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From the Office of the Mayor
For a period of more than 150 years, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children were taken from their families and communities to attend Residential Schools. More than 150,000 children attended these 140 government funded schools, many of whom never returned home.
I am encouraging South Frontenac residents, employees and my fellow members of Council, to take time tomorrow to reflect on our Country’s past, and to make room for the work we as a community must undertake in relation to the painful history of residential schools and those affected by them. Events over the past year have highlighted just how horrific the residential school system has been for so many – educating us on a history we have failed to understand fully.
The 2021 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation builds on “Orange Shirt Day”, an Indigenous-led commemorative day that began in 2013 and honours the children who survived residential schools, and remembering those who did not. The day originated from the experience of a young indigenous girl, who on her first day at a residential school, arrived dressed in a new orange shirt from her grandmother, only to have it taken away.
The purpose of Orange Shirt Day, and now the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is to create awareness and to prompt meaningful discussions about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind. This is a day for discussion that all Canadians can take part in to create bridges for reconciliation, reaffirm for survivors that they matter, and to remember those lost to this terrible tragedy.
So I encourage you to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation the way it was meant to be – by taking advantage of the many resources available and exploring the rich and diverse cultures, voices, experiences and stories of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
Please know that the Township of South Frontenac is committed to establishing strong working relationships with the Indigenous communities in our region, and to engage in meaningful ways on our many mutual interests.
Let’s continue to work together to build a better South Frontenac and a better Canada.
Yours truly,
Mayor Ron Vandewal
613-376-3027 ext.2236
rvandewal@southfrontenac.net
Other notable sources for information include the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation’s website, their Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports, the Origins and History of Orange Shirt Day, and a free online course from the University of Alberta called Indigenous Canada.
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