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Summary
Update:
Calgary City council passed a motion Jan. 23 to rename the Langevin Bridge. It will now be known as Reconciliation Bridge. A re-dedication ceremony is expected to be held later this year.
The request for the name change was urged by Tsuut’ina Nation spokesman Kevin Littlelight through social media in 2015, following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report.
The downtown bridge, which spans a section of the Bow River, was named after Hector-Louis Langevin. A Father of Confederation, Langevin played a key role in the development of the residential school system, which TRC Chair Justice Murray Sinclair has called an act of “cultural genocide.”
Mayor Naheed Nenshi says the renaming is a sincere act of reconciliation with those who suffered abuse in residential schools.
Original Story
Next week, Calgary council will debate changing the name of Langevin Bridge to Reconciliation Bridge.
The request for the name change was urged by Tsuut’ina Nation spokesman Kevin Littlelight through social media in 2015, following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report.
The downtown bridge, which spans a section of the Bow River, was named after Hector-Louis Langevin. A Father of Confederation, Langevin played a key role in the development of the residential school system, which TRC Chair Justice Murray Sinclair has called an act of “cultural genocide.”
The notice of motion, signed by Mayor Naheed Nenshi and 13 city councillors (one councillor was out of the country), states Canadians must acknowledge and understand the past, “both the good and bad.”
The notice also says, “We live in a time of reconciliation, where we are establishing new relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians based on mutual recognition of the past, mutual respect and a sincere desire to forge a better future together through a process of truth and healing.”
Littlelight said Reconciliation Bridge would offer the community an opportunity to forgive and move forward.
The notice of motion also calls for waiving the usual official naming policy process. That means if the motion passes on Jan. 23, Langevin Bridge will become Reconciliation Bridge immediately.