TORONTO —
Thursday marks Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as communities across the country honour Indigenous survivors and children who disappeared from the residential school system.
The new statutory holiday, which the federal government announced in June, asks the country to reflect on Canada’s history of mistreatment of Indigenous people and the lasting intergenerational trauma of the church-run institutions where children were torn from their families and abused.
Creating a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was one of the 94 calls to action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) back in 2015.
The last residential school in Canada closed in 1996, with more than 150,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit children forced to attend the facilities between the 1870s and 1996, according to the TRC.
The facilities were designed to strip Indigenous people of their culture and language, and replace them with a Christian faith and the English language. There were 139 residential schools in the federally funded program, many of which were run by the Catholic Church.
The TRC’s final report estimates that 6,000 children died while attending the schools, although many say the number could be as high as 15,000.
Despite the marking of Sept. 30 as a federal holiday, several provinces, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario, have chosen not to recognize it, meaning that schools and provincial offices in these provinces will remain open.
Singing and drumming is set to ring out at 2:15 p.m. PDT from Kamloops, B.C., where the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation announced in May that ground-penetrating radar had detected at least 215 unmarked graves at the site of one of Canada’s largest former residential schools.
At Cowessess First Nation in southern Saskatchewan, where 751 unmarked graves at the site of the former Marieval Residential School were discovered in June, leaders will hold a community feast and powwow on the grounds of the facility to mark the holiday.
Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme said the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an important step for Canadians to better understand the pain and trauma many Indigenous people went through at these facilities.
“Recognizing this day is an investment in us and our children and our children yet unborn, so that the truth will prevail that we will all really be in the reconciliation stage with days like this,” he said.
Delorme told CTV News that work to identify those children buried on the site continues, but they have already been able to identify about 300 of them and markers will be made in the near future.
Numerous other Indigenous communities have since reported finding unmarked graves at former residential school sites with the same technology used in Kamloops and Cowessess, prompting calls for justice that have resonated beyond Canada’s border.
The statutory holiday coincides with Orange Shirt Day, which was started in 2013 as a way to honour Indigenous children and educate Canadians about the impact the residential school system had on Indigenous communities. It was inspired by the experiences of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwpemc from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, who had her new orange shirt taken away by residential school staff on her first day of school.
Crowds in orange shirts gathered on Parliament Hill Thursday morning to hear from elders and Indigenous leaders on the horrors of residential schools, and to honour the lost children and survivors. Similar events are being held across the country and online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief Reginald Niganobe of Anishinabek Nation in Ontario told CTV News Channel that the holiday is a step in the “right direction” in acknowledging to learn and make efforts to “undo the colonial systems and legacy of residential schools and the Indian Act.”
“Both these institutions go hand-in-hand and continue this date, which are the cause of inequalities that are knowingly imposed on Indigenous First Nations people,” Niganobe said Thursday.
The Indian Act was introduced in 1876 and was used by the Canadian government to administer Indian status, local First Nations governments and the management of reserve land. Under the Indian Act, Indigenous people were forced to attend residential schools, with the RCMP playing a major role in what survivors call kidnappings.
To mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Niganobe said, Canadians should familiarize themselves with the TRC’s final report, as well as educate themselves on Canada’s colonial legacy from the perspective of Indigenous authors, speakers and elders within their communities.
“I hope this leads to a greater understanding of inequalities that First Nations people face and have always faced and continue to face to this date,” he said. “An education on a lot of this will probably help us move forward as a nation.”
LEADERS RECOGNIZE DAY TO REFLECT
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter early Thursday, noting that the holiday should be a day for reflection to honour residential schools survivors, their families, and those children who never returned home.
He also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to “advancing reconciliation in concrete ways.”
“Together, we must continue to learn about residential schools and the intergenerational trauma they have caused. It is only by facing these truths and righting these wrongs that we, in partnership with Indigenous peoples, can move toward a better future,” Trudeau said in a tweet.
“I join with all Canadians on this first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to reflect on the painful history that Indigenous peoples endured in residential schools in Canada, and on the work that remains to heal and to continue to build an inclusive society,” she said.
In a joint statement from Indigenous Services Canada, several federal ministers called residential schools a “shameful part of damaging racist and colonial policies” and acknowledged that the government has “more work to do” in addressing the calls to action outlined by the TRC.
“All Canadians have the opportunity to come together to ensure that we commemorate the history and recognize the harmful legacy of residential schools, and that this remains an essential part of reconciliation. It is a time for reflection and a commitment to reconciliation and to continuing the work ahead,” the statement read.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, the first Indigenous person to take on the role, said in a statement that the holiday is a poignant one for her as the child of a white father and an Inuk mother.
While she was not allowed to attend residential schools, Simon said, her community “felt the sorrow” of those children who were taken from their families.
“I stayed behind, home-schooled, and visited families where there was a palpable void. I was a stand-in, a well-loved substitute, for mothers and fathers who desperately missed their children,” Simon said in the statement.
Simon said Canada’s legacy of colonization is “hard to accept,” but necessary to address as the country works towards reconciliation.
“Reconciliation is a way of life, continuous, with no end date. It is learning from our lived experiences and understanding one another. It is creating the necessary space for us to heal. It is planting seeds of hope and respect so that our garden blooms for our children,” Simon said.
“As we strive to acknowledge the horrors of the past, the suffering inflicted on Indigenous peoples, let us all stand side-by-side with grace and humility, and work together to build a better future for all.”
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole issued a statement on Facebook, encouraging Canadians to take part in public commemoration, education, and conversations about the “painful and lasting impacts of residential schools” on Sept. 30.
“This is a heartbreaking reminder of the pain Indigenous children, their families, and their communities were subjected to through residential schools, and that more work needs to be done to address the devastating and harmful effects,” O’Toole said in part. “In order for Canada to reach its full potential as a nation, reconciliation must be central to these efforts.”
On the eve of Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, several survivors spoke to a crowd of hundreds on Parliament Hill to discuss the terrors they experienced in the residential school system.
“It is my hope that in 100 years from now our future generations will identify this date as a milestone in healing the nation and bringing us closer to reconciliation,” said Jimmy Durocher, a Metis man and residential school survivor from Ile-a-la-Crosse, Sask.
On this first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we reflect on the lasting impacts of residential schools. We honour survivors and their families. We remember the children who never made it home. And we reaffirm our commitment to advancing reconciliation in concrete ways.
Together, we must continue to learn about residential schools and the intergenerational trauma they have caused. It is only by facing these truths and righting these wrongs that we, in partnership with Indigenous peoples, can move toward a better future. https://t.co/Myv6w3lTkn
With files from The Canadian Press, CTV National News reporter Creeson Agecoutay, and CTVNews.ca writer Ben Cousins
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If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
OTTAWA – The National Hockey League’s Senators and the National Capital Commission have reached an agreement in principle to build a new arena in downtown Ottawa.
The NCC and the Senators announced at a joint press conference Friday that the arena will be part of a development of the LeBreton Flats site.
The team had entered a memorandum of understanding with the NCC to develop the downtown LeBreton Flats area, with a deadline of Friday to reach a deal.
The Senators will be purchasing a 10-acre site from the NCC, which team president and chief executive officer Cyril Leeder called a significant step forward. He said next steps will include working on the design of a new facility.
The Senators have played at the Canadian Tire Centre in the western suburb of Kanata since 1996.
The 25-kilometre drive from Ottawa’s downtown to the Kanata facility, often made longer due to traffic, has been cited as an obstacle for attracting walk-up crowds — an issue teams with downtown arenas don’t face.
A previous deal to redevelop LeBreton Flats and build an arena under former owner Eugene Melnyk collapsed in 2019 following a fallout between Melnyk and business partner John Ruddy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024
Coach John Herdman finds himself between a rock and a hard place ahead of Toronto FC’s game Saturday at the Colorado Rapids.
With just four regular-season games remaining, eighth-place Toronto (11-16-3) needs points to stay above ninth-place Philadelphia and 10th-place D.C. United in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. The two chasing teams are both three points behind with a game in hand.
The eighth- and ninth-place teams meet in a playoff wild-card game, with the winner moving on to take on the first seed in the East (currently Inter Miami).
But Herdman has to balance his playoff push with Wednesday’s Canadian Championship final in Vancouver against the defending champion Whitecaps — a chance to lift a trophy and secure a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the elite club competition in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Injuries are another concern.
Both captain Jonathan Osorio and Italian star Lorenzo Insigne had to leave the 2-0 mid-week loss to visiting Columbus. Herdman said while both are “OK to be put on the team sheet,” the extent of their weekend participation will be decided with one eye on the cup final.
Defenders Nicksoen Gomis and Henry Wingo are out with hamstring injuries.
On the plus side, Shane O’Neil returns from suspension and fellow defender Kevin Long, who missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, is expected to be available for some minutes off the bench.
“There will be some (personnel) shifts for sure, to accommodate the cup final, but at the same time there’s still players that are trying to earn their right into that cup final, on form,” Herdman said after training Friday.
After Vancouver, Toronto returns to league play, visiting the Chicago Fire on Sept. 28 before returning home to host the Red Bulls on Oct. 2 and Inter Miami on Oct. 5.
Colorado (14-10-5) sits fourth in the Western Conference, tied on points with Seattle but ahead in the standings because it has played one less game than the Sounders.
Former Toronto coach Chris Armas took charge of the Rapids last November, inheriting a team that finished last in the Western Conference at 5-17-12. Colorado was 28th in the Supporters’ Shield standings, five points ahead of cellar-dwelling Toronto (4-20-10).
Colorado goes in Saturday’s game seventh overall in the league, with nine more wins and 20 more points than last season.
The Rapids are coming off a 4-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City that snapped a three-game win streak.
“There’s going to be nights like that,” Armas said after the mid-week defeat. “The 29th game (of the regular season) in MLS I believe. You can’t have your good stuff all the time. And we’ve had it for most of the season.”
He called the loss “probably a wake-up call.”
“Everyone’s fighting for something. Everyone’s got something to play for in our league. Every team is capable,” he added.
Colorado is 9-2-3 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park this season, unbeaten in its last nine league games (7-0-2) there since a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on May 11. Toronto has not won there since a 1-0 decision in August 2008, going 0-5-2 since.
The teams played to a scoreless draw the last time they met in suburban Commerce City, in September 2021.
Colorado’s roster includes Canadian forward Kimani Stewart-Baynes as well as former CF Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic, one of the Rapids’ designated players.
Defender Reggie Cannon made his debut for Colorado mid-week. The U.S. international joined the Rapids as a free agent following a stint with Queens Park Rangers in England’s second-tier Championship and three seasons with Boavista FC in the Portuguese top flight.
Toronto fired Armas in July 2021 in the wake of a humiliating 7-1 loss at D.C. United, the club’s sixth-straight defeat. Under the first-year coach, Toronto (1-8-2) was winless in seven and languishing in last place in the league.
Assistant coach Javier Perez ran the team for the rest of the season with Bob Bradley taking over as head coach and sporting director prior in November 2021.
Bradley was axed in June 2023 with TFC mired in 14th place in the East at 3-7-10, having won just two of its last 17 matches (2-7-8) in all competitions.
Assistant coach Terry Dunfield served as interim coach until Herdman arrived in October 2023.
Armas went on to serve as an assistant coach at Manchester United under Ralf Rangnick and Leeds United under Jesse Marsch, who succeeded Herdman as Canada coach.
“He’s a smart coach,” Herdman said of Armas. “He gets the best out of his players in terms of intensity and he recruits players that fit that style of play as well.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024
KINGSTON – The only supervised consumption site in Kingston, Ont., will stay temporarily closed while the city says it carries out a review of its operations and security after two people were killed in a nearby attack.
In a news release this week, the City of Kingston says “substantive operational changes” need to be made at the Integrated Care Hub.
The city says the hub’s services are “crucial to support the most vulnerable in our community and it will reopen and reopen safely.”
Police say officers were called on Sept. 12 to a nearby encampment where they allege a 47-year-old male suspect wielded an edged or blunt weapon and attacked three people, killing two and injuring one.
The suspect is facing two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Police have said he was not living at the encampment, but at a residence nearby.
Mayor Bryan Paterson quickly called for the encampment to be cleared and the hub closed, a move denounced by a community legal clinic as premature and misguided.
The city says it will leave up a security fence blocking access to the Belle Park encampment and police will keep a presence in the area.
The city says further information will be provided when a reopening date is confirmed.
The move comes after the Ontario government announced last month it would close 10 supervised consumption sites by no later than March 2025 and prohibit any new ones from opening.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.
