Celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day rather than St. John's Days, says council
Newfoundland and Labrador's capital city will no longer celebrate St. John's Days, and council is asking residents to observe National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 instead.
St. John's city council said in a news release Monday it is "discontinuing" the annual June holiday and asking people to find ways to celebrate the province's Indigenous people and their histories.
"For me personally, it feels like we're moving in the right direction. This is an indication of that," Coun. Maggie Burton said in an interview.
St. John's Days has typically been associated with the provincial holiday formerly known as Discovery Day, which commemorated the arrival of explorer John Cabot in the province in 1497. The City of St. John's said in 2018 it would stop celebrating Discovery Day because it ignored the existence of the province's Indigenous people. Last year, the province followed suit.
The holiday is now called June Day until the province works with Indigenous leaders to come up with a better name.
"While in more recent times St. John's Days has grown into a celebration of the city and its diverse residents, council and staff recognize the inherent contradiction of holding such celebrations on a colonial holiday," the news release said. "City staff are developing an alternative proposal to continue celebrating the diverse communities that call St. John's home."
Burton was a strong advocate for doing away with the Discovery Day holiday in 2018, facing significant resistance from both council and the community at large. This time around, she said consensus among council to discontinue St. John's Days was much easier and came from a position of understanding.
"I think that the community is at a different place now than it was in 2018, and people are more aware of the need for truth and reconciliation," she said. "I think the tone of the conversation is totally different now than it was then."
City council in Victoria, B.C., voted unanimously last week to cancel a planned Canada Day broadcast following the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 students buried on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.