BY ISABELLA RODRIGUES

For the past 6 years, Canadians of different cultures have come together to commemorate and mourn the tragedy that is the history of our government’s Residential School system. Since 2021, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has taken place on September 30th to honour those that suffered directly and indirectly because of these schools.

Background History
The history of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools is a tragic one, but it is important to know so you have context when talking about this serious topic.

Residential Schools were Government-funded and church-run institutions designed to convert our Indigenous peoples to the Canadian and European society being pushed at the time. These schools were marked with violence, disease, and trauma as the people at the schools tried to kill “the Indian in the child” through extreme measures. While this may seem like a relic of the past, it is important to remember the last one closed in 1997, in Saskatchewan less than 30 years ago.

In early 2021 the world was shocked by the news that 215 unmarked graves had been found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. This news became even more concrete evidence that survivors had already known; that not every child had lived to tell the story. Later that year in September, the first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was held.

Honouring the holiday
While this is a federally mandated holiday, it is important to remember the meaning of September the 30th. This day is meant for us to take a step back from our traditional responsibilities to listen to our Indigenous people. Let’s not loose sight of the true meaning of the holiday, and that is to remember the survivors and the children lives lost at the hands of the Indian Residential School system.

Why the 30th?
While the story of Phyllis Webstad and her orange shirt has been told many times, something that is not talked about as often is why the 30th was decided on for both Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

September was a time of year when the children would be gathered up and taken to these schools, we honour the children that never made it home to their families by hosting the holiday at this time of year.

At the same time, our current public school system starts up again. By having the holiday take place on the last day of the month, students and educators are able to settle in to schedules again and may be more receptive to learning this important history when the end of the month rolls around.

Events
On this important day, a number of community events will be happening to show support for our Indigenous peoples.

A Day to Listen 2026
September 30th, 6:00 - 6:00 PM
On the 30th the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) once again partner with radio stations all across Canada for A DAY TO LISTEN. This year’s theme is Honouring Truth with Action. There are a number of ways you can listen to the episodes, including iHeart, Spotify, and adaytolisten.ca.
This event is intended for adult audiences (18+)

Indigenous Short Films
September 30th, 10:00 - 4:00 PM
7700 Minoru Gate #100 - Launchpad
Drop-in to enjoy a selection of free short films by Indigenous creators to support your learning and reflection on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The films will be playing continuously on a loop throughout the day.
This event is intended for adult audiences (18+)

Indigenous Storytime
September 26, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
11851 Westminster Hwy
Visit the Richmond Nature Park to listen to stories by Indigenous authors that celebrate culture, connection, belonging, and care for the land. This program provides an opportunity for families to learn about the histories, voices, and experiences of Indigenous Peoples and reflect together in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
This event is intended for all ages.

Closures
For this day a number of services and programs will be closed, here is a list of the city services that are closed or altered.

• City Hall will be closed on Tuesday, September 30.
• The Recycling Depot will be closed on Tuesday, September 30; it reopens Wednesday, October 1.
• Blue cart collection will remain as scheduled. All other residential services will be pushed back by one day due to the statutory holiday.
• The Brighouse Library and Richmond Cultural Centre will open from 10:00am to 4:00pm on Tuesday, September 30. All other library branches will be closed.
• Community Facilities: Visit richmond.ca/HolidayHours for a list of modified hours.

In addition, there are a number of businesses that may also choose to close for the day, be sure to check online to see if any of your favourite businesses have altered schedules.

The Future
While our country has come a long way in honouring and trying to reconcile the pain caused by the Residential School system, there are still things that our Government and people can do to help not forget this tragic chapter of our history. While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did fantastic work by detailing their 94 calls to action. Unfortunately, our government has only completed 14 of the 94 since 2015, meaning that a staggering 85% of this commission has not been accomplished.

How to support
After learning all this information, you may be asking yourself, “What can I do to help?” Fortunately, I have a short list of things we all can do to help.

Request completion of more calls to action
As I have explained above, the majority of the 94 calls to action have not been completed. You can help by calling your local MP and encouraging them to keep their word on completing all 94.

Give people space when needed
While active listening and learning is important, it’s important to remember that being too present can be intrusive. So whilst participating in events, be sure to check if you are overstepping.

Don’t stop paying attention after the 30th
For our Indigenous people, their pain does not stop after September ends, and therefore our reconciliation and listening efforts should not end there either.

Donate to Charities
While there is no pressure to donate, there are a number of charities that do incredible work, like Indian Residential School Survivors Society and more.