Working Together: Journey to Reconciliation

The City of Spruce Grove works alongside Indigenous organizations and neighbouring communities on shared reconciliation initiatives.

Many City events and programs are offered in collaboration with these valued partners. 

Skydancer Indigenous Cultural Centre & Art Gallery – the City's primary Indigenous cultural partner, co-hosting all of the City events related to Indigenous commemoration and celebration. Skydancer is also an entry point to culture for urban Indigenous people, where staff and volunteers commit to building on the strengths of Indigenous families in the Tri-Region (Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County), to support spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing. Skydancer's gallery is Spruce Grove's largest local Indigenous artisan shop located in Rotary Centennial Park offering cultural tours, workshops, Talking Circles, and Elder gatherings. 

Lac St. Anne Métis Community Association – a key partner in regional Indigenous events, honouring Métis heritage and the sacred history of Lac Ste. Anne.  

Native Counselling Services of Alberta – culturally appropriate support services for Indigenous individuals and families across Alberta, a partner in the annual Together for Truth & Reconciliation commemoration.  

Spruce Grove Public Library – co-presenting Talking Circles, winter solstice events, Indigenous reading and learning resources, as well as a core partner in the annual Together for Truth & Reconciliation commemoration. 

Parkland County – regional partner in reconciliation programming, Indigenous cultural events, and the annual Together for Truth & Reconciliation commemoration on September 30.  

Town of Stony Plain – co-host of the annual event for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People. 

The City marks key dates throughout the year with proclamations, events, and acts of solidarity with Indigenous communities.  

Residents are invited to join the annual Walk to End Violence in recognition of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People

Reconciliation is not a single day or event. Below are key dates and opportunities for the community to honour, reflect, and act throughout the year. These events are organized in partnership with Skydancer Indigenous Cultural Centre and other partners and regional neighbours. 

• May 5 – Red Dress Day honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People (MMIWG2S) 
• May – Moose Hide Campaign
  

• June 21 – National Indigenous Peoples Day 

• September 30 – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, Every Child Matters 

• November 8 – Indigenous Veterans Day

Check the Spruce Grove Events Calendar for specific event details. 

Every resident, community group, business, and school is invited to join the City on the path to reconciliation. Here are some places to start: 

• Attend a Skydancer event — Talking Circles, Elder gatherings, or cultural workshops. Rooted in community, Skydancer is a place where Indigenous traditions are preserved, taught, and shared with all, where Indigenous and non-Indigenous people can come together to learn, reflect, and grow. 

• • Support economic reconciliation by visiting the gallery, where residents and visitors can purchase authentic Indigenous art, jewelry, gifts, and handcrafted goods created by local Indigenous artists and artisans. Every purchase supports Indigenous artists and entrepreneurs while helping sustain Skydancer's cultural programming, community initiatives, and opportunities to share Indigenous cultures and knowledge. 
  • Rooted in community, Skydancer is a place where Indigenous traditions are preserved, taught, and shared with all, where Indigenous and non-Indigenous people can come together to learn, reflect, and grow. 
    
    

• Read the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 

• Explore the free Understanding Indigenous Perspectives learning modules offered online by the University of Toronto. 

Learn more about reconciliation:  

• Map of Alberta's First Nations reserves and Métis communities (Alberta.ca) 

• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation 

• A Municipal Guide to the TRC's Calls to Action (Alberta Municipalities) 

• Engaging with Elders: A Co-created Story (Native Counselling Services of Alberta) 

We call on all levels of government to fully implement Jordan's Principle. 

Jordan's Principle is a human rights principle, largely defined by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT), to make sure First Nations children do not face gaps or delays in accessing government services and are not denied services because of their identity as First Nations children. 

Mayor Jeff Acker and members of the Kickstand Youth Action Council cut the ribbon to officially open Kickstand Spruce Grove on April 22, 2026.

Action to date: The City partners on Kickstand Spruce Grove, a no-cost, barrier-free youth mental health hub serving young people aged 11 to 25 in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, and Parkland County. Kickstand offers wellness services alongside mental health, substance use, and primary health care in one location, helping Indigenous children and youth access the supports they need without delay or barrier. 

Any caretaker of an Indigenous child(ren) can access various supports and programs provided by the City's Community Social Development Department at anytime during business hours to received support applying for Jordan's Principle and the Inuit Child First Initiative.

We call upon the federal government to acknowledge that Aboriginal rights include Aboriginal language rights. 

Action to date: The Spruce Grove Public Library promotes Indigenous language learning through resources, programming, and physical displays. Patrons can access books in multiple Indigenous languages, specialized materials like the Cree language kit, and digital titles from the Prairie Indigenous eBook Collection. In partnership with Skydancer Indigenous Cultural Centre & Art Gallery, the library hosts Indigenous Storytelling and Talking Circles, building on past Cree language lessons. Local languages also appear throughout the space, including posters in the children's area teaching numbers one to ten in Cree. 

We call on all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal people, to create adequately funded and accessible Aboriginal-specific victim programs and services with appropriate evaluation mechanisms. 

Action to date: The City supports the Tri-Region Youth Mental Health Connection and Suicide Prevention Project, a funded initiative running from April 2024 to June 2026 that connects youth across the region with accessible, culturally appropriate mental health and crisis supports. 

Renew or establish Treaty relationships based on principles of mutual recognition, mutual respect, and shared responsibility for maintaining those relationships into the future. 

Action to date: The City maintains active partnerships with Paul First Nation, Enoch Cree Nation, Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Michel First Nation, Alexander First Nation, and the Lac Ste. Anne Métis community, and continues to work toward more formal relationship agreements with these Nations. 

We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, UNDRIP, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations, requiring skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism. 

Actions to date: The City offers staff and Council opportunities to learn about the history and legacy of the Residential School System through experiential learning such as the Blanket Exercise and Talking Circles, with sessions posted to the employee Hub. Training currently underway includes Indigenous Awareness Training for directors. The City also issues public statements, land acknowledgements, and declarations, and supports staff who lead or take part in community groups and committees working toward Truth and Reconciliation. Started in 2025, to support employees engaging in reconciliation activities, the City declared September 30, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as a General Holiday for Administration non-union employees and the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) union employees.

62. We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in consultation and collaboration with Survivors, Aboriginal peoples, and educators, to:
    i. Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students.
63. We call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including:
    i. Developing and implementing Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools.
    ii. Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history.  
    iii. Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect. 

Actions to date: The Spruce Grove Public Library supports this goal through curated collections, educational resources, and direct assistance to schools. At the Central branch, the library hosts the Giving Tree each December, reflecting an Indigenous giving practice. Partnering with Skydancer Indigenous Cultural Centre & Art Gallery, the library also hosts events including Winter Solstice, Indigenous Peoples Day, Powwow basics, the Moose Hide Campaign, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People (MMIWG2S) Walk. Community members connect through open mic and talking circles, and through the September 30 Truth and Reconciliation event, which includes United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples booklets and BearPaw Media resources for youth. 

We call upon the federal government to establish multi-year funding for community-based youth organizations to deliver programs on reconciliation, and establish a national network to share information and best practices. 

Actions to date: Each year, Horizon Stage presents in-reach school performances for local students. In January 2025, Horizon Stage presented Where Have All the Buffalo Gone?, sharing Métis stories, history and identity. In January 2027, Horizon Stage will present Silly Billy, a family-friendly Indigenous production celebrating individuality through First Nations traditions, dance and theatre. The production incorporates Indigenous hoop dancing, powwow dance, theatre and music, along with contemporary dance forms. A post-show Q&A provides students with an opportunity to learn more about the cultural traditions and diverse dance forms represented in the performance.   

To support youth engagement and Truth and Reconciliation programming, the Spruce Grove Public Library offers hands-on, culturally rich experiences for younger audiences. Building on school initiatives that teach students to lead Blanket Exercises, the library has hosted both in-person and digital versions. Past programming includes co-hosting Truth and Reconciliation Day at Horizon Stage, Cree language lessons, and beading workshops. Performers like Patrick Mitsuing have taught patrons about Powwow dance traditions, empowering youth to take an active role in reconciliation. 

We call upon Library and Archives Canada to:  
i. Fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Joinet-Orentlicher Principles, as related to Aboriginal peoples’ inalienable right to know the truth about what happened and why, with regard to human rights violations committed against them in the residential schools.
ii. Ensure that its record holdings related to residential schools are accessible to the public.
iii. Commit more resources to its public education materials and programming on residential schools 

Actions to date: The Spruce Grove Public Library works to improve access to Indigenous history and education. Staff create timely book displays and educational guides throughout the year, and connect patrons with specialized support through partnerships with Native Counselling Services of Alberta and Skydancer Indigenous Cultural Centre & Art Gallery. The library holds a small local history collection, engages with local Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and partners with the Spruce Grove and District Agricultural Society to help fill historical gaps. A red sticker system helps patrons locate Indigenous resources, with cataloguing shaped by ongoing work with Skydancer. Patrons are also directed to Edmonton Public Library's Voices of the Land platform for further digital resources. 

We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families and communities and ensure public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process. 

Actions to date: The City supports annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation programming on September 30, including partnership-based programming at Horizon Stage. Programming provides opportunities for residents to learn, reflect and engage with the history and ongoing legacy of residential schools and reconciliation.   

In addition to this event as a learning opportunity, the Spruce Grove Public Library distributes free materials to the public, including United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples booklets, commemorative pins, and orange shirts featuring designs created by a youth from Paul First Nation, ensuring patrons have tangible ways to reflect on and participate in reconciliation. 

We call upon provincial and territorial governments, in collaboration with Survivors and their organizations, and other parties to the Settlement Agreement, to commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible Residential Schools Monument in each capital city to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities. 

Actions to date: Jubilee Park is home to Let Us Grow, Together…, a stone sculpture by Métis artist Brad Callihoo honouring residential school Survivors and their families.   

"Emerging Feather, Let Us Grow Together" is a creation by local resident and First Nations artist Brad Callihoo. The sculpture is carved into a 6,000 pound piece of Canadian marble and shows a feather emerging from Mother Earth and growing into a teepee perched above, signifying resilience, strength, and the journey of reconciliation.

We call upon the Canada Council for the Arts to establish, as a funding priority, a strategy for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation process. 

Actions to date: The City's community public art program has created space for Indigenous artists within its municipal art collection and various public art throughout the City. We continue to identify future opportunities for Indigenous-led and collaborative works.  
As part of the City's 40th Anniversary mural project, Indigenous engagement was incorporated into the development process to help ensure Indigenous perspectives and the area's history were appropriately considered and represented within a significant civic artwork. 

The mural titled "Spruce Grove Roots and Seeds" was painted by artist Tyler Toews, in collaboration with Kayla Bellerose to celebrate Spruce Grove’s 40th anniversary of incorporation as a City and can be found in the Decker Properties Atrium at Heavy Metal Place.

We call upon the federal government to amend the Physical Activity and Sport Act to support reconciliation by ensuring that policies to promote physical activity as a fundamental element of health and well-being, reduce barriers to sports participation, increase the pursuit of excellence in sport, and build capacity in the Canadian sport system are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples. 

Actions to date: Since 2018, the City's Recreation & Culture department has provided busing and free access to the TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre for Indigenous youth from Enoch Cree Nation and Paul First Nation. By 2025, the initiative had grown to serve approximately 160 youth per year, directly reducing transportation and financial barriers to recreation and physical activity participation.