On Monday, September 30, 2024, Canadians will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and Orange Shirt Day.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation commemorates the history and legacy of residential schools, honouring the survivors, their families, their communities, and the children who never returned home. It emphasizes the importance of reflection, the ongoing need for reconciliation, and the hope for a healthy future.
Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led movement to raise awareness on the intergenerational impacts of residential schools through the symbol of the orange shirt, and to acknowledge that “Every Child Matters.” Canadians are encouraged to wear orange in solidary with this movement, and to honour the survivors of residential schools.
For further learning, visit the following Truth & Reconciliation resources provided by the Canadian Bar Association:
We have also compiled a list of events happening throughout Alberta (and online) in observance of Truth & Reconciliation Day:
Virtual Events
Connecting Oral & Written Traditions
- Date: September 27
- Time: 10 AM – 11 AM
- Location: Virtual
- Admission: Free
Lunch & Learns – University of Manitoba
- Date: September 23 – 27
- Time: 10 AM – 11 AM
- Location: Virtual
- Admission: Free
Advancing Reconciliation: Legal Impacts of False Claims to Indigenous Identity
- Date: September 23
- Time: 12:30 PM – 2 PM (PST)
- Location: Virtual
- Admission: $90 + GST for members, $165 + GST for non-members, $45 + GST for Articling Students
Edmonton (& Area) Events
Beading Circle With Alaynee Goodwill-Littlechild
- Date: September 29
- Time: 11 AM – 4 PM
- Location: Art Gallery of Alberta, 2 Sir Winston Churchill Square
- Admission: Pay-what-you-may courtesy of the Capital Power Indigenous Art Fund.
Alberta Legislature Truth and Reconciliation
- Date: September 30
- Time: 2 pm
- Location: Edmonton, East Lawn, Legislature grounds
- Admission: Free
Fort Edmonton Park – Truth & Reconciliation Day
- Date: September 30
- Time: 10 AM–1 PM or 1 PM–4 PM
- Location: Fort Edmonton Park
- Admission: Ages 11 and under: Free, Ages 12 & up: $5/guest
Every Child Matters Traditional Feast & Round Dance
- Date: September 30
- Time: 3 PM – 11 PM
- Location: Alberta Aviation Museum, 11410 Kingsway NW, Edmonton
- Admission: Free
- Date: Monday, September 30
- Time: 9 AM – 2 PM
- Location: Devon Health Medicine Grounds, 10 River Drive, Devon
- Admission: Free
Stony Plain – National Day for Truth & Reconciliation
- Date: Monday, September 30
- Time: 11 AM – 2 PM
- Location: Heritage Park | 5100 41 Avenue, Stony Plain
- Admission: Free
St. Alberta – National Day for Truth & Reconciliation
- Date: Monday, September 30
- Time: 12 PM – 4 PM
- Location: Mission Park | 15 Mission Avenue, St. Albert
- Admission: Free
Strathcona Country – National Day for Truth & Reconciliation
- Date: Monday, September 30
- Time: 1 PM – 3 PM
- Location: Broadmoor Lake Park | 95 St 103A Avenue, Edmonton
- Admission: Free
Calgary Events
Heritage Park – Historical Village and Gasoline Alley Museum
- Date: September 29
- Time: 9:30 AM – 5 PM
- Location: 1900 Heritage Dr. SW, Calgary, AB
- Admission: $34.95 + GST (General); $22.95 + GST (Child); $26.95 + GST (Senior)
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at Arts Commons
- Date: September 30
- Time: Gallery Tours: 2 PM & 4 PM, Indigenous Makers Market 12 PM – 5: 30 PM, Elders Story Project: 6:30 PM
- Location: Arts Commons
- Admission: Free
National Music Centre Presents Elisapie
- Date: September 30
- Time: 7:30 PM
- Location: Studio Bell at the National Music Centre
- Admission: $55
- Date: September 30
- Time: 10 AM – 4 PM
- Location: Peace Bridge to Contemporary Calgary
- Admission: Free
Other Alberta Events
Kananaskis Indigenous Guided Hike With Buffalo Stone Woman & Smartwool
- Date: Saturday September 28
- Time: 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM
- Location: Elbow Lake, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
- Admission: $54.58
