'A long time coming': Edmonton Catholics commit $3.2M to Indigenous reconciliation fund
The Archdiocese of Edmonton will spend $3.2 million on reconciliation initiatives with First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in the Alberta capital region.
The money is part of the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund, a national effort totalling $30 million over five years.
There are five pillars of the plan: healing and reconciliation, youth leadership, culture and language revitalization, education and community building, and dialogues for promoting Indigenous spirituality and culture.
Committee chair Cam Alexis says reconciliation with the church is long overdue.
He is a former Chief of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation and former Regional Chief with the Assembly of First Nations.
Alexis believes money can't change the past but initiatives like this can help create a better future.
"It was a long time coming. But you know what? The signal is that we need to move forward and there is some funding provided and that funding will help promote and perhaps offer some healing mechanisms for our people," he told CTV News Edmonton.
Last summer, Pope Francis travelled to Canada, and in Alberta delivered an apology to Indigenous people for the church's role in residential schools and the traumas experienced in them.
Francis followed that up in March by formally rejecting the "Doctrine of Discovery," stating it "did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of Indigenous peoples."
That was a statement many Indigenous people were calling for and one an assistant professor from the Ermineskin Cree Nation called "a humongous symbolic victory."
An Indigenous-led committee has been assembled to award the $3.2 million.
Applications will be accepted for three months on the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton website.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Brittany Ekelund
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.