St. Paul — The conversation over St. Paul des Métis is moving beyond the council table, with Mayor Glenn Andersen saying the Town plans to form a committee with Métis representation to explore how the community’s Métis history can be more visibly recognized.

The next step follows a September 28 delegation from the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, which came before St. Paul Town Council asking the municipality to consider restoring the historic St. Paul des Métis name and placing a traditional wooden Red River cart at a prominent entrance to the community.

Speaking with Lakeland Connect following the meeting, Andersen said the discussion ultimately landed on working together.

“We decided that we’re going to form a committee, and they’re going to be part of it because you want their input. You want it to be right,” Andersen said.

The committee would explore what greater recognition of St. Paul’s Métis history could look like, including the Red River cart, historical recognition around the community and potential reconciliation funding.

“At the outcome of the meeting, it was the fact that we’re going to work together on how we can put it into St. Paul’s history so people can see it more,” Andersen said.

Request dates back to May

The discussion began earlier this year when Grant Lacombe, Provincial Secretary of Harvesting and Culture with the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, wrote to the Town asking it to explore restoring the St. Paul des Métis name and installing a traditional wooden Red River cart.

The Otipemisiwak Métis Government says St. Paul des Métis was established in 1896 as a Métis agricultural settlement. In 1909, the lands were opened to non-Métis settlers and Métis families were displaced.

Lacombe, who was born and raised in St. Paul, is the great-great-grandson of Laurent and Eleanor Garneau, one of the founding families of St. Paul des Métis.

The issue gained more public attention in August when the Otipemisiwak Métis Government criticized the Town for not meeting with its representatives despite what it described as repeated requests since May.

That changed September 28 when Lacombe, Otipemisiwak Métis Government President Andrea Sandmaier and a group of Métis representatives and citizens appeared before council.

“Today I’m here in a good way. I’m not here to argue. I just want to state my case,” Lacombe told council.

Lacombe spoke about his own connection to St. Paul and why he believes the community’s Métis roots should be more visible.

Council members also spoke about existing recognition of Métis history in the community, including the St. Paul Museum, historical displays and the Red River cart monument already located at Legacy Park.

The discussion ultimately shifted toward what the Town and Métis representatives could accomplish together.

“If you’re going to get it right, then we got to work together to get it right,” Andersen said during the council meeting.

What about changing the name?

The September 28 meeting did not result in council approving a change from St. Paul to St. Paul des Métis.

Andersen told Lakeland Connect that changing the municipality’s official name would require a much broader discussion.

“I think they understand, along with the rest of the community, that that’s a lot of consultation that has to take place with not only the people that live here now,” he said.

Instead, Andersen said the Town intends to start with meetings involving the Métis community and see where those discussions lead.

“We’re going to start with a meeting and see where it goes from there.”

That leaves the historic-name request on the table for discussion rather than providing a final answer either way.

More visible recognition

One area where the two sides appear to have found common ground is the need to better tell St. Paul’s Métis history.

Andersen acknowledged the history is already present in St. Paul but said it is not always immediately visible.

“They want a better Red River cart, one that more depicts the wooden cart,” he said.

Lacombe made a similar point during the council meeting, saying someone entering St. Paul may not immediately recognize its origins as a Métis settlement.

He said a traditional wooden Red River cart placed in a prominent location would provide an unmistakable connection.

The Otipemisiwak Métis Government has maintained that recognizing the Métis history of the community is not about erasing the histories of those who came later. In its August statement, President Andrea Sandmaier said the organization was asking the Town to recognize the community’s full history.

Andersen said the delegation also made the Town aware of potential reconciliation grants that could help fund future projects.

“We can work with them,” Andersen said. “They wanted the cart, and they wanted some things that say formerly St. Paul des Métis.”

Conversation continues

The timing of the discussion was notable, coming just two days before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Andersen spoke with Lakeland Connect after attending the September 30 Truth and Reconciliation Day gathering at Mannawanis Native Friendship Centre.

He said reconciliation has to include action in addition to acknowledging history.

“Truth and Reconciliation Day isn’t just about our shared history, it’s about the action you take to move forward,” Andersen said.

For St. Paul, one of those next steps will now be getting representatives around the same table.

During the September 28 meeting, Andersen said Town administration could help coordinate a group involving both sides to determine what projects should move forward, where they could be located and what funding may be available.

“I think you got a council that’s willing to listen,” Andersen told Lacombe at the end of the delegation.

For now, there is no decision to rename St. Paul.

There is, however, an agreement to keep talking — and to work together on how the community tells the story of St. Paul des Métis.