A special minor hockey tournament hosted by a northwestern Ontario First Nation is promoting unity among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and organizers say they want to keep expanding.
The Anemki Unity Winter Classic ran from March 12-15 at the arena in Fort William First Nation, which is adjacent to Thunder Bay. The four-day tournament invited over a dozen teams in divisions ranging from tyke to midget that were comprised of Indigenous and non-Indigenous kids from the area.
"What we're trying to do is close that gap and keep our relationships moving in the right direction," Fort William Chief Peter Collins said, adding that the ultimate goal is to "slowly get rid of that racism that's alive and well in Thunder Bay and Fort William."
"Hopefully through the process and through the tournament, it ... creates a strong and positive relationship going forward."
Collins — who also has a long history coaching minor hockey — added that sports can play a unique role in bringing people together. "It's a team thing, so everybody seems to try to be on the same page and work together and work through some of the issues that they have."
Team registration fees were waived this year, thanks to a $5,000 donation from Labourers' International Union of North America Local 607. This year's tournament also included basketball and floor hockey contests; some games featured local Special Olympics athletes, Fort William's chief and council and members of Thunder Bay police.
The second annual Anemki Unity Winter Classic took place at the Fort William First Nation arena from March 12-15. (Christina Jung / CBC)
The start of 'something really beautiful'
Being a part of the burgeoning event was very exciting, said Sandra McDougall, a coach with Special Olympics Thunder Bay.
"This is the start, I think, of something really beautiful that's going to happen year after year after year," she said. "Unity to me, actually, has a big meaning in Special Olympics because we also have something called the Unified Games."
Those games feature Special Olympics athletes from all over the world participating in various sports with high school-aged or professional athletes, McDougall said.
"So when I heard [the Anemki tournament] was a unity games, I thought 'oh my, there could not be a better activity for us to participate in.'"
Local organizers have said they want to continue growing the tournament in future years, including possibly changing the date so that the winter classic doesn't conflict with the Little NHL tournament in southern Ontario.
A number of trophies were handed out at the 2018 Anemki Unity Winter Classic. (Christina Jung / CBC)
