For the second time ever, Law Day at the St. Paul Courthouse ended with a citizenship ceremony, as 34 people from 11 different countries cemented their place as Canadians.
May 11 will always be in the minds of the families who were smiling from ear to ear, their positivity and hope fulfilling the air, contagiously affecting everyone who witnessed the induction.
The ceremony ended with the singing of the national anthem, and involved remarks and well wishes from local politicians, including Town of St. Paul Mayor Maureen Miller and MLA for Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills Dave Hanson.
Olesega Akiloye is the father of three boys, and alongside his wife began the new chapter on their lives in Canada on Friday. The Akiloye's are from Nigeria, and are overwhelmed with joy to have finally competed the long path to citizenship.
"It means absolutely everything to me. I'm really excited to join a set of people that value equality, value each other, and value God, and (Canadians) are very integrated as well," Akiloye said.
"My family, we've been here for a few years now, but it's nice to be called Canadian citizens at last."
So, what's the first thing they plan on doing now that everything is official?
"I suppose we're going to party first. Then take a second to think about what the next steps are. (Having our citizenship) means we're open to go anywhere now," Akiloye joyously proclaimed with a big smile.
Akiloye first came to the country to study in Halifax, but now resides in Lloydminster with his family.
Another new Canadian, Fangda Chakote, hails from Cameroon, Africa. He was ecstatic about reaching the end of the road, while also beginning a new one.
"This was one of the best days of my life," he said.
"It was a really difficult process. We had to go through documents all the time, it was a difficult process," Chakote said about the application period.
Not only is he a freshly minted Canadian, he is also now a local.
"My family is already in Canada, in St. Paul. My wife is here, my kids (are) here. I'm happy."
He added, "The first thing I'm going to do is go home, and continue the celebration with my kids."
The government of Canada gifted a National Parks pass for each family, good for one year.
Law Day Activities
Prior to the induction ceremony, Law Day offered and inside look at various careers in the field of law.
During the day, students from the area held mock trials, various organizations were on hand to offer information, the library at the courthouse was open to visitors, and more. Stacey Harrison from Saddle Lake First Nation's Restorative Justice program was also in attendance.
"We do circle process. Restorative justice is about repairing the harm between two people, and their relationship. We're in a relationship-based society. It's not necessarily marriage counselling, it's about repairing the relationship between a teacher and a student, or a parent and the staff," he explained.
Harrison went on to say that without having balance in any kind of relationship, it sometimes leads to more issues.
"When there's an imbalance in power, you start to have issues around violence and addictions and abuse. We work together to bring people in ceremony, using First Nations protocols like smudge, and we bring them together to talk it out, and resolve the issue."
Harrison explained this is a much better alternative than going through the courts.
"When you come to court you get sentenced, then probation, and then you get a record. If you come to circle, we work it out, and we get the issued resolved, and you won't have a criminal record after."
Harrison says there are 18 Restorative Justice programs in Alberta, and 37 across Canada.
Attorney at New Beginning Law and event organizer Renée Moore said the day, specifically the citizenship ceremony, was once again well-received.
"It was fabulous. There was so much excitement in the room, so much energy and people working together, moving forward. It was phenomenal."
