Oakville residents encouraged to reflect for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Published September 22, 2021 at 11:39 am
The Town of Oakville is offering numerous activities throughout September for residents looking to recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and ensure that the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools is never forgotten
“The Town is committed to reconciliation,” Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said. “While we reflect on the generational impact and trauma endured by Indigenous peoples for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I encourage residents to consider ways we can all work together to support an inclusive, diverse and equitable community.
“As we continue to address the calls to action, let us strive to be a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging.”
Local residents are being invited to reflect on the residential school experience and engage in the following activities to learn more about Indigenous communities:
- Wear an orange shirt to raise awareness about the intergenerational impact and trauma residential schools have had on Indigenous communities and make a donation to the Orange Shirt Society to support their work in commemorating the residential school experience and fostering reconciliation.
- Participate in a guided in-person tour of the Moccasin Trail at Lions Valley with Indigenous guide Stephen Paquette and with Halton Catholic District School Board Indigenous Education Advisor and Grandmothers Voice co-founder Sherry Saevil on Saturday, September 25. Spaces are limited to 10-15 people. Pre-register for the program at oakville.ca.
- Watch singer Shawnee Kish perform at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts on September 30 at 8 p.m. For free tickets to the in-person event or the live stream event, visit oakvillecentre.ca.
- Enjoy a walk along the Moccasin Trails and explore the history of the lands from an Indigenous perspective. Follow the Moccasin Trails signs along Bronte Creek Heritage Trail and along Sixteen Mile Creek Inner Valley to Dundas Street West at Lions Valley.
- Visit Tannery Park and explore the First Nations history wall and Moccasin Identifier, which was built to promote public awareness of the significant cultural historic sites and the ancestral presence of First Nations, Métis and Indigenous communities.
- Read Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL’s First Treaty Indigenous Player by Fred Sasakamoose.
- Read a book from the following OPL reading lists to learn more about the Indigenous community:
- Residential Schools In Canada
- Celebrate Indigenous History Month – Picture Books
- Celebrate Indigenous History Month – Kids
- Celebrate Indigenous Stories – Middle School
- Celebrate Indigenous History Month – Teens
- Celebrate Indigenous History Month – Adult Titles
- Watch Indigenous films, presented in association with Indigenous community leaders, OPL and other community partners, and join in discussions about everyone’s shared responsibility to care for the Earth. The films honour Indigenous culture and the contributions of Indigenous people. Entry and activities begin at 6:30 p.m. with the film presentation beginning at 7 p.m. at the following locations:
- Thursday, September 23, Bronte Athletic Park (Diamond), 2197 Lakeshore Road West
- Friday, September 24, Trafalgar Park Community Centre (Diamond), 133 Rebecca Street
- Saturday, September 25, Glen Abbey Community Centre (Diamond), 1415 Third Line
- Sunday, September 26, Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre, 325 Reynolds
- Friday, October 1, River Oaks Community Centre (Diamond), 2400 Sixth Line
- Saturday, October 2, Iroquois Ridge Community Centre (Diamond), 1051 Glenashton Drive
- Sunday, October 3, Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, 3070 Neyagawa Boulevard
Tickets are required for all attendees. For free tickets to the screenings, visit oakvillecentre.ca. In the event of rain, the screenings will take place at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, 2301 Bridge Road.
Throughout this month, the “Every Child Matters” orange flag is being flown at half-mast at Town Hall and during the week of September 27, Town Hall and the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts will be lit orange.
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The Town of Oakville resides on the treaty lands and traditional territory of the Mississaugas, Neutral, Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee.
This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.
Residents are required to follow provincial regulations and public health guidelines when participating in activities in the community.
If you are 12 years of age and older and attending an indoor in-person event at a town-owned facility such as the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts and Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, you must provide proof of full vaccination with an identification card (that has your full name and date of birth) beginning September 22.
More information about the procedures related to proof of vaccination are on the Town’s COVID-19 Information page.
For more information about how the town is honouring the Truth and Reconciliation process, visit the Indigenous Culture and Community page.
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