Today, during National Truth and Reconciliation Week, we held the closing ceremony of the 2023 Truth and Reconciliation Relay.

In 2022, Constables Anik Dennie and Katrina Pitawanakwat proposed an internal initiative to educate GSPS members on Truth and Reconciliation and the history of Residential Schools in Canada. From this, the inaugural GSPS Truth and Reconciliation Relay occurred where over 100 GSPS members participated and logged close to 12,000 kms.

Building off the success of the internal initiative last year, Constables Dennie and Pitawanakwat worked in collaboration with our Indigenous Liaison Office to expand the program to include community organizations. Through the 2023 Truth and Reconciliation Relay, there were over 1,000 participants from 41 organizations.

Before there can be reconciliation, there must be truth. Thank you to Nokomis Martina Osawamick for sharing the truth with us today.

A special thank you to our partners at Shkagamik-Kwe Heath Centre, Rainbow Routes and the Rainbow District School Board.

This year, Cambrian College was presented with two Indigenous artwork prints by artist Raven Debassige for logging the most kms and for having the highest number of participants.

Congratulations to the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service for logging the highest average number of kms per participant and receiving the Championing Change Paddle by artist Jessica Somers.

This initiative provides participants with the opportunity to access educational and awareness materials for both adults and youth on the history of Residential Schools and the Calls to Action brought forward by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The goal of the relay is to educate participants, to make positive change and to have open and honest conversations about the unimaginable trauma experienced by Indigenous children and families.

Once participants viewed the resources and read the Calls to Action, they were asked to choose a Call to Action that spoke to them personally. This portion of the relay was meant to give participants time to reflect on their chosen Call to Action and decide how they would implement it in their personal and professional lives. While reflecting on the resources they viewed and the call to action they chose, participants were asked to log their kms over the month of September to promote physical fitness and activity.

We would like to thank all community partner agencies and organization who took part in the 2023 Truth and Reconciliation Relay.

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