THUNDER BAY — The federal government is continuing its work when it comes to the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that were first issued in 2015.
Call to Action No. 79 references developing a reconciliation framework for Canadian heritage and commemoration, with more than 2,000 plaques across Canada being put under review. There are just over 200 that are pending or are in progress, according to the federal government.
Patricia Kell, the executive director of Cultural Heritage for Parks Canada, said the review is meant to address challenges with existing designations for terminology and wording.
"There can be challenges related to aspects or layers of history that are missing from the designations," Kell said. "For example, in Obadjiwan–Fort Temiskaming, first it was a fur trade port on Lake Temiskaming and the original designation really talked about the importance of that place only in terms of the European fur trade."
Kell said the economic history of the development of the colonial presence in North America was the only perspective, and once that plaque was reviewed with the consultation of the Temiskaming First Nation, the federal government added the aspect of the story about the partnership in the trade.
Designations started in 1919 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Some locations are over 100 years and use dated terminology that is offensive or has insensitive content or should be commemorated in a different way.
There are four main types of concerns that the government has followed when reviewing all designations;
- Colonial assumptions: designations related to colonial and religious leaders and their actions, and to settlement and nation-building from an overly European perspective.
- Terminology: designations or plaque texts with outdated or offensive terms or word choices.
- Absence: designations with an absence of a significant layer of history, most frequently associated with the exclusion of Indigenous peoples.
- Controversial beliefs and behaviours: designations, in particular persons, who are now associated with views, actions, and activities condemned by today's society.
In Ontario, there are 56 designations that are under review, including six in Northwestern Ontario. One designating Fort William is located within Vickers Park in Thunder Bay. The average cost for a new plaque is $4,000.
A full list of the designations is available through Parks Canada's website.
