How to mark National Truth and Reconciliation Day in the capital region

Aliyah Bautista's winning design for the Orange Shirt Day Design Contest. (Aliyah Bautista/Orange Shirt Society)

Monday is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, formerly known as Orange Shirt Day.

It's a national holiday raising awareness about the lasting impact Canada's residential schools have had on First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities.

Several events will be held in and around Edmonton to mark the day. For more option, visit the City of Edmonton website. 

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In Edmonton

• The fourth-annual Orange Shirt Day Run and Walk will take place at Kinsmen Park at 1 p.m. Registration fees will be donated to OrangeShirtDay.org
• The Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society will hold an event at the Parkdale School, which will be available in-person or live online on the Bent Arrow's Facebook page.
• The Edmonton Short Film Festival and Audreys Books will host a free screening of local Indigenous short films, as well as talks from Indigenous authors. The event will run between 4 and 6 p.m. at Audreys Books on Jasper Avenue.
• A free community walk will be held starting in Mary Burlie Park at noon, ending in Giovanni Caboto Park. 
• A free feast and round dance will be held by the Indigenous Artist Market Collective at the Alberta Aviation Museum starting at 4:30 p.m. It will feature a pipe ceremony, potluck dinner, round dance and marketplace.
• The Telus World of Science Edmonton will offer a full day of Indigenous programming starting at 8 a.m. Guests can learn to raise a teepee, take in live traditional performances or shop from Indigenous vendors. Indigenous visitors can attend for free. 
• Fort Edmonton Park will offer $5 admission to the Indigenous People's Experience, with money used to fund additional Indigenous educational programming at the park. Programming will run between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. All other Fort Edmonton Park attractions will be closed.
• The Government of Alberta will hold a speaker event at the Reconciliation Garden at the legislature building at 2 p.m.

Around Edmonton

• A free event will be held at Métis Crossing, around 110 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. The event begins and ends in Smoky Lake, running between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Reservations include lunch. 
• The City of St. Albert will hold a free event at 15 Mission Avenue, running between noon and 4 p.m. It will feature a walk, speakers, live performances and a round dance. 
• The Town of Devon will hold programming at Pimiy Ôcenas Nâtawîhowin Askiy (Devon Healing Medicine Grounds) between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. It will include activities, speakers, a walk and lunch. 
• Strathcona County will hold free programming between 1 and 4 p.m. at 401 Festival Lane in Sherwood Park. It will include a walk around Broadmoor Lake Park, as well as a film screen in Council Chambers and art exhibits at Gallery@501. 
• The Town of Stony Plain will offer free programming at Heritage Park between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. It will include speakers, performances and a feast.

Orange Shirt Day was first marked in B.C. in 2013. It became a federal statutory holiday in 2021. 

According to the federal government, there were 140 federally-run residential schools operating in Canada between 1867 and 1996. 

For more information, visit the Orange Shirt Society webpage.