Hundreds of Calgarians Walk for Reconciliation on National Indigenous Peoples Day

The lawn of the Harry Hayes Building was flooded with a sea of orange Friday morning as around 200 people gathered for the 15th annual Walk for Reconciliation in honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Calgarians from all walks of life, wearing bright orange ‘Every Child Matters’ t-shirts, joined in on the walk along the Bow River and over the Reconciliation Bridge to The Confluence and Parkland historic site, formerly known as Fort Calgary.

Darryl Brass, a circle keeper with the Trellis Society, says events like this are critical to ensuring reconciliation continues to advance.

“To understand what we’ve been through, it’s really beautiful and a lot of places have really stepped up in their Walk for Reconciliation and doing their own part to make a better tomorrow for all of us and to understand our true history and understand who we are as a people what we’ve been through,” he said.

Several people told CityNews they showed up not because of their own history, but because they know how important it is to show solidarity and support to Indigenous folks on a day like today.

Residential school survivors also showed up to speak about Canada’s dark history, and to ensure it isn’t forgotten.

The walk is just one of many events taking place throughout the day, including the Heritage Park Pow Wow, and ‘Campfire Chats: A Celebration of Indigenous Music’ at the University of Calgary.