On October 17 and 18, about 70 people from across Saskatchewan gathered at the Remai Modern in Saskatoon to talk about moving reconciliation forward.

Hosted by the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, the group of Elders, donors, and members of 10 Reconciliation Circles across Saskatchewan came to share stories and discuss what impact they wanted to have in the coming months and years.

“The goal as we are coming out of COVID was to re-energize, build and strengthen relationships, and think about where we are, where we want to go and how we’re going to get there,” said Rhett Sangster, Director, Reconciliation and Community Partnership at the OTC.

“We pulled together 70 people and we created a ‘we’ in two days. There was a lot of positive energy, a lot of smiles, and a real sense of hope among this very diverse group of people.”

There was ceremony, inclusion of Indigenous language, and support from Elders throughout the retreat.

In terms of challenges to advancing reconciliation work, the groups and individuals discussed resourcing, how to communicate the work, how to organize, and how to overcome resistance to the reconciliation movement.

They weren’t looking to find answers and solutions in only two days, but rather to figure out ways to work together and create an agenda to move forward.

“We talked about Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of being together, a new way of doing things that seeks wisdom from all sources,” Sangster said.

“It was awesome, it was a really good gathering.”