A special week-long walk along Ontario’s Grand River will take place again this September, with the aim of honouring the water and the land it runs through.
The event is the third annual All Nations Grand River Water Walk and has its roots in the Indigenous community. It was founded by Mary Anne Cailabosai, who planned for it to be a four-year series inspired by Josephine Mandamin’s walks around the Great Lakes. The event grew from its first year to the second, with both walks featuring a core group who traveled the entire 275 kilometre route and community members who joined them for part of the journey.
The walk will begin at the source of the Grand River at Lake Eerie, near Port Maitland, and continue to its headwaters in Dundalk. Along the way, it will pass through areas like Brantford, Cambridge, the Kitchener-Waterloo metro area, and the Township of Centre Wellington near Guelph. Past walks have seen support throughout the regions, ranging from fundraisers to accommodations along the way. Events like these are often promoted through tools like poster printing, social media and banner printing.
The All Nations Grand River Water Walk will kick off on September 12 and finish on September 19. The event is rooted in the Indigenous communities with historic ties to the river and surrounding areas, but all are welcome to participate.
