‘Hope, wellness and a future’: Edmonton groups mark National Indigenous Peoples Day

People attend a gathering outside downtown Edmonton's Bissell Centre on June 19, 2026, to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day. (Evan Klippenstein/CTV News Edmonton)

A pair of Friday events in different parts of the city marked Canada’s national day celebrating Indigenous cultures and contributions.

The get-togethers at Nellie Carlson School and the Bissell Centre marking National Indigenous Peoples Day both featured several performances including traditional song, dance and drumming as well as activities informing and teaching attendees of culture and practices.

Elder Carol Lovejoy said the day of honour is “also a day of responsibility.”

“I’m here as an elder, and people are here as elders and support, because we are for the people,” Lovejoy told CTV News Edmonton at the Bissell Centre gathering. “We look for the people to have hope and wellness, and a future.”

The Kindergarten-to-Grade-9 school in southwest Edmonton’s’s MacTaggart neighbourhood devoted the afternoon to it, while the Bissell Centre held its activities outside its 96 Street location downtown.

Principal Letitia Carter said she and her staff at Nellie Carlson School, which is named for an advocate of Indigenous women, take reconciliation “very seriously.”

“We’re teaching our students how to take action, and to show how we can learn foundational knowledge and make an impact for others, too, and learn from each other,” Carter said.

The celebrations came ahead of Sunday’s formal National Indigenous Peoples Day, a national statutory holiday held on June 1 each year. Several more events marking the day and National Indigenous History Month are being held across the city.