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
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
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.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.