Reconciliation Week now underway in Lethbridge

Reconciliation Week 2024 kicks off in Lethbridge on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.

Monday marked the official start of Reconciliation Week in Lethbridge.

The opening ceremonies, held outside City Hall, included dancing, singing and speeches.

This year marks the fourth time Lethbridge has hosted the event, which wraps up on Sept. 30 with Truth and Reconciliation Day.

"It's what we can do in the community as allies, and how do we better education ourselves," explained Echo Nowak, Indigenous relations specialist with the City of Lethbridge.

"We have a lot of Indigenous communities willing to open their doors to non-Indigenous community members and educate."

To grow its efforts, the city has launched the Reconciliation Lethbridge Advisory Committee, held reconciliation activities and awards and been a hub for resources and supports.

Travis Plaited Hair, a councillor on the Blood Tribe, says while he supports reconciliation efforts in Lethbridge, there's still more work to be done.

"We do have a lot of issues, both here in the city and also back home, with some of our unfortunate who are dealing with addictions, and that's always something both communities need to sit down and really focus on solutions of how we can better serve that population."

In a bid to move forward in a positive manner, the Holy Spirit Catholic School Division is continuing to teach its students about the past, present and future of Indigenous peoples.

"It can start from Orange Shirt Day, and why we wear orange on Sept. 30 to honour, but with that, telling the true stories of residential school survivors," said Shelley Kirkvold, the First Nations, Metis and Inuit education coordinator with Holy Spirit.

"So, it's not uncommon for our elders, who are residential school survivors, to come into our schools and be able to share that story."

The City of Lethbridge will host its annual reconciliation awards on Monday night, at which time community members and organizations will be recognized for their work and dedication to truth and reconciliation.

For more information on Reconcilliation week events, you can visit the City of Lethbridge website.

Kirkvold cautions that even once the week is over, reconciliation needs to remain a priority for everyone.

"It's not just one day or one week, reconciliation has to happen at all times."