FORT MCMURRAY, AB. — Residents are invited to take part in a community gathering and walk on Sept. 30 to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The event begins at 10 a.m. at Jubilee Plaza in downtown Fort McMurray with an opening prayer and remarks before participants walk to SMS Equipment Place, formerly Shell Place, on MacDonald Island. Light refreshments will follow at the destination.
The gathering is organized in partnership with the Athabasca Tribal Council.
“By joining the Community Gathering and Walk, we can acknowledge the truth of our history, while supporting Survivors and their families by letting them know that they matter and that Every Child Matters,” said Dennis Fraser, director of Indigenous and Rural Relations with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
Chief Allan Adam, president of the Athabasca Tribal Council and chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, said the day honours survivors and remembers the children who never made it home.
“When we come together for the community gathering and walk, we are united in the journey of healing and justice,” Adam said.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was created to recognize the legacy of residential schools and the ongoing harm to Indigenous Peoples and communities. Orange Shirt Day is observed on the same date as a way to raise awareness and support survivors.
The orange shirt originates from the story of Phyllis Webstad, whose new orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at a residential school. It has become a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem that Indigenous children endured.
More information and resources, including the municipality’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, are available at rmwb.ca/trc.
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