- by Anne Finlay-Stewart

We have heard some important words spoken over the past few months by people with power and authority in our community. Are our actions as a city living up to those words?

“This crosswalk creates a permanent visual show of support for our LGBTQ2S+ and BIPOC communities. We all must work together to make every member of our community feel safe, welcome, and inclusive,” read a quote from the mayor in the media release on the occasion of the unveiling of the crosswalk across 8th Street.

When the crosswalk was vandalized soon after, the Owen Sound Police said “Crimes such as this will not be tolerated and will be investigated to the fullest extent.” They released surveillance video of two men standing under a streetlight and turning toward the camera before pouring black paint across the crosswalk. Someone knows who they are.

The scar is clearly visible six weeks after it was cleaned, but there has not been a word about identifying the vandals. Some called it an act of hate - the mayor called it cowardly , and said “We need to support the individuals that the crosswalk stands for.”

The Police have not responded to our request for information on the progress of the investigation.

The same week, the Gitche Namewikewedong bridge across the Sydenham River on 10th St was dedicated. There was no media advisory, likely out of an abundance of covid-caution, but the Sun Times reporter was invited to capture the mayor's words -

"The dedication and naming of the Giche-name-wiikwedong Bridge today is one small but meaningful step to bridge our communities and recognize the Indigenous heritage on these lands that we all share. These plaques will serve as a lasting reminder of the history, spirituality, and culture of the Anishinabek peoples."

Due to a proof-reading error in the name of a local church, the plaques on display that day needed correction. So as we welcome summer visitors and invite them to buy our real estate, attend our events and revel in our harbour, there remains no identification, even temporary, of the heritage or name of the Gitche Namewikwedong Bridge.

After the “discovery” of the remains at the Kamloops Residential School – acknowledgement of the loss that families and communities had felt for as long as a century – city council debated what they would do to recognize this on Canada Day. They discussed and endorsed a plan at their council meeting – a minute of loud sirens after dark across the city, followed by five minutes of contemplation or discussion of Indigenous loss, followed by fireworks.

The mayor reconsidered the next day, and the sirens were dropped. People continued their tradition of parking on the grass at a Nawash burial site to get a good view of the fireworks.

Some orange bows were put up in public places for a short time, and some calm reflection on suggested actions and resources for settlers was edited into the City's online Canada Day entertainment.

July 1 as many as a thousand people, many wearing orange “Every Child Matters” shirts, walked solemnly around the harbour, across the Gitche Namewikwedong bridge to the sacred fire at the reconciliation garden on the site of the Nawash summer fishing camp, to pay their respects.

Words matter. Actions speak louder.

This photo courtesy of Michael McLuhan