ORANGE SHIRT DAY
Central Peel Secondary School celebrated Orange Shirt day on October 4. Students wore orange shirts acknowledging the lasting negative impact of residential schools on indigenous people and communities. Our Rotary Club sponsored these shirts through the involvement of John Lomax and Peel Aboriginal Network.
I attended the assembly which included a presentation by CPSS students (many in the Interact Club) who were on exchange with Dene students from Kashechewan, a Cree settlement on James Bay. They expressed their enjoyment of their relationships and activities when they were up North last February, but also their dismay at the living conditions in this remote community. Particularly alarming was the boil-water order, annual spring flooding of the community and evacuations which disrupt lives for months. The drop-out rate for high school students is 70% - a big shock for CPSS students.
The key presenter was Alexandra Shima, an author and journalist based in Toronto. She spoke of her life in this remote community while working for CBC. She is author of two books – Invisible North, a memoir and history of the Canadian Reserves; and Up Ghost River, a Chief’s Journey, written with Chief Metatawabin. Asked about the priority need in these remote communities, Alexandra stressed the need for mental health resources to address depression, suicide and addiction. She believes that restoring the indigenous cultural practices which have the value of encouraging resilience and understanding is the way for individual healing and strengthening communities. However, the complex economic and legal problems involved with Treaties (land, authority, and financial obligations), must be addressed to bring major improvements for remote communities. Ms. Shima is part of the Rotary Honouring Indigenous Peoples speakers bureau.
Central Peel Interact students are working on their next exchange to northern BC, with teacher Heather McPhail. It was good to be part of this event which had support of Rotary and HIP.