This Thursday, October 19th at 1:45pm, the City of Martensville will be hosting a Reconciliation Walk, the ‘Walk for Wenjack’ as part of Secret Path Week, a week dedicated to promoting conversations and action for Reconciliation.
Secret Path Week takes place from October 17-22 and is a national movement created to commemorate the legacies of Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack. Wenjack ran away from Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School in Kenora, Ontario in 1966 and walked for 36 hours along the train tracks before passing away due to exposure on October 22nd at the age of 12. Wenjack’s death led to the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children within the residential school system.
Secret Path was a ten-song album by Gord Downie that included a graphic novel that tells the story of Chanie Wenjack. Downie passed away on October 17th, 2017; however his legacy lives on in his call to action to ‘Do Something’.
Martensville’s Walk for Wenjack is open for everyone to participate in, and people are encouraged to start from wherever they are and come meet at the Kinsmen Park Gazebo for a short presentation. Staff and students from the local schools will be participating in the walk.
To learn more about Secret Path Week and the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, visit https://downiewenjack.ca/.
