Toronto sign embracing National Indigenous People's Day

Toronto.citynews.ca
June 18, 2018
Meredith Bond

 

You may notice some new additions to the Toronto sign in Nathan Phillip’s Square over the next few days and it’s all in honour of National Indigenous People’s Day on Thursday.

A vinyl wrap will cover the outside of the letters of the Toronto sign while a Medicine Wheel has been placed next to the sign’s ‘T.’

The medicine wheel is based on Indigenous cultural values, tradition and spirituality and the four directions symbolize completeness, wholeness, connectedness and strength. It will remain through the Canada Day weekend and will be brought back in early October for the Indian Residential School Survivors Legacy celebration on October 9.

In a statement, Chair of the Economic Development Committee Councillor Michael Thompson said the city is “proud to mark Indigenous presence, historical and contemporary, in Toronto.”

Work on the vinyl wrap is expected to begin on Tuesday. It will resemble birch bark with symbols of significance for Indigenous communities.

The Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee Frances Sanderson commended the city for “honouring their commitment to the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people of this land by incorporating the healing of the Medicine Wheel in the iconic Toronto sign.”

The vinyl wrap will remain on until the fall.

This is just one of the ways Toronto is celebrating National Indigenous People’s Day. A free Indigenous Arts Festival is being held from June 21-24 at Fort York. It will showcase over 30 performances by Indigenous artists across a variety of mediums.