Young said.

“As well, history is one of the core pillars of our organization along with environment, active living and education; and First Nations and Métis communities were a critical part of the history of the land on which the greenway resides.”

“We will be involved in the placement of a new historical marker that will add context to the former name and describe the legacy of Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin. We are also in the process of planting a small urban forest that will include a section restoring native trees and plants prevalent in pre-colonial times, to help demonstrate how the natural environment has changed,” he added.

At press time, Young said Bishop Grandin Greenway hoped to change its name to reflect the other changes, but the timeline has to be determined. He has an upcoming meeting scheduled with the city’s Indigenous relations division to discuss the item.

Go online at www.bishopgrandingreenway.com to learn more.