Wednesday (September 30) is the sixth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, intended to remember and honour the lost Indigenous children and survivors of Canada’s residential school system as well as their families and communities.
The day will be recognized with events and activities in both Indigenous and settler communities throughout the greater Kawarthas region.
The Canadian government established National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on June 3, 2021, in response to the Call to Action #80 from the 2015 final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which states:
“We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was established a week after the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced preliminary findings from a ground-penetrating radar survey that revealed the remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were buried on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada’s largest residential school.
As well as remembering and honouring those lost to residential schools and the thousands of survivors, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day for Canadians to educate themselves about the heritage, culture, stories, and experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
September 30 is also Orange Shirt Day, when Canadians are encouraged to wear orange to raise awareness of the tragic legacy of Canada’s residential school system. The day originated as a result of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School Commemoration Project and reunion events in 2013 in Williams Lake, BC.
The orange shirt and the slogan “Every Child Matters” were chosen because of the childhood experience of Phyllis Webstad, from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band), on her very first day at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School.
“I went to the Mission for one school year in 1973/1974,” Webstad states. “I had just turned 6 years old. I lived with my grandmother on the Dog Creek reserve. We never had very much money, but somehow my granny managed to buy me a new outfit to go to the Mission school. I remember going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt. It had string laced up in front, and was so bright and exciting — just like I felt to be going to school!”
“When I got to the Mission, they stripped me, and took away my clothes, including the orange shirt! I never wore it again. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine! The colour orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.”
The date of September 30 was chosen for Orange Shirt Day because it is the time of year when Indigenous children were taken from their homes to residential schools.
Listed below are some of the events and activities in communities across the greater Kawarthas region marking National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day on September 30. In addition to events that are open to the general public, First Nations may also be holding events for members of their communities.
Alderville First Nation
Every Child Matters Walk
Participants will gather at Alderville Health and Social Services at 8467 County Road 45 at 10:45 a.m. and then, at 11 a.m., walk north to the Alderville First Nation Community Centre at 8913 County Road 45. A bus will provide return transportation to the starting point.
Everyone is welcome, and participants are encouraged to wear orange. The walk honours residential school survivors and the children who never returned home.
Bobcaygeon
Community Remembrance Ceremony and Walk
Truth and Reconciliation Community Bobcaygeon and the Mishkodeh Centre for Indigenous Knowledge will host an outdoor ceremony at 5p.m. at the Boyd Museum at 21 Canal Street.
Curve Lake First Nation members Brittany Taylor and Peggy Day will participate. Following the ceremony, participants will carry 215 stones from the museum’s commemorative art installation to the Gdinuhwendimin garden at Beach Park for a closing moment. Bring a chair and dress comfortably.
Donations will support the school at Curve Lake First Nation.
Cobourg
Flags across the Town of Cobourg will be at half-mast on September 30, and Victoria Hall will be lit orange.
Free Screenings of Indian Horse
The Town of Cobourg presents two free screenings at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. of the film Indian Horse in the Citizens’ Forum at Victoria Hall at 55 King Street West.
Adapted from Richard Wagamese’s novel, the film follows an Ojibway boy whose talent for hockey offers opportunities beyond the residential school where he experiences abuse and cultural suppression. Admission is free and open to the public. The film is rated 14+ and contains distressing depictions of residential school experiences.
Curve Lake First Nation
Curve Lake First Nation will host a sunrise ceremony for members of the community at 6 a.m. at Lime Kiln Park, with a community walk at 10:30 a.m. followed by lunch at the community centre. Community members are encouraged to wear their orange shirts, and orange hats will be available.
Haliburton County
Meet the Ojibwe Spirit Horses
Abbey Gardens at 1012 Garden Gate Drive in Haliburton presents a free opportunity from 11 a.m. to noon to meet its Ojibwe Spirit Horses and learn about their history under the theme “Truth. Respect. Reconciliation.”
Visitors are encouraged to arrive early for Runs with the Stars, a self-guided StoryWalk along the road to the paddock. Free tickets are available through Abbey Gardens at www.abbeygardens.ca/event-details/meet-the-ojibwe-spirit-horses.
Truth Before Reconciliation Exhibition
The Great Hall at Fleming College’s Haliburton School of Art + Design is hosting a multimedia exhibition until October 15 featuring ceramics, digital art, sculpture, painting, and other works by Indigenous alumni, staff, faculty, and other artists.
Screening of “The Secret Path”
Gord Downie’s animated film The Secret Path, which tells the tragic story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died in 1966 after running away from residential school, will be screened at noon in The Great Hall at Fleming College’s Haliburton School of Art + Design.
Hastings Highlands
Truth and Reconciliation Event
North Hastings Children’s Services is hosting a Truth and Reconciliation Event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hastings Highlands Centre at 33011 Highway 62 North in Maynooth.
“We invite everyone to join us in wearing an orange shirt to honour all children, as we will be having a dedicated moment of silence. At this year’s event we will have the large drums present for healing, as well as the Shawashkong Ikwe Singers.”
Lindsay
Smudging Circle and Orange Shirt Pin Making at Fleming College
At Fleming College’s Frost Campus, there will be a smudging circle from noon to 1 p.m., where Lori Fournier will lead a reconciliation conversation and reflection at the Frost Campus Learning Lodge. The Frost Student Association will host orange shirt pin making and an information table, with the time and location to be announced.
City of Peterborough
Every Child Matters: Orange Shirt Day Gathering
The Nogojiwanong Urban Indigenous Working Group invites everyone to come together in recognition of Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Healthy Planet Arena at 911 Monaghan Road.
This community gathering will provide an opportunity to remember and honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, as well as survivors, their families, and communities. The gathering will include a tobacco ceremony conducted by Knowledge Carrier Kathy MacLeod Beaver, jingle dress healing dances, healing songs with local drummers, and lunch.
All are welcome to attend this free event and join in this important day of remembrance, reflection, and community.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at the Canadian Canoe Museum
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Canadian Canoe Museum invites visitors to engage with Indigenous stories, histories, and voices, with opportunities for reflection, learning, and dialogue.
Admission is free for Indigenous visitors.
Ceremonies and learning activities at Trent University
Trent University’s Symons Campus schedule for September 30 includes a sunrise ceremony at 6:30 a.m. and a campus ceremony and moment of silence at 9:30 a.m., both at the Champlain College fire pit. All are welcome at the campus ceremony.
Other activities include bridge chalking on the Stephenson/LEC Bridge from 10 a.m. to noon, an information table and learning activities on the Lower Bata Podium from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and a Three Sisters lunch in the Gzowski College Quad at noon, while supplies last.
There will also be a quilting circle from 1 to 3 p.m. at The Trend at Traill College. This casual drop-in invites community members to learn or share basic hand-sewing skills and help sew a quilt top to be donated to Quilts for Survivors. No sewing experience is necessary, and materials are supplied.
More details on activities are available at www.trentu.ca/truthandreconciliationday.
Fleming College commemorations
Throughout the day, Fleming College will be hosting various events and activities at Sutherland Campus, beginning at 9 a.m. when interim president Dr. Theresa Knott and student administrative council board chair Kaya Thompson will raise the Survivor’s flag to honour those impacted by the residential school system in Canada. The ceremony, which will also include drumming and opening remarks, will also be livestreamed on Fleming College’s YouTube channel.
Students and employees are invited to take part in rock painting and mindful colouring activities throughout the day. There will also be readings of Phyllis’s Orange Shirt, a Truth and Reconciliation panel discussion, and a KAIROS Indigenous Blanket Exercise.
For details about times and locations, visit flemingcollege.ca/news/truth-and-reconciliation-week-learn-reflect-and-participate.
Peterborough County
In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Peterborough County will be hosting a flag-raising ceremony at noon at the Peterborough County Courthouse at 470 Water Street.
The ceremony will provide an opportunity to honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, survivors, their families, and communities, while reflecting on the ongoing journey of truth and reconciliation.
Port Hope
“The Secret Path” Screening and Panel Discussion
The Municipality of Port Hope and Northumberland County are presenting a free screening at 7 p.m. of Gord Downie’s The Secret Path at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Port Hope.
The animated film tells the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died while attempting to return home after escaping a residential school. A guest panel featuring Indigenous voices and advocates will follow the screening.
For more details, read our story.
