The crosswalk at 97 Avenue and 101 Street will be painted with orange hand prints to commemorate the victims and survivors of Residential Schools in Canada (Photo: Shaun Penner / EverythingGP staff)

By Abby Zieverink

Honouring Residential School Victims

Crosswalk painting aims to honour Residential School victims, survivors

Aug 27, 2021 | 12:09 PM

A crosswalk in Grande Prairie will soon be painted with orange handprints to help show community support to the Indigenous community, as well as the victims and survivors of the residential schooling system in Canada.

One of the organizers of the crosswalk Meghan Zatko says the idea to paint a crosswalk to help create awareness on residential schools sprouted from a crosswalk painted with white feathers in Hay River, NWT.

From there, she went to the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre to work with them in finding a design for the crosswalk that represents the Indigenous community in Alberta.

“It’s going to have multiple orange handprints, really close to the design of the murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls,” Zatko explained, adding there will be at least eight orange handprints on the crosswalk.

Zatko says after approaching the Grande Prairie Aboriginal Circle of Services and the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre to ensure the crosswalk would be an appropriate commemoration, she says they showed the utmost support and appreciation for the planned crosswalk.

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“They were very supportive, a little bit surprised that somebody was bringing this idea to light, but they’ve been very supportive and (had) such kind words,” said Zatko.

“It should have been done, and it’s something to show for our Indigenous community, and that’s what I want this crosswalk to be, is showing our support to the Indigenous community.”

In Alberta, there were 25 residential schools, with the last one closing in 1996. The nearest one to Grande Prairie was located in Calais on Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation land, which operated from 1907 to 1961.

Zatko says in efforts to help support the Indigenous community and create more knowledge around the impacts of residential schools, she believed painting the crosswalk was a small step in the right direction.

“Seeing that a lot of people didn’t learn about them, or know about the residential schools, I think it’s time to show our support for our Indigenous community, or at least start to show our support,” she said.

“Hopefully, in the future other people can pitch in and we can get statues made and show our support in different ways.”

Zatko says a handful of volunteers and city councillors have already offered to help paint it. City Councillor Dylan Bressey says council believes it is very important to show community support to the Indigenous community.

“I think it’s really important for council, that we’re working with our community to talk about our history and how to build a better future together with our community,” Bressey said.

“We have a member of our community who’s willing to donate supplies…. And has talked to the Indigenous community about whether this is an appropriate commemoration or not, and so it’s a no brainer to me that the city would partner with them to make it happen.”

The new crosswalk is set to be painted on September 30 at the intersection of 97 Avenue and 101 Street, which is located close to the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre’s downtown location.

The plan is to have the crosswalk repainted annually.