Regina’s mayor is introducing what he calls “profound motion” at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.
The motion sets out a timetable for the city to come up with plans to recognize and honour the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation report, which contained 94 recommendations mostly aimed at the federal government. Mayor Michael Fougere says there are still a lot of things the City can do, including developing a cultural plan that reflects the recommendations of the TRC report.
Fougere says another concrete measure is commemorating a small graveyard on the west side of the city. Between 22 and 40 children who attended the Regina residential school are buried there.
“It is a complicated issue because it is privately owned land,” he says. “Obviously there would be participation from the indigenous community, the City, the province and the federal government and it would be a concrete way of dealing with the issue.”
The school was in operation from 1891 until 1910. It was later turned into a jail, then a boy’s detention home before burning down in 1948.
Fougere says the City is also working to increase the number of aboriginal employees on its workforce. In 2014, about eight per cent of the City’s workforce was aboriginal.
The mayor says he would like to see that number climb to 15 per cent, but says it will take time.
“We are still striving to do that and are working very hard to do that and will continue to do whatever we can, but these are complicated issues and how we attract people to work here at the City is a challenge.”
The motion, which is expected to pass unanimously, calls on the City to draw up a detailed plan by the end of the year.
Other cities across the country are following a similar path.