Alexander Rogalski, Hot DocsД¬BC As It Happens: Tanya Talag explores racism in Thunder Bay and her own Indigenous roots in Spirit to Soar In the years following, Talaga returns to Thunder Bay and her ancestral roots to talk with the family members, Indigenous community leaders and youth whose resilience in the face of unjust colonial systems provide a path forward. She cannot separate their story from her own, acknowledging, 'I cannot pretend to know what it is like for the parents of the seven to lose a child, but I know something about what it's like to be a bit fractured.' In June 2016, a jury concluded its inquest into the deaths and put forward 145 recommendations.

Anishinaabe/Polish Canadian journalist Tanya Talaga brought international attention to this tragedy through her award-winning non-fiction book Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City. All were forced to leave their homes in order to attend school. Five were found in rivers surrounding Lake Superior. The NCTR is dedicated to preserving the history of the residential schools in Canada, making this history known, and moving our country forward on the path of reconciliation.Between 20, seven First Nations high school students in Thunder Bay died. Proceeds from Secret Path will be donated to The Gord Downie Secret Path Fund for Truth and Reconciliation via The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) at The University of Manitoba. The broadcast date marks the fiftieth anniversary of the morning ChanieвЂ™s body was found frozen beside the railroad tracks only twelve miles into his journey. Secret Path will arrive on October 18, 2016, in a deluxe vinyl and book edition, and as a book with album download.ДownieвЂ™s music and LemireвЂ™s illustrations have inspired The Secret Path, an animated film to be broadcast by CBC in an hour- long commercial-free television special on Sunday, October 23, 2016, at 9pm (9:30 NT). The ten song album will be released by Arts & Crafts accompanied by LemireвЂ™s eighty-eight page graphic novel published by Simon & Schuster Canada. In winter 2014, Gord and Mike brought the recently finished Secret Path music to graphic novelist Jeff Lemire for his help illustrating Chanie WenjackвЂ™s story, bringing him and the many children like him to life. Guest musicians include Charles Spearin (bass), Ohad Benchetrit (lap steel/guitar), Kevin Hearn (piano), and Dave вЂњBilly RayвЂќ Koster (drums). The music features Downie on vocals and guitars, with Drew and Hamelin playing all other instruments. Recording took place over two sessions at The Bathouse Recording Studios in Bath, Ontario, November and December 2013. The stories DownieвЂ™s poems tell were fleshed into the ten songs of Secret Path with producers Kevin Drew and Dave Hamelin.

Downie was introduced to Chanie Wenjack (miscalled вЂњCharlieвЂќ by his teachers) by Mike Downie, his brother, who shared with him Ian AdamsвЂ™ MacleanвЂ™s story from February 6, 1967, вЂњThe Lonely Death of Charlie Wenjack.вЂќ

Gord Downie began Secret Path as ten poems, incited by the story of Chanie Wenjack, a twelve year-old boy who died in flight from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ontario, fifty years ago, walking home to the family he was taken from over 400 miles away.

Secret path gord downie