Asked in the same meeting to declare Indigenous Survivors Day and Christian Heritage Month, Trail city council has opted to review its policy around issuing proclamations altogether.
This week council received a request from Troy Abromaitis, who said he was not representing any group, but was a Sixties Scoop survivor. Abromaitis said his late mother, who died this year, was also a survivor. “One of her final wishes was that the voices of survivors — so long silenced — be heard, honoured, and held up in ceremony across this country,” he wrote.
He asked Trail to declare June 30 as Indigenous Survivors Day – National Blanket Ceremony Day, which has already been recognized by the provinces of BC, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, as well as cities such as Surrey and Prince George.
On the same agenda, council had a request from Trail resident Rocky Cotton requesting December be proclaimed Christian Heritage Month, similar to national heritage months for Sikh (April), Jewish (May), Islamic (October), and Hindu (November) faiths.
“Such recognition would honour millions of Canadians and acknowledge Christian contributions in education, healthcare, charity and nation-building,” Cotton wrote.
According to a website that is part of a national campaign to have Christian Heritage Month recognized, quite a few Canadian municipalities have adopted such proclamations, mostly in Ontario, but also a handful in BC.
Councillor Nick Cashol asked to see council’s policy on proclamations first, saying he didn’t realize they had one. He introduced a motion that staff review the policy, which was adopted, with councillors Bev Benson and Paul Butler opposed.
