SR Festival Select-Colonization Road

Join the Society and Recreation department of the North York Central Library in Rm. 101 for monthly screenings of fiction and non-fiction films that push the boundaries of the medium. This month's title is Colonization Road (2016) by Michelle St. John.

Synopsis: In towns throughout Ontario, there are startling reminders of the colonization of Indigenous territories and the displacement of First Nations people. Anishinaabe comedian and activist Ryan McMahon takes us to his hometown of Fort Frances and down its main drag, which is called Colonization Road. Similar streets have similar names in towns and cities across the province, direct reminders of the Public Lands Act of 1853 and its severe impact on First Nations, their treaties and their land in the name of "Canadian settlement." On his journey through Ontario, McMahon explores the history of these roads, meets with settlers in solidarity and raises significant questions about "reconciliation" and what it means to "decolonize."

Host or Publisher At Toronto Public Library by Parks Canada/Rouge National Urban Park