New playground puts reconciliation into action

A new playground in the North End that was inspired as part of a reconciliation project. (Source: Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Oct. 1, 2021)

WINNIPEG -

A new playground in the city’s North End is putting reconciliation into action.

The play structure, part of a larger community-led redevelopment in Lord Selkirk Park, was inspired as a reconciliation project.

Alexa Rosentreter, a parent volunteer leading the park’s revitalization, said creating a modern public space for families in an older neighbourhood is a way to recognize and address some of the generational trauma of the residential school system.

“Doing this work through creating positive relationships between the school and the community creates a new legacy for a school that is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2022,” Rosentreter said in a statement.

The park’s redevelopment is a shared venture between David Livingstone Community School and Turtle Island Neighbourhood Centre, and serves a tribute to the memory of 18-year-old Jordan Thomas, who was murdered at the site in 2017.

“Keeping Jordan’s memory at the heart of the improvements is an excellent way to keep his memory alive,” Jordan’s mother Kathleen Bremner said in a statement.

At Friday afternoon’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rosentreter said they wanted to honour Thomas in a positive way.

“To make this park a place where people could feel safe and welcome and to know every child matters,” Rosentreter said.

Aside from the playground, plans for the park include soccer fields, a basketball court, a paved oval track, and a community tipi.

The park’s traditional name, inspired by an eagle often seen flying overhead, was also shared publicly for the first time on Friday. Elder Colin Mousseau provided the Ojibway name “Migizi Poonee” meaning “Bald Eagle’s Landing” in 2019.

“The eagle is a messenger that takes the positive actions and prayers from the community to the Creator,” Mousseau shared in a statement. “The teaching of the eagle is unconditional love. The eagle brings the unconditional love to the community, to the children and to the families in this space and surrounding areas.”