By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — Sometimes it takes a lot of noise to wake people up.

That’s the thinking behind an initiative taking place in Kenaston, where two churches are ringing their bells to raise awareness of the high rate of violence against aboriginal women in Canada.

Their efforts will reach a pinnacle this Wednesday when, beginning at 2 p.m., the churches will ring their bells a total of 1,181 times.

That’s one ring for each and every one of the 1,181 aboriginal women reported as murdered or missing in Canada between 1980 and 2012, as highlighted in a report issued by the RCMP last year.

Rev. Tracey Taylor, one of three associate priests serving the Midlakes Parish of the Anglican Church of Canada, said the churches were inspired to join in the initiative along with other cathedrals and churches across Canada.

She said she believes that Anglicans and other Christians need to raise awareness of the situation facing aboriginal women and thus join the voices calling for change.

“If the church can’t draw attention to this . . . who will?” she asked, adding, “Part of our baptismal vows is to uphold the dignity and (demand) justice for every human being.”

According to a news release, the initiative is part of a 22-day period of prayer and renewal that marks the end of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established to respond to the legacy of Indian residential schools in Canada.

The period lasts from May 31, the Commission’s last day, to June 21, which is being celebrated as National Aboriginal Day.

“Historically, church bells were used to alert a community to an emergency,” Rev. Mike Sinclair of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Regina was quoted. “Surely, 1,181 missing and murdered women is an emergency.”

On June 3, the bell at St. Columba Anglican Church in Kenaston rang for a sustained period beginning at 2 p.m.

Last Wednesday, they were joined by St. Andrew’s Catholic Church a couple of blocks over. This week will see the culmination of the churches’ efforts.

A group of students from Kenaston School, including this year’s seven graduates, will split up and keep the bells ringing for between 60 and 90 minutes, until they have tolled 1,181 times.

Taylor said everyone is welcome to come by and assist with the bell ringing, or just to sit in the pews and pray.

Part of the problem is changing public perception about violence against aboriginal women, said Taylor, adding, “When you hear on the news that it’s a native woman, people’s attitudes change.”

Instead of making assumptions or relying on stereotypes, she said, people should ask why so many native women end up in dangerous or violent situations.

She acknowledged that the lack of a large, visible native population in the area may make it easier to ignore the issue.

“You only have to go to Saskatoon and you’re in the middle of a very diverse culture,” she said. “We’re a little homogeneous here . . . That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be aware.”

Taylor also countered that there’s a larger aboriginal population here than many might think, though she joked that some native people are “undercover.” For instance, her mother is Cree.

Ringing the bells over the last two weeks has attracted more and more attention, said Taylor, adding, “People were driving by and looking, wondering what we were doing.”

Taylor, who also serves All Saints Anglican Church in Davidson, said she planned to go through some activities on the subject with students at the Wednesday program there.

She said it’s important to engage with younger generations in calling for justice, especially given that many of the murdered or missing women have been teenagers or young adults.

“The hope is that this is not just a flash,” she said. “It’s just a great thing for the church to be doing . . . The church needs to be real in the world.”

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — A highway intersection east of Kenaston will stay the way it is for the foreseeable future, after it was discussed at a meeting held in the village last month.

The meeting, held May 8 at Kenaston Place, brought together representatives from local governments and officials from the provincial ministry of highways and infrastructure to discuss a proposed redesign of the junction of highways 11 and 15.

Kenaston Mayor ML Whittles reported that officials were responsive to local concerns and said the ministry would delay the redesign of the intersection, also pledging to bring local stakeholders on board as part of a steering committee.

She quoted Jennifer Fertuck, the ministry’s acting director of regional asset management for the central region, as saying: “For the time being, Highway 15 will remain where it is today and receive regular maintenance to ensure serviceability.”

“It was an exceedingly good meeting,” said Whittles. “We felt that we were heard . . . I’m really happy with the outcome.”

Present at the meeting were the councils of both the Village of Kenaston and the Rural Municipality of McCraney, as well as deputy fire chief Ken Remmen of the Kenaston Volunteer Fire Department.

In addition to Fertuck, the ministry was represented by Ron Gerbrandt, assistant deputy minister for design and innovation; Rock Gorlick, executive director for the central region; and Harold Retzlaff, director of transportation planning.

Whittles said the meeting was held to discuss issues with the proposals for the intersection, located just east of the village.

The ministry had offered several proposals for a redesign of the junction, but local officials were concerned about how the plan was moving forward.

“We didn’t like the way that it appeared to be going,” said Whittles, adding that the council believed the proposed redesign would be unsafe and would bring highway traffic closer to the village.

The proposal, which would reshape Highway 15 with an S-curve wrapped partially around the village, would also have limited the possibilities of growth for Kenaston by preventing the development of several lots.

“They were taking too much from us,” said Whittles. “I believed they were set on going one way.”

Council members had communicated their concerns with the public, and a petition circulated at several local businesses collected a total of 169 signatures.

Whittles said the petition gave them ammunition in their talks with the ministry, as it indicated that local officials had the community’s support behind them.

At the meeting, the petition was presented to Gerbrandt, who quickly acknowledged that the local concerns were valid, according to Whittles.

As a result, the ministry announced it would put its plans in limbo, pending the formation of a steering committee that would include local representatives.

Whittles said she was pleased about the community’s response and the outcome of the meeting, adding that the village hopes to move ahead with plans to sell and develop empty lots along the existing Highway 15.

Joel Cherry, a spokesman for the ministry, confirmed Thursday that consultations with the public and stakeholders would be part of the process for planning the future of the intersection.

He said any changes to the intersection are “probably a long way off” but added that there is no set timeline.

For the full story, please pick up a copy of the June 8 print edition of The Davidson Leader.