The City of Calgary honours residential school survivors

CALGARY; September 25, 2018 —The City of Calgary is collaborating with Indigenous communities, elders and leaders to educate Calgarians on the history of residential schools and to recognize the intergenerational impacts on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children in Canada.

The event is taking place on Monday, October 1st from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Calgary Municipal Building. The general public is encouraged to attend and wear an orange shirt in support of residential school survivors.

Monday’s event will begin in front of Old City Hall at 11:30 a.m., with hundreds of school-aged children marching around Olympic Plaza. All Calgarians are invited to participate in the procession. The ceremony, in collaboration with the organization Safe and Caring Schools & Communities, will follow at 12 p.m. in the atrium of the Municipal Building, and will include testimony from a 37 year-old residential school survivor, as well as songs and prayers from Elders. The event will conclude with a Round Dance.

“This is an important opportunity for us to acknowledge our difficult past and reconcile it with our present,” said Mayor Nenshi. “The road to reconciliation is long and difficult, but with commitment and action, we will build a better future for all our citizens including our indigenous sisters and brothers.” Nearly 250,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit people play an important role in the social, cultural and economic fabric of the province.

Orange Shirt Day will take place across Canada on September 30 to acknowledge the harm that Canada's residential school system had on generations of Indigenous families and their communities. For more information on Orange Shirt Day, please visit http://safeandcaring.ca/orange-shirt-day-events/