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Every Child Matters flag flown in New Tecumseth

October 8, 2021   ·   0 Comments

On Thursday, September 30, Town of New Tecumseth Mayor Rick Milne held a flag raising ceremony in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as well as Orange Shirt Day at Town Hall (10 Wellington St. E., Alliston).

The event acknowledges the legacy of Residential School survivors, their families and communities, those who died in the residential school system, and was an opportunity to educate people and promote awareness about Truth & Reconciliation.

Orange Shirt Day grew out of the personal story of one survivor, Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation who had her new orange shirt taken away on her first day at the residential school.

The orange shirt is now used as a vivid visual reminder of the need for ongoing discussions and the need for Truth and Reconciliation.

There were 140 federally run Indian Residential Schools which operated in Canada between 1831 and 1997. The last school closed only 24 years ago. Survivors have advocated for recognition and reparations and demanded accountability for the lasting legacy of harms caused. 

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission ran from 2008 to 2015 and provided those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools policy with an opportunity to share their stories and experiences.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has become the permanent archive for the statements, documents and other materials the Commission gathered, and its library and collections are the foundation for ongoing learning and research.

The Commission released its final report detailing 94 calls to action. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a direct response to Call to Action 80, which called for a federal statutory day of commemoration.


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