Saskatoon’s new bridges connect past and future
Hundreds gather to mark opening Chief Mistawasis, Traffic spans
Saskatoon looked back at history — including the dark parts — as city dignitaries opened two new bridges in an unprecedented dual event.
Hundreds gathered on Tuesday at the new Chief Mistawasis Bridge for a morning ceremony that honoured Indigenous history, including shining a spotlight on the bleak chapter of Indian residential schools.
The bridge is named for the Cree chief who signed Treaty 6; its naming is intended to honour Indigenous history in line with Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission to try to address the legacy of residential schools.
Flags along the bridge that flapped in the brisk autumn air noted the bridge is located in Treaty 6 territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis.
“This is just a small step, ladies and gentleman, toward true reconciliation,” Chief Daryl Watson of Mistawasis Nehiyawak told the crowd. “So there’s still a lot of reconciliation that needs to be done.”
Watson pointed out that the opening of the bridge marked an accomplishment in infrastructure, which is an area where underfunding continues to plague Indigenous communities.
Residential school survivor Frank Badger said some of the pride, self-esteem and dignity that was taken from him by the brutal treatment during his school years decades ago was restored with the opening of the bridge.
“Life is getting better,” said Badger, who attended St. Michael’s Indian Residential School from 1955 to 1965. “Things are changing.”
Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand said Chief Mistawasis was smiling down on the crowd 142 years after he signed Treaty 6.
Chiefs arrived on horseback from the east end of the bridge, followed by a horse-drawn cart carrying Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark and other chiefs and elders.
After an Indigenous prayer, colourful dancers put on a swirling show with a victory dance.
During about an hour of speeches, several speakers paid homage to the late elder Walter Linklater, who helped guide the committee that chose the bridge’s name. He died in August.
Speakers standing on a stage set up on the west side of the bridge also noted the amazing views of the South Saskatchewan River valley from the new bridge.
“Even on a cold, early fall October day, this is a beautiful place,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said.
Moe said to Clark of opening the Chief Mistawasis Bridge on the same day as the rebuilt Traffic Bridge: “When you’re the mayor of what is known as the City of Bridges, this has to rank as a pretty good day.”
Clark noted the vision of the new bridge took shape as a line on a map in June 2012.
He paid tribute to the unnamed city officials who came up with the idea of bundling two bridges together to acquire federal and provincial funding for the $497.7-million public-private partnership (P3) project.
Graham Commuter Partners, the consortium that built the bridges with a rigid deadline to finish by Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, will also operate and maintain the bridges for 30 years.
At noon on Tuesday, a less formal ceremony was held to mark the resurrection of the Traffic Bridge, reconnecting downtown with the Nutana neighbourhood.
The original Traffic Bridge, which was the first bridge in Saskatoon built for vehicles and pedestrians, opened in 1907, but was condemned in 2010.
Hundreds of enthusiastic people gathered at each end of the bridge and met in the middle for a noonhour party that featured music and dancers.
City archivist Jeff O’brien, who had a tent set up with information on the bridge’s history, said the location of the Traffic Bridge has historical significance stretching far beyond the original structure.
He pointed out the area has been used as a river crossing for thousands of years by people who lived in the region because it’s so narrow.
He praised the design, which pays homage to the original.
“The original Traffic Bridge has fantastic historical significance and this kind of extends that,” O’brien said in an interview.
The Chief Mistawasis Bridge opened for vehicle traffic around 3 p.m. Tuesday and the Traffic Bridge opened to motorists late Tuesday evening.