Elder Jeanette Bugler, left, and North Battleford Mayor Kelli Hawtin stand with the Every Child Matters flag during a flag-raising ceremony outside City Hall on Sept. 22, 2025. The flag raising marked the start of Truth and Reconciliation Week in the Battlefords. (photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

‘Embrace one another’: Elder’s call for unity marks Every Child Matters flag raising in the Battlefords

Sep 23, 2025 | 5:00 PM

As a young girl, Elder Jeanette Bugler of Red Pheasant Cree Nation was punished in school for speaking Cree. Teachers called her a “dummy” and placed her at the front of the class so others could ridicule her.

Decades later, she returned to that same school — not as a student, but as a Cree language teacher.

Bugler shared that full-circle moment on Tuesday morning at City Hall, where the Every Child Matters flag was raised in honour of children who never returned from residential schools, and survivors who continue to share their truths.

“Let’s come out and be who we are and be comfortable with who we are in our own territory, Canada,” she said.

“To clarify, to cleanse, to be clean once again.”

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Elder Jeanette Bugler speaks with North Battleford Mayor Kelli Hawtin during an Every Child Matters flag-raising ceremony outside City Hall on Sept. 23, 2025. (photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

Bugler told the crowd she now passes on the teachings her grandparents preserved — the language, ceremonies and ancestral knowledge once forced into hiding.

She urged the community to see reconciliation as more than symbolism.

“Hand in hand, embrace one another,” she said.

“It’s gonna take a lot to unravel, like when you get a bunch of jewelry together and they get all tangled, and you have to untangle all of that.”

The ceremony, organized by the Atoskewin Success Centre and the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs, was held ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR). The flag raising set the tone for a week of community events leading into Sept. 30.

(photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

Elder Jeanette Bugler, left, speaks with North Battleford Mayor Kelli Hawtin during an Every Child Matters flag-raising ceremony outside City Hall on Sept. 23, 2025. (photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

Mayor Kelli Hawtin said the city’s role is to ensure reconciliation is more than a gesture.

“We raise it in honor of the survivors who continue to share their truths and who inspire change through their courage and their resilience,” she said ].

Hawtin called reconciliation “an ongoing journey,” pointing to partnerships with neighbouring First Nations, including a permanent teepee structure planned for King Hill and a proposed regional arena and event centre.

“We continue to build stronger, more meaningful relationships with First Nations leaders and communities because we truly believe we are stronger when we work together on addressing shared challenges and bringing to life our hopes for the future.”

Later in the afternoon, the Every Child Matters flag was also raised at Battleford Town Hall, bringing the two neighbouring communities together in recognition of Truth and Reconciliation.

What’s ahead for Truth and Reconciliation Week

Community events will continue in North Battleford leading up to Sept. 30, the NDTR.

– Beading with Tammy — Sept. 23–26, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Don Ross Hall. Learn to bead an orange shirt pin with instruction provided.

– Truth and Reconciliation Feast — Sept. 26, 12 p.m., Don Ross Hall.

– Truth and Reconciliation Rounddance — Sept. 26, 6 p.m., Don Ross Hall. The third annual event will feature songs, raffles, giveaways and meals.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com