Editor’s note: This story has been revised to include changes to events on June 14. A Saturday afternoon event marking the 10^th anniversary of the conclusion of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been cancelled. The 10:30 am worship service on June 15, focusing on the National Indigenous Day of Prayer, will take place as planned at Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa.

Prominent Cree composer Andrew Balfour will help the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa mark National Indigenous History Month and the National Indigenous Day of Prayer on June 14 and 15 by bringing his music to a workshop for singers, a public event, and a special service at Christ Church Cathedral.

Andrew McAnerney, associate director of music at Christ Church Cathedral, shared his excitement about the Juno-nominated composer’s collaborative visit. “He’s a great talent,” he said. “And he’s a really interesting voice, not only about Anglican church music, which he knows well because he was a chorister, but also because of his identity and his background and … his own journey that he shares as a discovery of music and culture.”

Balfour was taken away from his Cree mother as a part of the Sixties Scoop. He was adopted as an infant by a Winnipeg family with Scottish roots and a love of music. His mother was a violinist and his father was an Anglican priest, who encouraged his interest in choral music.

As a young man, however, he struggled with questions about his identity, and later with poverty, alcohol, and a brief incarceration. Along the way, however, he reconnected with his Indigenous heritage and then found his path as a musician bringing Indigenous and classical choral music together in innovative ways. He is now known as a composer, conductor, singer and sound designer with a large body of choral, instrumental, electro-acoustic and orchestral works.

Balfour has been commissioned by the Winnipeg, Regina and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, Ensemble Caprice, Groundswell, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, the Winnipeg Singers, the Kingston Chamber Choir, Roomful of Teeth, Tafelmusik and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. He is the founder and artistic director of the innovative vocal group Dead of Winter (formerly Camerata Nova), now in its 25th year of offering a concert series in Winnipeg. With Dead of Winter, he writes that he specializes in creating “concept concerts,” many with Indigenous subject matter (​Wa Wa Tey Wak ​[Northern Lights], ​Medieval Inuit​, Fallen​)​. These works “explore a theme through an eclectic array of music, including new works, arrangements and inter-genre and interdisciplinary collaborations.”

In March, Balfour was slated to debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City, conducting selections from his work Tapwe: Songs of Truth with the Amabile Choirs, but due to an error in the paperwork for his stay in the U.S. and rigorous border security, he was denied entry into the U.S. and had to return to Canada.

“That whole concert at Carnegie was all about truth and love and compassion. So, I guess it’s kind of ironic that I get turfed,” he said in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press.

He will be warmly welcomed at Christ Church Cathedral.

McAnerney outlined the plans for three events on Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15.

On the morning of Saturday, June 14, there will be a music workshop for singers. McAnerney explained that participants don’t have to be choir members, and there is no fee. Anyone who wants to participate just needs to rregister on the Cathedral website https://www.ottawacathedral.ca/

The morning workshop will also include a moderated conversation with Balfour about his music, about his art, and about being a Cree composer brought up in the Anglican choral tradition, McAnerney said. “Andrew was a boy chorister himself. That’s not a comfortable story. It’s a story that’s going to talk about that intersection of Indigenous identity and the Anglican Church because he lived that. He was adopted from his family by an Anglican priest, so we’re going to have a conversation with him about that.”

Turning back to the music itself, McAnerney explained: “We’re going to be singing four pieces, which Andrew has created. Two of those are his own composition. One is called Ambe, and that’s based on a text about welcome for all things walking on two legs. There’s Qilak, which is in Inuktitut, and it’s a piece that’s inspired by travels on Baffin Island. It’s a piece about the views, about the skies, about the snow.”

The other two pieces are fusions with choral music from the 16th and 17th centuries. Ispiciwin [Journey] sets Cree words to music by English composer Orlando Gibbons. Four Directions is an Ojibway text set to music by English composer Thomas Tallis. “There are bird songs. There are ideas of the natural world combined with this ancient English piece of polyphony,” he said.

McAnerney noted that he will offer a rehearsal for participants on June 10 at the Cathedral between 7 and 8.30. “If people want to come and learn the music before the workshop, they can do that with me. And that will be lots of fun. We’ll also have resources on the event page for the text and for learning in advance,” he said. “We recommend if people want to participate, that they do that work in advance because they’ll get more from the workshop and more from Andrew if they’ve taken some time to be familiar with the music and pieces.”

On Sunday, June 15, there will be a special worship service at 10:30 am focused on the National Indigenous Day of Prayer. Balfour will lead the music, including William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices as well as his own compositions Ispicwin and Ambe, with the Cathedral choirs.

McAnerney added that Balfour is well-acquainted with Ottawa, having brought one of his choirs to the city last year to perform from his Juno nominated album, Nagamo. “I’ve been a big fan of his work and his art,” McAnerney added, mentioning that a professional choir he directs in Montréal is commissioning a new work from Balfour that he hopes the choir will be able to perform at the Cathedral next year.“

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Bishop Shane Parker said the gift was made to MHI “specifically to assist in the construction of 30 units for Indigenous households, as a sign of our church’s ongoing commitment to both reconciliation and affordable housing.” He expressed the hope that the gift will encourage others to donate. The funds for the donation came from sale of the Christ Church Maniwaki property, the bishop added. 

Suzanne Le, executive director of MHI, said the gift “will help generate significant momentum for our fundraising efforts, not only within the Anglican community but across all faith communities in Ottawa.”

MHI is launching the Dream LeBreton Capital Campaign, with a goal of raising $1.6 million to help offset the cost of building the 30 units for Indigenous households.

“This will ensure that we can offer Indigenous families a lower rent (an average savings of $300/month) on each unit in perpetuity,” Le says.

MHI is also giving priority to veterans, new immigrants, women and children, and adults with cognitive disabilities. 

MHI will own and operate 133 units, as part of a much larger development, in partnership with Toronto-based Dream Unlimited Corp. In all, 600 rental units will be built with a mix of affordable and market rental rates.

The project comprises two towers of 30 and 35 storeys located at 665 Albert St. between the new city library and the Pimisi LRT station.

Dream LeBreton says the project will be Canada’s largest residential zero-carbon development, using wastewater energy and solar power-generating systems. It will include retail space, a café, as well as services such as health, daycare, bicycle maintenance and a community hub.

In addition, a community supportive housing model, a hallmark of MHI, will offer other programs such as a milk and eggs service for pregnant and new mothers, writing groups, coding workshops for children, sewing classes, homework clubs, community gardening, and baby playgroups. 

“I think it’s going to be the heartbeat of this city with a place for everyone,” Le says. 

“The kind of community we’re building, I would like to see used as a model for the country.” 

While Indigenous peoples represent four per cent of the population in Ottawa, 32 per cent of people experiencing homelessness identify as Indigenous according to the Ottawa Point-in-Time Count. 

All are welcome to donate to the Multifaith Housing Initiative’s (MHI) component of the project, specifically to be applied to 30 units of Indigenous housing. Donate here

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Through the parish Indigenous Relations Circle (IRC), with a grant from the Diocesan Healing and Reconciliation Fund, they contributed to healing, reconciliation and understanding through the following activities:

• Designed and implemented a healing garden on the lands adjacent to the church
• Provided support for a local healing forest at Misiwe Ni Relations Healing Lodge
• Listened to and learned from Elders and Knowledge Keepers about cultural and tradition
• Connected with local Indigenous communities and cultures
• Learned the history and truths through educational events 
• Integrated Indigenous process/worldview and advancing reconciliation as a spiritual practice

 “We were inspired to create the healing garden at St. James after seeing the Healing Garden at the Misiwe Ni Relations Healing Lodge near Manotick in the spring of 2022,” parishioners John Herity and Terry Tomkins recall.

Support and advice from Elder Denise Anne Boissoneau, Jenny Šâwanohk, local Indigenous community partner and owner of Misiwe Ni Relations Healing Lodge, and Knowledge Keeper William Mameanskum were integral to IRC discussions as they designed and created the healing garden. The garden will be named Minaadendamowin, an Ojibway word meaning respect, which is also one of the Seven Grandfather Teachings. 

 “We hoped to create something at the church to advance reconciliation as a spiritual practice and show respect for Indigenous partners,” the Indigenous Relations Circle explained. “We connected the land, relationships, the people of our parish, and the community. The garden became a reality through a consensus-based process and engagement with Indigenous partners. The response from the parish and Indigenous partners was overwhelmingly positive.”

In 2024, St. James hopes to install signage and education panels describing the garden’s main features and planting that represent Indigenous ways, beliefs and practices. The garden is 28 feet in diameter, reflective of the lunar cycle and symbolic of the Turtle shell. The four main beds reflect the Indigenous medicine wheel and are oriented in the four directions: East (yellow, with ceremonial tobacco); South (red, with cedar); West (black, with Canadian purple sage); and North (white, with sweetgrass). These colours were used in painted river rock borders. The central focal point is a large boulder from the church property, which can also be a support for ceremony. There are four benches where visitors can enjoy quiet contemplation and participate in education discussions, both planned and spontaneous. There is also a large amethyst stone, near the entrance, protecting the garden and welcoming visitors, directing them to the centre along mobility-friendly pathways.

Shirley Hilchuk, one of the parishioners who has volunteered to water the garden, said, “The garden is one step towards reconciliation by educating others and showing respect for Indigenous beliefs and values.”

2024 will be the first year for Minaadendamowin Garden to be a place for sharing and learning throughout the growing season. St. James’ IRC is working to have the healing garden recognized as part of the National Healing Forest Initiative, started in 2015, (nationalhealingforests.ca). All are welcome to visit the garden at any time. 

In addition to the garden installation, our community advanced our understanding of the history and truths of colonialism and its impact through a Kairos Blanket Exercise. The learning event was held on Oct.1 in honour of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. About 30 participants from St. James, Manotick United Church, and Misiwe Ni Relations Healing Lodge were joined by Indigenous facilitators, John Henri and Julien Commanda, whose personal insights enriched the experiential learning experience.

It is with deep gratitude and respect that we say miigwetch to Indigenous partners and thank you to the Diocesan Healing and Reconciliation Fund for making this possible! 

—Indigenous Relations Circle and Convener, Sharla Sandrock

Thoughts from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers

I see hope for reconciliation in these projects. The design for this garden came from the one that I created on my home property over 10 years ago. It was quite a bit larger, and I could not care for it on my own. I have since moved and it has weighed heavy on my heart. 

I have realized that these endeavours and sacred spaces require a community of love, care and support. We are in the time of mending the Sacred Hoop, and it requires everybody’s efforts. Having a garden created for All to visit, and one that is rooted in our Indigenous Spirituality (which is very similar to the foundations of Christianity) is reconciliation at its best. We were removed from our Land, and this is a symbol of how we are not only welcomed back onto it, but in the principles of that which caused our removal in this first place: our Sacred and Spiritual ties to the Land. It is so healing. It’s also very important that our Indigenous voices are not only heard, but are leading the projects. It takes a simple land acknowledgement beyond a courtesy, to the actioning of what an acknowledgement actually means. -— Jenny Šâwanohk

The participation within was created by the Indigenous Circle among our homes, online and in community. We earned mutual trust, interconnecting our first step on the land. The eagle feather’s guidance symbolized spiritual practices within our church. Minaadendamowin Garden widened the learning and growth that arose from the wisdom of the land, healing and our encounters. We gathered, listening to elements of human nature relating the rocks, water, fire, and air as sacred breath. Faith, through spiritual leadership, cultured wholeness of one heart and mind. 

—Denise Anne Boissoneau

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