Govind Tekale
A 20,650-square-foot space in Nathan Phillips Square now carries the stories of generations. The Spirit Garden, opened September 30, 2024, responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 82, which seeks monuments to residential school survivors in Canadian capital cities.
The People’s Voice
“The residential school system was a national crime and a national secret,” says Michael Cheena, a Cree survivor who was taken from his James Bay home at age seven. His voice steady yet weighted with memory, Cheena recalls his time at Bishop Horden Hall in Moose Factory and Shingwauk Indian Residential School in Sault Ste. Marie. “It was never taught in the public education system. It was hidden from the general public.”
Creation and Construction
Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre led the project alongside the City of Toronto. The Diocese of Toronto contributed $300,000, with additional government funding supporting the initiative. Buttcon Limited handled construction, working from designs by Gow Hastings Architects and Indigenous design consultant Two Row Architect.
The garden’s central limestone turtle, crafted by Anishinaabe artist Solomon King from Neyaashiinigmiing, required six months to complete. Reminiscing about his past,King says “When I first moved to Toronto 35 years ago, I found there was little Indigenous representation,”. The 12-tonne sculpture, assembled from 10 pieces, faces north with an upward gaze. “It signifies the whole idea of overcoming, of working through, something positive,” King explains.
Sacred Spaces
The teaching lodge, designed by Anishinaabe knowledge keeper John Keeshig Maya-waasige, has a capacity of 60 people. Pre-formed laminated Ash wood frames support a white cedar tongue- and – groove exterior. Its east-west orientation embodies cycles of life and death, while seven skylights represent the Seven Grandfather Teachings.
“When we first opened it up there were a lot of tears,” Keeshig Maya-waasige says, “because as I explained the story of where it came from, many never had access to this lodge.”
Additional elements include:
- A 36-foot stainless steel Spirit Canoe by Métis artist Tannis Nielsen, featuring laser-cut artwork
- A five-foot Inuksuk by Inuit artist Henry Kudluk
- Three Sisters garden panels by Tuscarora and Seneca Nation artist Raymond Skye, etched in Muntz metal
Memory and Healing
Eighteen Ontario residential school names line the reflecting pool’s northern edge in stainless steel. Pamela Carter, a Tsimshian and Ditidaht health support counsellor at Toronto Council Fire, shares how survivors gathered here for seven years before completion. “Before the turtle was here, we were praying about it and bringing the energy of it to space,” she says.
Current Status and Future Needs
The City provides $100,000 annual funding through the Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund for programming. Brian Porter, Principal at Two Row Architect, calls the garden “both a seed and a portal” connecting Original Peoples of Turtle Island with all Canadians.
Challenges remain. No comprehensive data tracks intergenerational trauma’s impact on language preservation. Economic assessments of reconciliation projects stay incomplete. Questions persist about long-term maintenance funding and programming sustainability.
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Implementation varies across Canada. While Toronto’s garden sets certain benchmarks in scale and Indigenous involvement, other capital cities have yet to create similar spaces. The garden’s Nathan Phillips Square location provides visibility but raises questions about Indigenous access to traditional territories.
Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge states: “We must all reflect on our history and the experience of the Indigenous Peoples in Canada.”
Technical Specifications:
- Garden Area: 20,650 square feet
- Turtle Sculpture: 12 tonnes, 6 feet tall
- Teaching Lodge: 60-person capacity
- Spirit Canoe: 36 feet long
- Inuksuk: 5 feet tall
- Annual Operating Budget: $100,000
