Announcer: 00:01

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Joe Pugh: 00:21

Hello, and welcome to Midcoast Morning. I'm Joe Pugh. On the fifth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, hundreds gathered for a spirit walk in the Comox Valley. Marchers headed down Fifth Street in Courtenay, ending at Lewis Park. Today on the program, we'll be bringing you reflections from some of those present about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Joe Pugh: 00:48

First observed as a federal statutory holiday in 2021, the day honors survivors of residential schools and the children who never returned home from them, as well as family members and communities. It coincides with Orange Shirt Day, a tradition started by Phyllis Webstad in 2013. I attended the event in Courtney where I spoke with some of the organizers.

Chrys Sample: 01:17

My name is Chrys Sample. I'm with the Mikisu Meki Association. I'm one of the organizers or coordinators of the spirit walk today.

Joe Pugh: 01:25

And this year, you were telling me that you took on sort of for the first time the lead organizer role. Can you tell me what that has been like?

Chrys Sample: 01:34

Well, last year, the office coordinator had everything ready, and then she went to Spain. And so she went a few days before the spirit walk, so I kind of stepped in and on this day of the spirit walk. And then this year, she took a new job. And so Colleen Devlin and Heather Greeley and Kim Dirksen and I formed a little committee, we've done this together. And since they work, Colleen and I did a lot of the work.

Chrys Sample: 02:02

And so it's been what I what I wanna take away from this or what I am taking away from this experience is how fabulous it's been and how kind people have been to us. The city of Courtney, the operations part of the city of Courtney, the Downtown Business Association. Oh, man. So many people. And we partnered.

Chrys Sample: 02:25

We culturally partnered, and here we are.

Joe Pugh: 02:28

Can you give me an idea of what the the concept behind the Spirit Walk is?

Chrys Sample: 02:33

Okay. So today is National Truth and Reconciliation Day. September 30 is that day. And it's a day where we recognize and honor the survivors and families of people who were in residential school systems. And so this year, we decided to do things differently.

Chrys Sample: 02:53

And instead of walking in small groups, we met at Harmston Park and we walked all together. And the city of Courtenay kindly let us get the road closed for the day, and so we all walked together. And it felt like a really good thing to be together with our orange shirts on and all of us walking together, a community walking shoulder to shoulder, showing that we support each other, and we support everyone who's been through the residential school systems or their families.

Joe Pugh: 03:23

This is now the fifth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. What does this day come to mean maybe to you? How do you think about it?

Chrys Sample: 03:32

Well, I I don't know if it's the fifth the fifth fifth Truth and Reconciliation Day, but it's our fifth day of having a spirit walk to honor that. And to me, truth and reconciliation means one of the things it means how we can work together as communities, live together as communities. And for for myself, I see it as a day of of education and educating people on who we are, what we do, how we got to be here, and how we can live together and work together.

Joe Pugh: 04:08

On that education point, what do you feel are some of the the main things you'd like there to be maybe more awareness of or when we talk about education the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Day, what do you think are some of the most important points?

Chrys Sample: 04:24

Let's see. Well, I I think that we as I'm going to talk about the Metis people because that's who I am. I I think it's important that we go to schools and and teach students. I think it's important that we educate our own community on our language, our culture, our family ways, I think that's really important. And for other people who are not indigenous, I I think it's an opportunity for them to learn about indigenous people and to know that there are three distinct cultures, First Nations, Metis, Inuit, and those are things I think that are important.

Joe Pugh: 05:07

So the walk has already happened as we're sitting here. We're we're talking. We're listening to some music. There's a really big lineup for a bannock tent over there. How are you feeling having kind of watched the big part unfold?

Chrys Sample: 05:21

Well, the weather. First of all, we've been every day, I checked the weather. It looked like it was going to be raining. Yesterday, it said it was gonna rain 95%. The chance of rain was 95%, but it did rain, but not very much.

Chrys Sample: 05:35

And so really thankful for that. And as the we were at Harmston Park, as people were gathering, I felt kind of a swell in my heart that so many people come and support us and are interested in learning and interested in taking part in truth and truth and reconciliation, and it gives us hope.

Joe Pugh: 05:57

Chris Sample was one of the organizers of a spirit walk in the Comox Valley to mark the national day for truth and reconciliation. Helping out behind the scenes on Tuesday was Courtney Mayor Bob Wells. Mayor Bob Wells, I understand you were the sound guy for today. Can you tell me how that came about?

Mayor Bob Wells: 06:18

Well, for the last, twenty two years that I've lived here in the Comox Valley, my background is fine arts theater, in particular fine arts. I used to teach lighting and sound at UVic. And so I've got sound equipment. I've since sold my technology company quite a few years ago now. But whenever there's an event like the spirit walk or I do things for Yana or Child Development Society, anywhere I can come in and help out.

Mayor Bob Wells: 06:49

I livestream events as well. So that my son was here. Connor was helping do the live stream for this event as well. So those who can't make it can still watch it from home. So yeah, it's just our way to give back to the community.

Joe Pugh: 07:02

Can you tell me a little bit about the the cities and making this happen today? So big chunk of Fifth Street right downtown Courtney was closed off. Did it take to make this come together on the city's end?

Mayor Bob Wells: 07:13

Well, you know, Chris Semple from the Metis Society, Mikasa Metis Society, her and I have talked for years. So, you know, we talked about closing it down. In the past, we've just walked down the sidewalks, but the idea was this year to actually close down the streets. And then we also donated Lewis Park here. So, you know, usually, I think it's about a $3,500 fee for something like this, and we waive that just as our part as a city to work towards reconciliation.

Mayor Bob Wells: 07:47

So, again, I think it's a small token for the city to be able to extend some of you know, I mean, I I mean, as mayor, I'm just someone who gives speeches and cuts ribbons and stuff. But but as a community member to be able to help them with their sound system and help livestream things that that I would do for other organizations. But as a city to step in and bring their weight to an event like this, again, blocking off Fifth Street. We had I've heard estimates up to 1,500 people here today. So I mean, that's definitely a huge number of people and we wanna see those types of numbers coming out year after year.

Mayor Bob Wells: 08:28

That's why, you know, we have entertainment here. There's t shirts and I think somebody said bannock. I don't know. So I think this is really just, sort of really helping us, go into the future of making these events even bigger. And then as mayor or as Bob Wells, as someone who makes speeches,

Joe Pugh: 08:49

it's 2025. It's since 2021, there have been events on this day for national the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Yeah. What does that day mean to you?

Mayor Bob Wells: 09:01

Well, for me, you know, I I think one of the things being someone who is somewhat political, and I was probably even more political when I was younger. So when I was 17, back in 1991, I went off to South Africa because of apartheid. And that and that was something that was a a big issue in in my life. But many years later, in 1996, I lived on reserve up in Port St. James.

Mayor Bob Wells: 09:30

And that's when I first found out about things like residential schools, which the last one was closed in 1996. And that was something that was never taught to me in school, never mentioned once. And that's just residential schools. That doesn't even get into the systemic racism on, you know, jobs people could have, businesses they could own based on the fact of whether they are First Nations or not. So to me, it's about reconciling this, acknowledging it, and and then doing our best to work with First Nations to move forward.

Mayor Bob Wells: 10:04

And and that to me is what this day is about. And I think that there's always an opportunity for everybody in whatever in any walk of life to be able to do what they can, for reconciliation. And and that's, what I hope to do is, and continue to do as as mayor and as a community, member.

Joe Pugh: 10:23

Mayor Bob Wells, thank you very much for taking the time.

Mayor Bob Wells: 10:26

My pleasure.

Joe Pugh: 10:27

Courtney mayor Bob Wells. Tuesday at the city's Lewis Park. As part of an event to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, many lined up for Bannock. After things had wrapped up, I was able to speak with the person providing it.

Pauline: 10:47

I would say, So that means hello and welcome. My name is Pauline. I make an effort to make sure that I'm present and mindful when I'm doing this event. Being, a granddaughter of residential school survivors, both my grandparents went, and I had a great uncle, Jasper Mitchell, who didn't get to come home. So I keep that in mind when I'm cooking, remembering my grandfather, he ran away from Cooper Island, and it took him three days to come home.

Pauline: 11:22

So when I'm making bannock, I make sure that I'm using that within my heart. And then because indigenous peoples have evolved ever since from the beginning, so I brought baked bannock with traditional flavors, herb, chili flake, pumpkin spice, cranberry ginger.

Joe Pugh: 11:41

Is there anything you're able to share about what makes bannock bannock?

Pauline: 11:45

I think it's about the heart that you put into it. I'm not quite sure why it turns out this way. It's always magical to me. Right? So traditionally, they would be using a root called camas.

Pauline: 11:58

Right? And it's a very labor intensive item that indigenous peoples used to farm. So having flour now, right, and having everything readily available. And I just have been working on it since I was 14. I'm rounding 50 now, so as many years of trying trial and errors.

Pauline: 12:17

Some work, some don't. So it's just feeling what my heart says when I'm tossing tossing ingredients into the bowl.

Joe Pugh: 12:24

There were a lot a lot of people in line for Bannock today. What was the experience for you like serving all those people?

Pauline: 12:33

Customer service and doing that kind of bartering trail trade system is indigenous, right? And then being an indigenous woman, we were always very good at doing those trades, right? I just connect through my culture, enjoy seeing the delight in the faces when they eat into it, as well as seeing return people come. Right? People that I know from the valley, and then they're just eager to say hello and participate in a wonderful event as this is.

Joe Pugh: 13:08

So there was a bit of a a barter system to it today?

Pauline: 13:12

Well, sometimes depending on what's going on, I toss in a couple extra, right, when you notice someone might need a little extra. Or if they can't decide, you know, I'll just give them an extra one so that they can try all the flavors.

Joe Pugh: 13:26

Is there anything you'd be willing to share about maybe, like, what the day National Day for Truth and Reconciliation means or is all about to you?

Pauline: 13:35

Yeah. It's about my family. Right? They chose to live life. If you haven't or nobody has looked into Cooper Island Residential School, I encourage you to do so and to listen to what those children had to endure.

Pauline: 13:52

So Cooper Island, 40% of the students there for thirty years didn't make it. So that's four out of ten kids that wouldn't come. So if you imagine Cooper Island, a small island off of Vancouver Island, the treatment that they had to endure to risk their life to swim the Stewart Channel, right, and to fight the Salish Sea waters. Right? What did they have to endure?

Pauline: 14:20

Coming to Sal Bannock is nothing. Seeing the lineup of people smiling and right? Seeing the people walking down, entering into Lewis Park, brought tears to my eyes because my grandparents didn't get to have that opportunity to see the change of what we see today.

Joe Pugh: 14:41

Is there anything else you'd like to share with people? Or is there anything else you think it's important for people to know about what went on here or just the day in general?

Pauline: 14:50

Well, truth and reconciliation. Right? That's being of a mindset of decolonizing your brain And, decolonizing isn't just a non indigenous perspective. Right? Indigenous peoples as well need to break down that mindset of connecting back to that indigeneity.

Pauline: 15:08

Right? Letting go of that capitalist mindset that this is what we're here for. We're here for to connecting with people, building community, making sure as a chieftain does going door to door, checking on the people, and seeing how they are. Are.

Announcer: 15:23

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Joe Pugh: 15:38

Many in the Comox Valley came together to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with a spirit walk on Tuesday. Colleen Devlin is a retired teacher and helped organize the walk. I spoke with her after things had finished up in Lewis Park.

Collen Devlin: 15:58

Hello. My name is Colleen Devlin. I am Cree and Metis from Alberta Northern Manitoba.

Joe Pugh: 16:04

And you have just wrapped up what was going on here in Lewis Park to mark the national day for truth and reconciliation. How do you feel it all went?

Collen Devlin: 16:14

I think it went amazingly well. We're always worried about the weather here on the coast, always worried whether people will enjoy and embrace the change of the walk, and I think they did. We had about 1,500 people show up today on a iffy kind of weather day, so I'm really, really proud of the valley for showing up.

Joe Pugh: 16:33

Can you tell me to you what is the walk all about?

Collen Devlin: 16:37

To me, the walk is all about people learning about what happened in residential schools over the hundred and fifty years, and not only learning, but then doing something about it. So at the end, my my talk to the crowd was find one act of reconciliation that you can do. Drop something off at the food bank, bake cookies for the locals local soup kitchen, make some donations for indigenous projects like the Big Foot Donuts bursary to North Island College. Any little bit helps. I also really really believe in meeting people in the eye as you're meeting walking down the street, and recognizing that they might have some struggles, and where they could have come from.

Collen Devlin: 17:21

Seven generations of harm and hurt and trauma happened to indigenous people. It's going to take understanding, empathy, and helping us move forward together as Canadians like Murray Sinclair says, we're walking on this path towards reconciliation. The journey is long and hard and tough, it's gonna take all of us being together.

Joe Pugh: 17:41

There were a number of orange hearts decorating the area today. You've shared with me that you used to be a teacher yourself. I'm wondering if you could tell me a little bit about that part of things.

Collen Devlin: 17:52

These orange came about. There's a group back east called the First Nations Caring Society, and they have a project called Planting Hearts, Planting Dreams. So this is a riff off of that, and doing art with children is a great way for them to express themselves, a great way for adults to move around between them as they're doing their art, so you can hear about their big feelings and their thoughts about learning about residential schools. So it's it's kind of a therapy, I guess. So children at a number of schools in the valley were asked to do paper hearts and express what their feelings were.

Collen Devlin: 18:27

So a lot of the hearts said things like, I'm walking for my grandma, or you're special, you're important because you're kind, I see you, you matter. And they're all very heartfelt, beautifully decorated hearts. They are throughout Lewis Park, and they are also up at our school board office. There is at least a thousand hearts displayed around the valley, and Wache Friendship Center also has their front garden full of hearts.

Joe Pugh: 18:52

In 2021, I was in Nanaimo for a ceremony to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. There have been ceremonies since that time. We're now now 2025. How do you think, the day people's perception of the day has maybe evolved in the year since?

Collen Devlin: 19:13

Oh, I I see the evolution as being tremendous. When I retired from from teaching, I felt like it was such a great time to be indigenous education because so many people get it, so many people understand, so many people are willing to start the conversation and ask what's next, what can we do next. I've seen this walk grow in numbers tremendously. As I mentioned, the estimate is about 1,500 people today, and I can see it just going forward. Logistically, because we changed parks over the last few years with construction, I thought we'd lose some people, but they keep on coming out and showing their hearts.

Collen Devlin: 19:48

So I think it's really important.

Joe Pugh: 19:50

When you say so many people get it, what do you think are maybe some of the the key foundational things or steps to to getting it?

Collen Devlin: 19:59

So always always always read, educate yourselves. In this day and age though, that comes with a caveat of check your sources first. Make sure that they're good quality. Make sure that they're truthful. And the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has a great website to follow through.

Collen Devlin: 20:17

UBC has wonderful information. And actually, the BCTF and First Nations Steering Committee have great information, especially for dealing with children. Many of the bookstores, Strong Nation and Nanaimo, have resources that are helpful for any age group up to and including adults. We have stories written from sea to sea to sea, from Metis, Inuit, and First Nations people across Canada, and the effects not only of residential school, but now the sixties scoop people are coming forward and talking about their experiences. And unfortunately, families with children in foster care.

Collen Devlin: 20:55

That's kind of our new residential school problem. There are many chill as many children in foster care in BC and Canada now as there ever were in the residential schools. So that's a tragedy we need to address.

Joe Pugh: 21:07

I already asked you maybe what went on today, the the spirit walk, what that means to you. More broadly speaking, what do you think the the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in general, what is that is that all about? What does it mean to you?

Collen Devlin: 21:21

To me personally, it's all about my family and our history, and as an educator, it's also very much about education, making sure that every Canadian knows the truth and every Canadian is more understanding of all peoples, all walks of life coming together, our our new Canadians, our struggling Canadians, that we are all family.

Joe Pugh: 21:47

In any reporting you've seen about the day or discourse you hear about the day, are there any things you wish you heard more about?

Collen Devlin: 21:57

I think, I knew about this because of my family and my mom was always very truthful with us, but so many people still come and say, I didn't know. I hadn't heard about all this. So sometimes it's not the burden of the first nations people, the indigenous people to to teach and educate. That burden now goes to Canadians. Pick up some books, do some reading, and educate yourself.

Collen Devlin: 22:23

And once you know, you can never unknow. And, again, just lead from your heart and be truthful and caring to others.

Joe Pugh: 22:31

Colleen Devlin speaking with me following a spirit walk in the Comox Valley to mark the national day for truth and reconciliation. On Tuesday, I also visited the Comox Valley Art Gallery. Where currently featuring the work of sixties scoop survivor, George Littlechild. Here's curator Denise Lawson.

Denise Lawson: 22:52

George Littlechild lives here in this region. He has lived in this region for about thirty years. He is a Cree and Celtic ancestry, and we knew that he had had the show that was the central show in this exhibition, and that is I Here I am. Can you see me? And that was really around the residential experience of his mother, Rachel Littlechild.

Denise Lawson: 23:23

And so we brought that here. It was a touring exhibition from the Art Gallery of Alberta. And then we wanted to expand on it. So we included work that George had done early in his career around the sixties scoop And then also a small body of work that was related to his family, his ancestry, both his mom and dad and going back from there. And just looking at this cross cultural dichotomy that he lived with.

Joe Pugh: 23:57

How long is the exhibit on? And if I understand correctly, there might be beyond just checking it out if you're in the Glomax Valley, some other opportunities to engage with with George Littlechild and the work coming up.

Denise Lawson: 24:09

So the the exhibition itself will run until the November 15, and the gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday from ten to five each day. We also do tours if people want to contact us and set aside a time when we're typically not open to the public. We can take a look at that. And if it works, we will make those arrangements. We're a public art gallery, so contemporary art gallery.

Denise Lawson: 24:33

So there's no charge, although donations are always really helpful. And the other opportunities that you'll have, if you want to meet George, he's giving a talk on November 8 at the gallery at 01:00. It's a Saturday afternoon. And he'll just walk people through the work that's on exhibition. And I would really encourage people to come out to that because he's a great storyteller.

Denise Lawson: 24:58

And then the other thing that we're doing in collaboration with the North Island College Fine Arts Department and their artist talk series is we're having the film shown of George's life. It's a documentary made by Connor McNally. And Nanikawasis is the title of the film, and it will be shown on October 4. So it's coming up really quick from one until about four because there's going to be the film, which is ninety minutes, and then there's gonna be a q and a with Connor and George there. And so people can get tickets online through ticket.

Denise Lawson: 25:38

Just go to the gallery's website. If you're a North Island College student, you get in for free.

Joe Pugh: 25:44

Is there anything else you think it's important to know about what's going on at the Comox Valley Art Gallery as it relates to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?

Denise Lawson: 25:54

Well, we also have in the window for the next ten days, it was on for a couple before today, and then we'll continue, is a contribution of traditional artworks that were made by members of the community who live here, the Inu community, the Metis community, the Anishinaabe. So there's a jingle dress, a cote, a Metis sash, some moccasins that are beautifully beaded, traditional, Salish shawl, a drum. So all of those are represent, not only, indigenous communities who are now living in this area, but not from this region, as well as the Comox Nation, has put in a couple of pieces as well. So that's worth coming and taking a look at. There's information about all these things on our website if people wanna learn more or see the pictures if they can't make it to the gallery.

Joe Pugh: 26:54

Denise, thank you so much for taking the time. Denise Lawson is curator of the Comox Valley Art Gallery. That's our show for the day. Thank you for joining me. I'm Joe Q, host and producer of Midcoast Morning.

Joe Pugh: 27:09

Jesse Woodward is our executive producer, and RB Fruit is our technical adviser. Our theme song is first one by local Nanaimo band, Waste Management. If you have a story you'd like us to cover, email us at news@chly.ca. That's all for now. I'll talk to you on another Mid Coast Morning.

Announcer: 27:28

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