News Releases

Over 2,500 participants have registered for the virtual 2021 Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference on October 5-7. The event will provide registrants with important teachings to assist them on their paths to reconciliation.

“With registration closing tonight at 11:59 p.m., we can announce that this year will be our largest group of attendees to date,” says Brad Bird, Co-Chair of the Wîcihitowin Organizing Committee and Director of Reconciliation, Saskatoon Public Library. “We are looking forward to welcoming thousands of people virtually to learn from our speakers—including Residential School Survivors and Knowledge Keepers—about the Seven Sacred Teachings that guide Indigenous Peoples’ ways of knowing.”

Established in 2014, the Wîcihitowin Conference was created to provide Residential School Survivors and Sixties Scoop Survivors with a platform to share their voices and teachings, to inspire respectful engagement and meaningful inclusion of Indigenous peoples within the community, and to share resources and tools to form and maintain culturally respectful organizations. “Wîcihitowin”, a Cree/Saulteaux term meaning “to help each other/to work together”, is the driving force for the now annual event.

“The Wîcihitowin conference provides an opportunity for community members to learn from survivors and for survivors to share their experiences, resilience and strength,” says Gilbert Kewistep, a Residential School Survivor and advisor to the conference organizing committee. “I want to thank everyone who chooses to virtually attend the conference, because fully committing your time and attention to learning matters. And, these conversations matter.”

“The City makes a point to contribute financial and human resource support to this conference every year,” says Melissa Cote, Director of Indigenous Initiatives for the City of Saskatoon. “The feedback we get from this event is always incredible – how it influenced individuals and organizations to change their thinking as well as their practices. Past participants feel that this conference has contributed to progress on Indigenous engagement and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.”

The theme of this year’s conference is The Seven Sacred Teachings: love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth. These inherent beliefs and values guide Indigenous Peoples’ ways of knowing and are shared by generations through oral traditions of storytelling and ceremony. The conference presentations will demonstrate how the Seven Sacred Teachings can guide people through their personal journeys; help community members, organizations, governments, and businesses respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action; and ensure respectful Indigenous engagement and inclusion within communities.

2021 conference presenters include:

• Chief Cadmus Delorme, Cowessess First Nation
• Dr. Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society
• Dr. Dave Courchene - Nii Gaani Aki Innini (Leading Earth Man), Elder and Knowledge Keeper, Anishinaabe Nation
• Richard Van Camp, Storyteller and Author, Dene Nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories
• Stephanie Harpe, Residential School Survivor, International Advocate for Murdered, Missing and Exploited Indigenous Peoples, Singer/Songwriter
• Representatives from the Saskatoon Survivors Circle

“It’s important that we acknowledge there are so many different ways of learning,” says Bird. “This conference provides many Indigenous and non-Indigenous people with a connection to traditional teachings—I promise that the content will be eye-opening and thought-provoking whether you’re attending for the first time or the seventh.”

Registration is available free of charge at wicihitowin.ca, closing on September 27 at 11:59 p.m. (CST). For conference updates, you can also follow Wîcihitowin YXE on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

The Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference is made possible through contributions from the City of Saskatoon, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Saskatoon Public Library, United Way & Area, Saskatoon Community Foundation, and Nutrien (premier investor).

The City is aware of a positive COVID-19 case impacting the City of Regina’s transit service. At this time, Saskatoon Transit is not impacted by this recent news.

The situation in Regina is an important reminder about the required steps in place to protect the health and safety of bus riders, residents and employees.

Non-medical face masks are required when traveling on Saskatoon Transit as an added safety measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community. As students return to class and other activities resume this Fall, the mask requirement allows Saskatoon Transit to safely operate full-seated loads and meet demand on all fixed route and Access Transit buses.

Even if you have no symptoms, wearing a cloth or disposable mask is an extra measure we can all take to protect others around us, particularly in situations where two metres physical distancing cannot be maintained.

Visit Saskatoon.ca/covid-19 for information on mask requirements and other precautions.

The Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) will lead a new pilot project and Task Force to help support people who are homeless and improve safety in downtown Saskatoon. The pilot will be called Sawêyihtotân (suh-WAY-EE’-tote-tahn) which means let us bless each other through our show of respect for each other.

STC will lead the new community outreach team, which will be based in Saskatoon’s White Buffalo Youth Lodge. The team will include members from STC, the City/Saskatoon Police Service and the organizations that are part of the Saskatoon Inter-Agency Response to Safety and Well-Being group. Two staff members from the Ministry of Social Services and one staff member from the Saskatoon Housing Authority will join the team, with support from the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

The City of Saskatoon is providing $100,000 in funding towards this initiative, while the Ministry of Social Services and Ministry of Justice are providing another $50,000 each, bringing the total funding to $200,000.00. Including staff resources, Social Services will be providing over $117,000.00 in funding towards this important work to increase community safety and well-being in Saskatoon.   

“I am confident that this collaboration will add to the services we have in place to support those in need and help to better serve people in the downtown area who have no supports and nowhere to go,” Social Services Minister Paul Merriman said. “I also believe this community-driven initiative can inform a longer-term approach to serving people in need in Saskatoon and am very proud to support it.”

“We are committed to providing people with the supports they need to live safe and healthy lives,” said Minister of Justice and Attorney General Don Morgan. “Saskatoon Tribal Council has a strong track record of providing important supports in the Saskatoon community, and Government is proud to partner with them as part of our mutual goal of creating healthy communities.”

“This initiative complements the great work already underway to improve community safety and gives us an opportunity to develop a model that encompasses holistic, culturally relevant ways to meet the needs of the population,” said Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand. “We have an unprecedented opportunity to build on the lessons we learned and the relationships we created from our recent collaboration responding to COVID-19 and the closure of the City Centre Inn - to provide better outcomes for those on the streets and contribute to the safety of all Saskatoon people.”

“The Sawêyihtotân initiative is a turning point in responding to the on-going health and safety of people on the streets and downtown,” said Mayor Charlie Clark.  “This is the first step.  The Wahkohtowin (wuh-COH’-toe-win) Task Force is the important second phase of this work to develop new models for shelter services and supportive housing over the months ahead. 

“It has taken a lot of commitment and working together in new ways, by many partners, to address the gaps that have existed for too long.  The fact that we have Minister Merriman and the participation of the Provincial Government directly in the development of solutions is crucial to these efforts, and I thank them for their participation.  This is also a turning point in moving the words of Reconciliation into action. The leadership of the Saskatoon Tribal Council brings an Indigenous-based approach to help us all learn how to build more holistic approaches in meeting the needs of people who are hurting. This feels like a historic moment for our community.”

The Downtown Safety Response Plan is split into two phases – a comprehensive community-based case management strategy, and a long-term transitional supportive housing model.

The immediate priority of this initiative will see the street outreach team begin its work this fall, starting with people in the most urgent need in downtown Saskatoon. The team will work with individuals to develop case plans, establish supports and help them secure and maintain stable housing. 

The initial phase, which will carry through over the next several months, will provide valuable feedback into a longer-term plan for serving Saskatoon’s homeless population and others in need of housing and supports.

The second phase will be supported by the work performed in Phase One. It will explore a collaborative approach than perhaps a traditional model of a single agency providing supports for vulnerable community members.