Several N.B. communities cancel Canada Day festivities, opting for a 'quiet day of reflection'
On Monday, the village of Cap-Pelé said it was cancelling its Canada Day festivities, acknowledging the need to “pause, educate ourselves and reflect on darker times in the history of our country.”
The village of New Maryland, N.B. decided to do the same on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, Bathurst, Saint John, Fredericton and Rogersville followed.
In a statement, Fredericton’s mayor Kate Rogers said, “We are having to confront some very dark moments in Canadians history.”
“Although there is much that we can take pride in as a Canadian, a quiet time of reflection is exactly what is needed this Canada Day to pause, acknowledge our past and think about what it really means to be a Canadian and an ally to Indigenous peoples,” she said.
Fredericton will be lighting up its city hall in orange in the days before July 1.
“There’s nothing to celebrate, I can tell you,” said St. Mary's First Nation Chief Allan Polchies.
The Wolastoqey Nation will be holding a healing ceremony on July 1, calling it “Resiliency Day.” They’re inviting all allies to join that morning at St. Anne’s Point.
It’s a plan that came together just as the discovery of 751 unmarked graves near a former residential school in Saskatchewan came to light.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that we hold the government responsible for their failed policies that failed our children,” Chief Polchies said. “It’s very, very sad that we have to wake up to news like this coming out of Saskatchewan. It just makes my heartbreak that we have to continue to mourn and go through the trauma that we do on a daily basis.”
In Saint John, flags will be lowered on June 25.
The mayor of New Maryland said cancelling celebrations was the right decision.
“We realize this is very challenging times, it’s a challenging time in history,” said Judy Wilson-Shee. “I’m proud of that decision and I stand by it 100 per cent.”
Halifax Regional Municipality said it didn’t have Canada Day festivities planned because of the pandemic.
Other communities tell CTV Atlantic they are still finalizing plans, but it won’t be business as usual.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
BREAKING Former Air Canada employees among suspects identified in gold heist at Pearson airport: police
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
MPs summon ArriveCan contractor to the House to be admonished in rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archaeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.
Some millennials say federal budget was 'a letdown' amid cost of living struggles
It’s a picture-perfect scene: Adam and Maria Reynolds are playing with their daughters inside their Port Coquitlam, B.C. home. Watching them together, you might not realize the Reynolds household is stretched to its limit.