While the Canadian Federal government has made relatively few announcements or plans to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, individual provinces are planning their own commemorations.
Newfoundland and Labrador have announced the Commemorative Commonwealth Walkway in honour of the Platinum Jubilee. It is a 1km walkway on the grounds of Government House in St. John’s. The grounds are already open from dawn to dusk for anyone who wants to
walk, but the walkway was planned to allow visitors to spend more time on the grounds and enjoy the space.
Lieutenant Governor General Judy May Foote has spoken about the Heart Garden on the grounds to encourage reflection and reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous communities. The Heart Garden was already planted, though, and she wanted to find a new way to mark the historic occasion.
There are 54 trees on the grounds of Government House that have been planted by different members of the Royal Family and Vice-Regal representatives. A walkway has been designed to lead visitors through the grounds to visit all of the different trees that will have storyboards to help Canadians learn more about their history.
The path will be officially opened in September 2022 when the Governor General and Lieutenant Governor Generals will be gathering in St. John’s. However, Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall have visited the walkway on their Canadian visit. They also helped plant a tree while there for the Queen’s Green Canopy project, one of the first Canadian sites for QGC.
Their Royal Highnesses have just wrapped a three-day whirlwind trip to Canada. In addition to Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick, they also visited Ottawa and Nunavut. Much of their time was spent meeting with Indigenous groups, as well as Ukrainian refugees and community groups. While Prince Charles has addressed the issue of residential schools throughout the trip, there are still calls for Her Majesty to issue a formal apology.
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