A six-week countdown has begun in advance of the anniversary of Treaty 1, which was signed in 1871 between the Crown and the Anishinaabe and Muskegon Cree peoples of southern Manitoba.

The virtual campaign kicks off with commemorative videos and a six-part series in newspapers with weekly articles penned by Treaty 1 Nation community members.

A small in-person gathering to mark the occasion will take place at Lower Fort Garry on August 3, pending provincial health restrictions.

Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site was the location where Treaty 1 was negotiated, and it was the first of the 11 numbered treaties that helped establish Western Canada.