He was so moved by the events of the Walk for Common Ground that Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown decided to clear his busy schedule on Friday afternoon and walk the final distance from Airdrie to Calgary.  

Brown participated in the end of a 350-kilometre trek over 15 days from Edmonton to Calgary that was done during National Indigenous History Month and was meant to bring together indigenous and non-indigenous people from different backgrounds in trying to build relationships and engage them in conversations that were meaningful.

About 30 walkers made the entire trip but they were joined along the way by diverse people, including a group from Airdrie on Friday that Brown was part of.

On Thursday night at the Living Springs Christian Fellowship, Brown was invited to be part of a Sharing Circle and he was moved by the experience.  "If you've never been to one I would encourage people to understand what they are and go," says Brown.  "I found it incredible to listen to the stories from non-indigenous and indigenous folks.  The truth of the matter is there's still a lot of misunderstandings between cultures and we need to do a better job."

That's when Brown decided to clear his schedule and join in the final day of the walk which he says was an incredible experience.  "Mayor Bill from Wetaskiwin is retired now, he walked the whole distance, he's 74 years old now, and he was in tears at the end.  We were greeted with an amazing ceremony at our destination with two chiefs and the drums and bagpipes.  It was a real blend of cultures and pretty incredible to be around."

During his time at the Sharing Circle and during the Walk for Common Ground, Brown heard a lot of things that moved him but he spoke of one in particular.

"There was an indigenous man who said, 'I was made a Canadian, I wasn't asked to be one in the '60s by John Diefenbaker, but I was made one and I'm a proud Canadian.'  But he said, 'I have generations of culture.  I know your culture, but you know nothing about mine.'  There wasn't a more true statement made.  I think for me, communication is king and I'm hoping that more people get involved in that conversation."

At its conclusion, the 30 or so walkers who took part in the entire journey were the most emotional.  Brown says,  "I have to give them a ton of credit. They lived in sleeping bags in churches, being fed by the churches and living off protein bars.  A lot of them I can tell you probably aren't in the best of shape to start with but it was all for the right reasons.  They were so excited at the end, linking arms and it was very powerful to be a part of.  I was just thrilled that they asked me to be part of that closing walk with them."

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