Edmonton cancels author Boyden appearance

Controversy over claims of native heritage

• As controversy swirls over author Joseph Boyden’s indigenous heritage, the City of Edmonton has cancelled his scheduled appearance at a conference next month.

The city- sponsored Winter Cities Shake- Up says it made the decision after much thought and “many conversations with local indigenous leaders.”

Boyden s i gned on to speak about winter culture at the event before the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network launched an investigation into his heritage late last month.

APTN reporter Jorge Barrera’s piece, which questioned claims of indigenous ancestry Boyden has made throughout his life, has sparked a firestorm of debate on social media and made international headlines.

Last week, the Canadian novelist released a statement saying his heritage isn’t neatly laid out in official records but instead rooted in stories told by his family.

The Scotia bank Gill er Prize winner behind Through Black Spruce described himself as “a white kid from Willowdale with native roots.”

An official with the Winter Cities Shake-Up says they didn’t want Boyden’s appearance to take away from the focus of the conference, which is on improving the quality of life in cities during the season through design, culture and business.

“We did speak with him last week about, in light of the controversy, how he might amend his presentation and he was very understanding of the focus of the conference being on winter,” Susan Holdsworth, chairwoman of Winter Cities Shake- Up, said Thursday in a phone interview.

“In the end we just decided it was potentially going to distract from what the conference is about,” said Holdsworth.