Collingwood Honours National Indigenous Peoples Day

June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day, a time to deepen our understanding, learn and recognize the contributions, cultural richness, unique histories, strength and resiliency of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples. It is also an important time to reflect on Canada’s colonial history, present realities and the pathway to reconciliation.

National Indigenous Peoples Day falls on the summer solstice, a time traditionally celebrated for its spiritual importance as the longest day of light.

In honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day and to pay tribute to the lives lost and the harms inflicted by the Residential School System the Town Hall clock tower will be lit orange beginning June 21 through to the following Monday.

The colour orange has become associated with the Every Child Matters Campaign, honouring the experiences of former students and survivors of the Residential School System.

In 2013, Phyllis (Jack) Webstad shared her first day experience at a residential school in British Columbia with other survivors. As a young child she was given a brand-new orange shirt, by her grandmother, to celebrate her first day at the school. Upon arrival at the school all her clothes were taken from her, including the orange shirt – never to be returned. Ms. Webstad has been quoted, “… my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared, and I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying, and no one cared”. 

Orange Shirt Day is recognized annually on September 30 and was recently elevated to a Federal Statutory Holiday this year. The colour Orange has become symbolic of the true legacy of the residential school system, raising awareness of this tragic part of Canada’s history. As identified by Senator Murray Sinclair, the head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2017, “And until people show that they have learned from this, we will never forget, and we should never forget, even once they have learned from it, because this is part of who we are. It's not just a part of who we are as survivors and children of survivors and relatives of survivors, it's part of who we are as a nation. And this nation must never forget what it once did to its most vulnerable people.”

The recent findings of 215 unmarked graves of children at a Kamloops’ Residential School and others who continue to be found should compel us to learn more and take action not only in remedying the wrongs of the past, but also healing wounds of the present. 

To learn more, we invite you to visit www.collingwood.ca/awen.

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For further information:

Christa Carter
Manager, Public Relations & Communications
Town of Collingwood
705-445-1030 Ext. 3274
ccarter@collingwood.ca

Jennifer Parker
Coordinator, Community Wellbeing & Inclusion 
Town of Collingwood
705-444-2500 Ext. 3260
jparker@collingwood.ca