Kim Coates

The actor explains his newfound appreciation for Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatoon, Sask.

One of my favourite places in the world is Saskatoon. It’s where I’m from and I’m very proud of that, so for me to never have heard of Wanuskewin Heritage Park — a site that has been around longer than some Egyptian pyramids — was embarrassing!

When I recently visited the park for the first time, I met Ernie Walker, the man who has made it his life’s passion to not only keep the park alive, but to share its wonders with the world by advocating for it to be included on Canada’s Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A protected site like this, with its rich history as a bison-hunting ground and a gathering place for Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years, is exactly what we need in the world today. We’re all on our devices and the world is moving so fast right now, so to put our phones away and experience nature again is breathtaking. I was shown around the site and although it was raining, the smell of the dirt and the flowers was intoxicating. We forget what the beauty and power of Mother Nature can do to our souls. When I walked the trails, I felt an attachment to the ground, to Saskatchewan and to what the Northern Plains Indigenous Peoples experienced 6,000 years ago. It’s kind of humbling, and it’s incredible.

In an archeological dig I took part in, I found a stone that had super sharp edges and engraved markings on it. Ernie told me that I was the first person to touch this rock in 700 years. It blew my mind. —As told to Kiley Bell