River Valley News - Sept 30/25

Photo credit:Canada.ca website
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
For Indigenous people September 30 is a day of mourning intended to honour stolen children and the survivors of residential schools, which operated until 1996 in Canada. Students were neglected, malnourished, and experienced physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse. This day is a reminder of the legacy of residential schools and the trauma that lives within every Indigenous person you meet.

It is a truth held in many communities that if you want to break a people, you take their children from them. Many people are still finding their way home and many will never get the chance to.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation gives us the chance to set aside special time in our day-to-day lives to honour, reflect, and learn. It opens up the opportunities for education and awareness as well as discussions for effective change that requires Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to work together to create an environment free from racism and discrimination in which all people feel safe and respected. To learn more visit National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Edmonton Public Library

Photo credit: Otipemisiwak Metis Government website
Cultural Genocide: The History of Canada's Residential Schools
In 1831, the first church-run residential school opened in Canada. By the 1880s, the federal government created the official policy and funded residential schools across Canada. These schools were created not with the intent of educating youth but of separating Indigenous children from their families. In 1920, the Indian Act made attendance at residential schools mandatory for Indigenous children aged 7–15 years old.

The Canadian Residential School System was a policy of cultural genocide spanning over 150 years, founded on the intent to assimilate Indigenous children—including First Nations, Inuit, and often overlooked Métis youth—by separating them from their families and cultures. 

The system, which involved 25 registered schools in Alberta alone, forced children into environments rife with physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, poor health conditions, and disease. Due to the deliberate failure to keep accurate records—often mislabeling Métis children to maintain funding—the true number of children who attended and died while in these schools remains unknown.

The last residential school in Canada was the Gordon Residential School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan and it closed in 1996.

Photo credit: Orange Shirt Society
Every Child Matters: The Origin of Orange Shirt Day
On September 30th many people across Canada (Turtle Island), wear bright orange t-shirts to honour and raise awareness of the thousands of Indigenous children who were sent to residential schools.

Have you ever wondered what the colour orange represents? Here are some facts about Orange Shirt Day and its origin:

When Phyllis Webstad was a little girl, she was forced to attend a residential school in Williams Lake, British Columbia. On the first day of school, she proudly wore an orange shirt her grandmother had given her. The residential school staff stripped her of her belongings, cut her hair, and took away her clothes, including her orange shirt.

“When I got to the Mission, they stripped me, and took away my clothes, including the orange shirt! I never wore it again. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine! The color orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.”
– Phyllis Webstad

Photo credit: Manitou Stone Centre website 
A Gift from the Cosmos, The Manitou Stone
Thousands of years ago, in the Iron Creek area of Alberta one of Canada's largest meteorites came to earth as a gift from the cosmos, inspiring unity among the plains tribes.

Manitou Asinîy is a 145kg iron meteorite that fell from the sky on an unknown date many years ago.
Over the centuries the meteorite became deeply embedded in Indigenous spirituality and was venerated by the First Nations people. The Manitou Stone is associated with the buffalo which represents prosperity among the Plains Buffalo Tribes.

This all changed in 1866 when Manitou Asinîy was stolen from the land by Methodist missionary Reverend George McDougall. Alarmed at this act, Indigenous spiritual leaders prophesied that war, plague, and famine would soon devastate their people.

The Manitou Asinîy-Iniskim-Tsa Xani Centre (MAITX) is a not-for-profit, First Nations led organization, formed to rematriate the Manitou Stone, a sacred meteorite that the Plains Tribes see as the living embodiment of the Creator.

ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ (Edmonton's Indigenous Art Park) / Queen Elizabeth Park in Edmonton’s North Saskatchewan River Valley.

Comment or Contributions

Please note articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley.

Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com.

Forward this link to anyone you think may want to sign up for this newsletter https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter-signup 

River Valley News - Sept. 25/25

Call for Protection of Our River Valley and Ravines
Edmontonians have long professed a deep love for our river valley and ravines. Given a forecast major population increase, we face an increased challenge to ensure access to the valley while still protecting nature. Provincial law mandates city council to protect our environment. The recently passed River Valley Bylaw states that our river valley and ravines provide a significant ecological corridor, protects wildlife passage and allows access to Edmontonians to experience nature. 

Yet regrettably, despite the interventions by our society and others, the majority of Council voted to weaken previous mandatory duties to base decisions on potential impacts to ecology, nature- based solutions and climate change. A considerable amount of land has already been lost to development and important areas could be lost if not acquired and zoned for protection. To protect our valley as a legacy for Edmontonians now and into the future, we need to elect a Council committed to timely action.
  
While many issues are being raised as priorities for the coming civic election, the North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society encourage voters to also consider asking candidates about their commitment to protecting our river valley and ravines, including:

Would you make it a budget priority to protect our river valley and ravines?

Are you aware of the long- standing City Policy and Bylaw requirement to acquire additional lands in the valley? What action would you take to make this happen?

Do you or your family enjoy walking, biking or skiing in the valley and if so do you support action to implement a strategy to better manage and maintain the trails?

Do you believe the public should have a voice in decisions about proposed developments in our river valley and ravines?

As the current Council approved a motion in August of 2023 to move to the planning stage for a National Urban Park, what is your position on the potential establishment of a National Urban Park, and would you be prepared to continue to work with Parks Canada and other partners to secure federal funding and resources in support of this initiative?

For a full list of 2025 Edmonton Election Candidates head to 2025 Edmonton Election Candidates.

Photo credit: Edmonton City as Museum Project website
Edmonton's Grads The Unstoppable Women of Basketball
The Edmonton Commercial Graduates (the Grads) were an amateur women’s basketball team that played from 1915 to 1940. They were simply the best and they had the record to prove it. They won 412 out of 432 games played, with only 20 losses. They played 147 games between 1915 and 1922 and never lost a single game. They played in the Paris
Olympics, the Amsterdam Olympics, the Los Angeles Olympics and the Berlin Olympics, and never lost an Olympic contest. No other sporting team has a comparable record. 

The Grads started in 1915, only 24 years after the sport was invented by Canadian James Naismith. They got into a brand new sport early and by the start of the 1920s entered formal amateur competition. The Grads, as amateur athletes, were never paid to play basketball. They balanced full-time jobs with a demanding practice and tournament schedule throughout the basketball season.

An excerpt from the book Edmonton in Our Own Words by Linda Goyette and Carolina Roemmich reads: “In the most humiliating years of the Depression, the Grads gave Edmonton the pride of a world-class achievement. Could there be a finer gift? So why is it that Edmonton has a Wayne Gretzky Drive but not a freeway, not a stadium, named after the Grads? In the best of times-our times- people in Edmonton share a passion for competitive sports and the arts. In the worst of times, these passions repaired the city's torn spirit.” 

Edmonton's Stinky but Delicious Treasure
Have you ever been walking through the river valley in fall and caught a whiff of something unpleasant, almost like dirty socks? Don’t worry, it very well may have been ripening highbush cranberries. Despite the name, highbush cranberry is not a cranberry at all! These are actually part of the honeysuckle family and are a very important plant for over-wintering birds, as they are one of the few berries that are available throughout the winter. 

Highbush cranberries are native to Canada with a range from New Brunswick to British Columbia and North to Alaska making it very winter hardy. They tend to like growing in shady, moist places such as stream banks, wet thickets, and old river bottoms. Highbush cranberry flowers in early summer and produces fruit ripe by late summer. Often the fruit is picked after a frost which tends to make the fruit more palatable.

While the berries might not smell the nicest this is normal and disappears during the cooking process where the resulting flavour is said to be very tasty. The tart fruits were an important food to many indigenous peoples and the Cree used a tea made from this bark to alleviate cramps as it is an antispasmodic. Ukrainian Canadians have long been filling jars with this vibrant jelly and serving it with perogies. They have a name for it — kalyna, which refers to both the berries and the jelly. It was a staple in every household a couple of generations ago, because berries were plentiful and free.

Beyond the Bike Lane: Finding Common Ground on Edmonton Roads
Marian writes: “Bikes are a great way to get around.  I miss being able to ride anymore.  The one wish I have is that bikes have a headlight of some kind.  The days are getting shorter and I have been startled by a rider coming toward me with no light.  Having bright lights in your eyes can not be pleasant, so please spend a few dollars to just put some type of light on the front of your bike when riding in dim or dark conditions. I would really appreciate it”

General Inquiry
Norma writes: “I am in a 20 some year condo complex on the south east corner of St Albert. We have had several problems with rabbits who I assume think of us as a good place to find food.
My question is in regard to a Linden tree (small, perhaps 5 feet high) that I saw rabbits last winter scratching on it. In the spring I could see that pieces of bark had disappeared from that area of the tree and there were black ants on it.  How can we protect the tree this coming season other than to cover the lower part of the tree?
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.”

Hi Norma,
It is reported that rabbits and small rodents will eat the bark when food is scarce, sometimes girdling young trees. Unfortunately the most effective way to prevent this is to use some type of barrier or tree guard to stop the unwanted behavior. The two most common methods of protecting trees from animal damage would be:

Repellents: There are a number of ready-made repellents on the market that will discourage rabbits, deer and mice from feeding on trees. Most contain thiram, a distasteful but harmless fungicide. Once applied to the tree, its bitter taste discourages animals from taking a second bite. One example would be Rabbit Repellent - Plantskydd Canada. 
OR
Tree Guards: Individual tree guards may be more effective where rabbit damage is concerned. Tree guards can be made from a 10-20 mm square wire screen, set 7.5-10 cm into the ground and braced away from the base of the tree. It should reach a height of 50 cm above the expected snowline. Or you can find different types of plastic tree guards that are easy to put on young trees in the fall. Then you will remove them in the early spring once there is other food available for rabbits and other wildlife.One example would be Tree Protector - Prairie Gardens. 

I hope this information is helpful and your Linden trees grow tall and healthy,
Justin

Photo Credit: Tracy Alikamik 

Comment or Contributions
Please note articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley.
 
Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com.

Forward this link to anyone you think may want to sign up for this newsletter https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter-signup  

River Valley News - Sept 18/25

Picture credit: Picture on the left was taken by Justin and it reminded him of the squirrel comic on the right - credit to Jimmy Craig 

The River Valley News has a new author!

Please join the North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society in welcoming our new communications coordinator, Justin!

Justin's roots trace back to Calgary, though he now proudly calls Edmonton home. With a deep appreciation for the natural world, he enjoys spending time in the beautiful landscapes in and around Edmonton, from the lush river valley to the trembling aspen parklands.

When he's not busy with his family, Justin is a nature enthusiast who channels his passion into photography, kayaking, and searching for rocks and fossils. He also enjoys simply taking long walks, appreciating the diverse ecosystems of his adopted home.

Justin will now be taking over as the author of the River Valley News. He will also oversee the organization’s social media accounts. As Justin settles into his new role, we encourage you to send in your feedback. Your insights are our most important resource, and they will help him get to know you, the readers of the River Valley News. 

Brook, our previous communications coordinator, stepped away from the role to pursue a Master's degree in environmental governance. We wish her all the best in her new academic pursuits and will miss her!

Brook treasures her time with the NSRVCS and feels very lucky to have heard the thoughts, queries and stories of all our readers. She is grateful to every single person who took the time out of their Thursday mornings to read the newsletter and grow their appreciation for the river valley. https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter 

Embrace Winter: Registration Now Open for the Canadian Birkie Ski Festival

The Canadian Birkie Ski Festival is gearing up for the 2026 season and registration for this exciting event is now open! The event has brought back heated change trailers and restored the original award age categories based on participant feedback. A new 12 km skate ski event has been added for Sunday, February 15th, with a cap of 100 participants. Additionally, there is a new pricing structure for 2026, where GST will now be applied at checkout for transparency.

The Canadian Birkebeiner takes place at Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area which boasts a legendary cross-country ski trail system. The Ski Festival offers a weekend packed with recreational and competitive cross-country ski events for the whole family. Whether you’re a seasoned skier or just starting out, the Birkie has a ski event for everyone.

Skiers taking part in the 55km event recreate the legend of the original Birkebeiner skiers which dates back to the year 1206, when a civil war raged in Norway. The infant prince and direct heir to the throne, Haakon Haakonsson, was in danger and in hiding near Lillehammer. Two brave Birkebeiner warriors rescued the prince and carried him by skis in the dead of winter to safety.

For a full list of events and registration visit Ski - ​Canadian Birkebeiner Society ​ 

Beyond the Bike Lane: Finding Common Ground on Edmonton Roads

With the highly divisive issue of bike lanes being a hot topic in the news as of late, one Reddit user put together a tongue-in-cheek look at if Edmonton cyclists should be required to pay a road tax. And with the Alberta government already floating the idea of a watercraft tax (albeit as a way to help keep invasive mussels out of the province) why shouldn’t those cyclists also pay their fair share? Here’s a look at the concept Reddit user Particular_Buyer_894 came up with.

This humorous thought experiment proposes a new "road tax" for Edmonton, suggesting an annual vehicle registration fee to replace existing taxes that fund road construction. According to the author’s calculations there is a surprisingly stark difference in costs: a mere $2.03 per year for a bicycle, compared to a much heftier $941.69 for a car or truck. By factoring in road space and a playful "wear and tear" ratio, the author highlights that the average car does 17,000 times as much damage to the road as one heavy man on a pedal bike.

They conclude that if the tax burden of road maintenance and construction is shifted to the road users, then cyclists could more than pay their "fair share" at a bargain price, while motorists are left with the bulk of the bill. While the comment section of the post contains lots of colorful language, it has sparked an interesting exchange of ideas. Some users say that taxing vehicles by weight could be a fair solution to Alberta’s love of oversized vehicles. Another pointed out that the calculations don’t account for the damage the sun does on our road infrastructure, to which it was quipped that the sun should pay its fair share of tax also.

Regardless of the numbers, the exercise highlights a shared responsibility for a more environmentally friendly approach to commuting. Instead of an 'us versus them' mentality, maybe we can find common ground, or road, and explore better ways to get around, from personal choices like a smaller vehicle to broader conversations about our community's infrastructure.

Starry Nights and Solar Sights: A Guide to the U of A Observatory

Did you know the U of A Department of Physics has an astronomical observatory that is free to visit that includes daytime solar viewing and evening Moon, planet, and star viewing? Their mission is to make education about space accessible to everyone and they are located in CCIS 5-240 on the West end of the 5th floor of the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science on the main campus of the University of Alberta.

Normally open their telescopes to the public on Thursdays, from 12pm to 1pm for solar viewing and 8pm to 9pm for evening viewing during the months of September and October. Visitors may drop in anytime during the hour, as no tickets are required. Just be sure to dress for the outdoor weather, and note the observatory will be closed if the temperature is -20°C or colder. Check their website for up to date hours and event listings at the Department of Physics Astronomical Observatory.

Additionally, school and other youth groups can arrange a free private visit guided by an astrophysics graduate student. The goal of this hands-on programming is to capture the imagination of children and serve as a gateway to help a child develop interests in all areas of science.The field trip is designed to help educators meet specific learning requirements outlined in the Alberta curriculum, including Unit C Sky Science in Science 6 and Unit E Space Exploration in Science 9. For further details head to Field Trips | Physics.

Sometimes, Always, Even / April Dean / 2017 / 

Sandblasted Granite at Paul Kane Park

Comment or Contributions

Please note articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley.

Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com.

Forward this link to anyone you think may want to sign up for this newsletter https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter-signup