The Pulse
Nov. 10, 2023

Dozens of beads, a French medicine bottle, and an artifact that pre-dates European contact are among the items unearthed by an archeological field school exploring the often overlooked history of Métis people in St. Albert.

Kisha Supernant, the director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology, will present the findings at a Nov. 13 event called Métis Trash Talking: an Archeological Footprint in St. Albert.

"The main area that we worked in is a disposal area, so there were people who were throwing things away, which is very interesting for archeologists," said Supernant, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Alberta who ran the field school in May and June.

She'll present alongside Métis knowledge holder Celina Loyer and Rhonda Ashmore, one of the Métis students who participated in the project, at the event, which kicks off Métis Week in St. Albert.

Sixteen students, about half of whom are Indigenous, contributed to the month-long archeological dig at Historic River Lots 23 and 24, the former home of the large and influential Cunningham family.

Christina Hardie, a descendant of the Cunningham family, oversees operations at St. Albert's historic river lots and grain elevators. She said the dig created a personal connection.

"It felt very special not only to have the field school here but to be able to work at a heritage site that gets to interpret St. Albert's Métis history and my family's Métis history," Hardie said.

Hardie added that Alfred Cunningham moved east to the lot around 1910, after a school was built nearby. Métis history such as this doesn't fit neatly into "settler" or "Indigenous" categories, Hardie said, and therefore can easily disappear in historical narratives.

Still, for the first 80 to 90 years of what is now called St. Albert, "it was a Métis place, through and through," she said.

• The Edmonton Community Foundation and the Edmonton Social Planning Council released their annual Vital Signs report, which this year focuses on food security. The report found that the number of food-insecure Albertans rose from 12% in 2011 to 20% in 2022, while the cost of healthy food for a family of four rose from $10,920 in 2013 to $15,306 in 2022. More than 20% of Alberta children live in food-insecure households, and 23% of BIPOC Edmontonians report having difficulty accessing food from their culture. The report also found healthy food accounts for 41% of a low-income family's monthly budget, while rent takes up 54%.
• Edmonton Fire Rescue Services crews responded to a fire at a vacant hangar at the site of Edmonton's former municipal airport on the morning of Nov. 9. Crews were called at 2:50am, and the fire was under control by 6:45am. No injuries were reported. The fire did not affect Hangar 11, the site of a proposed redevelopment project, or Hangar 14, which houses the Alberta Aviation Museum and was put up for sale in October.
• NBC 5, a Texas news station, sent a reporter to Edmonton to learn about the city's Vision Zero initiative and how similar strategies can be implemented in Dallas. Edmonton's Vision Zero plan includes features like scramble crosswalks, reduced speeds, narrowed roads, and bright, automated speed enforcement vehicles. While the cities are similar size by population, Dallas had 228 traffic deaths in 2022, while Edmonton had 14. Since Edmonton adopted Vision Zero in 2015, traffic deaths have declined by 50% and severe injuries by 32%.
• Criminologist Temitope Oriola published an opinion piece building on the recent report Combatting hate: Islamophobia and its impact on Muslims in Canada, published by the Senate of Canada's Standing Committee on Human Rights. He highlighted the report's messages about hate crimes committed against Muslims, higher unemployment among women who wear hijabs, and the intersection between Islamophobia and national security in a post-9/11 world. "Islamophobia is damaging to individuals, families and communities. It is also very costly to national security," wrote Oriola, who called for the implementation of all 13 recommendations in the report.
• Edmonton has a lack of female family doctors who are accepting new patients. Data from mid-October indicates there were more than 800 female family doctors in Edmonton, but only three were accepting new patients as of Nov. 8, according to the Find a Doctor database from Alberta's Primary Care Networks.
• The Senior Protection Unit of the Edmonton Police Service launched an educational campaign to raise awareness about crimes against seniors, especially theft, undertaken by their appointed Power of Attorney. The campaign includes a 15-second commercial that will air on local TV stations in coming weeks.
• Justice Minister Mickey Amery tabled a bill that, if passed, would require Alberta's ethics commissioner to suspend investigations of provincial politicians during election periods. The changes were recommended by ethics commissioner Marguerite Trussler in her May 2023 report, which found Premier Danielle Smith had broken the Conflicts of Interest Act by speaking to controversial street preacher Artur Pawlowski. Earlier this week, a legislative committee voted to replace Trussler as well as Glen Resler, the province's chief electoral officer.

In addition to Remembrance Day ceremonies throughout the region, this weekend will see a choral music performance, a sweeping good time, a couple of holiday shopping events, a celebration of Black entrepreneurs, and an agricultural expo.

• Nov. 10, 7:30pm: Richard Eaton Singers Present: Remember at the Winspear Centre
• Nov. 10-12: 2023 Icebreaker Bonspiel, presented by Curling With Pride Edmonton at The Granite Curling Club
• Nov. 10-12: A Very Indigenous Holiday Market, presented by IAM Collective at the Alberta Avenue Community League
• Nov. 11, 10am: Remembrance Day Ceremony at Edmonton's City Hall
• Nov. 11, 10am: The Market off Whyte at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre
• Nov. 11, 5pm: AC Awards 2023, presented by Diversity Magazine at the Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton Gateway
• Until Nov. 11: Farmfair International at the Edmonton Expo Centre

Find even more things to do in the Arts Roundup and the Food Roundup.

Photo: Farmfair International brings together people from across the agricultural industry for shows, competitions, and clinics. (Explore Edmonton)