London Ont. Unveils Plans To Mark 2Nd Annual National Day For Truth And Reconciliation London

The federal statutory holiday, first observed last year, is to honor survivors of Canada’s residential school system and remember the children who never returned home. “Recognizing, learning from, and reflecting on the tragic legacy and ongoing effects of residential schools is critical to leading a compassionate journey toward reconciliation,” Mayor Ed Holder said in a statement. “In the spirit of reconciliation, education and hope, on September 30 we are encouraging all Londoners to wear orange and honor those who survived residential schools and remember those who did not.”

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Story continues below ad Among the ways the city says it will commemorate the day is the development of a large seven-panel mural in partnership with the N’Amerind Friendship Center and the London Arts Council. The two-story mural, which will be on the exterior wall of the N’Amerind Friendship Centre, will be unveiled on September 30 and will honor the legacy of the surviving schools and the children who were lost, the city says. The mural, called “We Are Still Here,” will be directed by Mike Cywink, an Ojibwe educator and visual artist, who will work with local Indigenous youth artists and school survivors to create it. 3:04 King Charles accepts calls to make changes in relationship with Canada’s indigenous people King Charles accepts calls for changes in relationship with Canada’s indigenous people Also, the city says the flags of the five First Nations signatories will be displayed on the second floor at city hall to mark the anniversary of the 1796 Treaty of London. Story continues below ad Also on display on the second floor of city hall will be a collection of Indigenous art by artists Brenda Collins, Annette Sullivan and Chandra Nolan. The works will be exhibited until September 30. Trending Stories

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City buildings will be lit up in orange and the “Every Child Matters” flag will be raised at city hall from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2, according to the city. All city administrative offices, including city hall and Citi Plaza, will be closed for the day, officials said. Ontario Works offices and the Provincial Offenses Administrative Office will also be closed, as will the municipal community centre, aquatic facilities and Storybook Gardens. There will also be no collection of waste or recycling. EnviroDepots and the landfill will remain open. Alizabeth George-Antone, local community liaison consultant, said the city was “committed to ReconciliAction through continued support and recognition of the amazing contributions of our Indigenous communities from the original treaties,” to current social justice initiatives. “We are working for equality together. Knowledge is power.”

		Read more: Survivors’ Secretariat reveals 97 deaths linked to former Brantford residential school

An estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children attended residential schools in Canada between the 1860s and 1996. Story continues below ad The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recorded stories from survivors and families and issued a report in 2015 detailing the emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children and at least 4,100 deaths. Last year, ground-penetrating radar detected hundreds of graves believed to be unmarked on the grounds of former residential schools, sparking efforts to memorialize survivors. In late July, Pope Francis began a six-day tour of Canada during which he apologized for the role the Roman Catholic Church played in the institutions and asked for forgiveness. On his flight back to Rome from Ikaluit, Francis said the abuses faced by indigenous people amounted to genocide. 0:43 Pope Francis Says Residential Schools Genocide Pope Francis Says Residential Schools Genocide – July 31, 2022 Earlier this month, the Survivors’ Secretariat, the group tasked with an investigative initiative to investigate Bradford’s Mohawk Institute Residential School, revealed records of 97 deaths linked to the institute – more than double the number originally identified by National Center for Truth and Reconciliation. Story continues below ad Ontario said it believes there are probably more insignificant burial sites in the province than the 12 identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. According to the city, London is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron. Specific conditions in this area include:

Two Series Wampum Belt Treaty of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy/Silver Covenant Chain Beaver Hunting Grounds of the 1701 Haudenosaunee NANFAN Treaty McKee Treaty of 1790 Charter of the City of London 1796 Huron Treaty of 1827, with the Anishinaabeg Plate with a spoon of Covenant Wampum of the Anishnaabek and Haudenosaunee.