(Image from United Way of Bruce Grey website.)
Some city facilities will be closed in Owen Sound tomorrow (Wednesday) to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
City Hall, the Owen Sound North Grey Union Public Library, Tom Thomson Art Gallery & Visitor Centre and Owen Sound’s Public Works Administration Building are all closed.
There will be a ceremonial fire to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at the Gichi-Name Wiikwedong Reconciliation Garden, which is at the south end of Kelso Beach at Nawash Park. The event begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — or Orange Shirt Day — was established by the federal government in 2021, as a response to a call to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It called on the government to create a statutory holiday to ensure the history and legacy of residential schools are publicly remembered, and to recognize survivors and their families.
“The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is about more than remembering our history. It is about listening to one another, learning from one another, and building stronger relationships for the future. As Mayor, I am proud to see our community continue to take steps toward reconciliation through partnerships, shared learning, and spaces like the Gichi-Name Wiikwedong Reconciliation Garden that encourage reflection and understanding,” Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy says in a prepared statement. “On September 30, I invite residents to join me in honouring residential school survivors, remembering the children who never came home, and recommitting ourselves to the ongoing journey of truth, healing, and reconciliation.”
Flags are city facilities in Owen Sound will also be lowered to half-mast tomorrow in observance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.