NORTH GRENVILLE, ON – On September 30th at 12:00pm, North Grenville’s Council will raise the Every Child Matters Flag to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Indigenous community members, members of the public, students, families and Municipal Staff are warmly invited to attend this public event.
In addition to the flag raising ceremony, there will be an unveiling of a new mural created by local Indigenous artist Finian Paibomesai.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Public Event:
Flag Raising and unveiling of local Indigenous art mural
North Grenville Municipal Centre
September 30, 2022
12:00 pm
Municipal Services and Tax Payments:
In recognition of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the North Grenville Municipal Office will be closed on September 30th. There is no change to the garbage, recycling and organic collection.
As a result of the office closure, tax payments will be accepted on Monday, October 3rd with no penalty.
Background:
In June, 2021, the Canadian government passed legislation to mark September 30th as a federal statutory holiday to acknowledge truth and reconciliation, as recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, previously known as Orange Shirt Day, is an opportunity to recognize and commemorate the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools. It is also a day to honour and remember the survivors, their families and communities who continue to bear witness to these tragedies.
The Municipality of North Grenville began working on a localized Reconciliation effort in the summer of 2021 in support of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s “Calls to Action,” and retained the services of the Indigenous advisory firm, First Peoples Group.
The following steps have been conducted to date:
- Council recognized September 30th, 2021, as the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and held a Every Child Matters Flag Ceremony with local Indigenous leaders and members of the community.
- On November 8th, 2021, North Grenville lowered its flags in recognition of Indigenous Veterans Day, to recognize and acknowledge the many contributions and sacrifices of First Nations, Inuit and Métis to Canada’s war efforts and peacekeeping missions.
- Members of Council and municipal staff took part in Indigenous Awareness Training.
- In February 2022, North Grenville’s Council adopted an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement. The acknowledgement was created in consultation with First Peoples Group and was shared with Indigenous community members and local stakeholders who had been in contact with the Municipality and was revised based on their feedback.
- Council adopted North Grenville’s new Community Strategic Plan on January 25, 2022. Reconciliation is a key value in the plan and is prioritized in a number of the goals and actions. It is expected that once the Reconciliation Framework is complete the Strategic Plan will be updated to include more specific actions.
- In early 2022, municipal staff began reviewing its procedures, policies and strategic documents to assess how they align with the Municipality’s reconciliation efforts. This assessment is the foundation for developing a Reconciliation Framework for the Municipality - created in consultation with the community.
- On June 8, 2022, the Municipality held a Town Hall where community members including Indigenous residents shared their goals for reconciliation in North Grenville. This input is being used to draft the Reconciliation Framework which will be shared with Indigenous community members in the near future.
For more information visit our Truth and Reconciliation page
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For More Information Contact:
Jill Sturdy, Corporate Media Relations Officer
