B.C. communities plan events to mark Truth and Reconciliation Day
Events are planned across British Columbia to mark the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Friday.
The Survivor's Flag was raised at the B.C. legislature Wednesday in a ceremony that Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Murray Rankin called “profound and moving.”
Some events planned for Friday in Victoria include an afternoon gathering outside city hall, a bike ride led by a member of the Songhees Nation describing the significance and history of Songhees Park, and the inaugural Songhees Nation South Island powwow.
In Vancouver, members of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation walk 8.5 kilometres from the former St. Paul's Indian Residential School in North Vancouver to their reserve on the Dollarton Highway as they remember the effects and legacy of residential schools.
The City of White Rock will permanently raise the Semiahmoo First Nation flag at city hall, and in Prince George, the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation hosts a public healing event including storytelling, drumming and song.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was declared last year after hundreds of potential burial sites were located at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School and ground-penetrating radar led to similar discoveries at other former residential schools.
Former Truth and Reconciliation Commission chair Murray Sinclair has estimated some 6,000 children may have died at more than 130 residential schools operated across Canada between 1874 and 1996.
The day for truth and reconciliation honours not only the children who never made it home but survivors of the schools as well as their families and communities.
A statement on the federal government website says “public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.