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Reconnecting community in Calling Lake

Ashley Travis Cardinal has been a long-time resident of Calling Lake. In an impassioned speech about youth, addiction, family and acceptance, he reached out to his community at a meeting Nov. 6, in the Calling Lake Community Complex.

Ashley Travis Cardinal has been a long-time resident of Calling Lake.


In an impassioned speech about youth, addiction, family and acceptance, he reached out to his community at a meeting Nov. 6, in the Calling Lake Community Complex.


There, Cardinal pointed out that there was no detox program in Calling Lake, decreasing his chances of staying off of drugs to almost zero.


“We’re not doing it because we love it; — we do it because it’s a driving force like breathing,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out what that driving force is. It’s like coughing when I’m sick.”


Cardinal was one of about 20 people who were at the two-hour meeting, looking to continue a conversation about how to better the community, located in the Municipal District of Opportunity with a part in the Bigstone Cree Nation.


Bigstone Cree Nation justice co-ordinator Raymond Yellowknee opened the discussion encouraging people to work together.


“Healing is about the community coming together, and that is what we need to do,” he said. “And it doesn’t matter if people are not Indigenous. This is part of your community, as well. And you can be part of the solution.”


Yellowknee said that at the last community meeting, there was talk about healing and restorative justice.


“What I didn’t mention is that restorative justice is healing,” Yellowknee said. “It’s part of community taking control of their problems in the community, and trying to rise above the problem.”


Calling Lake School principal Gloria Cardinal was also at the meeting. She said she was glad to be there because people need to work together.


Gloria Cardinal said she would like to see more youth programming.


“The youth don’t have a whole lot of stuff to do,” she said. “A lot of times, they have some recreation programs, but we could do a whole lot more activities and events and programs for youth in this community.”


Meeting attendee Mike Benson said he was disappointed there was not more municipal leadership at the meeting.


“We had a really good youth program happening here,” he said. “For people who were at the Christmas concert last year — I watched those kids come in and put on their concert, and pride was there. And that program was shot. There’s no longer a worker doing that, and that’s in line with what the principal said here.”


Danny Cardinal, born and raised in Calling Lake. He said there are a lot of methamphetamine issues, and he believes spiritual circles help people.


“So the Aboriginal people, the First Nations, the Aboriginal spirituals, grass roots people, are still practicing things voluntarily,” he said. “And still the government is handing out money to counsellors, psychologists, lawyers, doctors — whatever. They’re stilling handing out millions and millions of dollars to these people, but yet they cannot even recognize the people that live in their communities.”


Danny Cardinal also said healing takes sincerity. He also said it was sad to see the community fractured, not believing they came from one ancestry.


“We cannot talk about healing and not deal with ourselves; it’s not going to get anywhere,” he said. “If our children, our youth, our community is that important, then we really need to think about these things in our own selves.”


Ashley Cardinal said he believes a solution to issues that stem from addictions starts with acceptance of people.


“You’re not going to beat the hydra by cutting off its head,” he said.

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