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
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.