FORT MCMURRAY (660 NEWS) – More than 60 multilingual Indigenous stop signs will be installed across the Wood Buffalo region over the next few weeks.
Residents can keep an eye out for them in Fort McKay, Anzac, Conklin, and Janvier.
According to a press release from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Indigenous languages were included on traffic signage for the first time this past November. Signs written in Cree, Dénesųłiné, and English were put up in Fort Chipewyan.
“The Municipality continues to work with communities and partners to revitalize and strengthen Indigenous languages as part of its ongoing commitment to advancing Reconciliation,” reads the release.
RMWB corporate email signatures will also be updated to include Indigenous languages and a Wood Buffalo land acknowledgement.
“These are initial but important steps, and as we continue building relationships with communities and Indigenous partners, we believe they will lead to larger initiatives in the future,” noted Dennis Fraser, Director, Indigenous and Rural Relations. “We understand that recognizing, preserving, and strengthening traditional Indigenous languages is critical to Reconciliation.”
March 31 is National Indigenous Languages Day and local representatives took part in a virtual celebration.
