Walk of Sorrow returns to the north
The ‘Walk of Sorrow’ is passing through the north once again, to continue raising awareness of the lasting impacts of the residential school system and call for action.
Patricia Ballantyne is picking up where she left off last year and wanted to stop at communities she visited previously, to promote healing.
Last year's inaugural ‘Walk of Sorrow’ brought Patricia Ballantyne and her supporters from Saskatchewan to Ottawa. This time she wants to meet even more survivors while supporting those she has met along the way.
“Reminding them that we are still here and we're never going away, until our time has come,” said Ballantyne.
She says these ceremonies encourage ongoing healing and ensure that the conversation stays alive.
Seeing how the papal visit caused people's trauma to resurfaced, Ballantyne said she realized she had to keep walking.
"There's so much grief out there that still needs to be talked about and so much anger that still needs to be worked on."
She shared her experience attending a residential school from age four to 14 and invited others to join.
In Timmins Friday, a local elder said the opening prayer and says the ceremony was comforting.
"I heard myself, almost the same story that I went through and these stories that we hear from each other, you know, it's empowering us. It's helping us to find the courage to move forward and know that life, life is good," said Annie Metatawabin, another residential school survivor.
Ballantyne's return to Timmins also gave people who didn't feel comfortable attending last year a chance to be among others.
"To be here and know that there's other people going through the same thing. I think last year I isolated but this year, I'm feeling very connected to community and healing in a different way. It's just a reminder that there's always people around us, we're always connected, so i'm very grateful and honoured to be here," said Kristin Murray, Timmins’ deputy-mayor, at the event.
This is why Ballantyne says she wants to keep coming back to these communities as she journeys across Canada.
"The healing process doesn't take a month, a summer, it takes a lifetime."
After walking to Halifax, she wants to walk to British Columbia next year and then northern Canada the year after.
Ballantyne says the ‘Walk of Sorrow’ is helping her heal and hopes it's allowing other survivors to either begin or push forward on their paths.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.