Reflecting on Truth and Reconciliation Day 2025

 🧡 Reflecting on Truth and Reconciliation Day

Today, on Truth and Reconciliation Day, I pause to reflect on the histories that shape us. While my immediate family in Canada did not attend residential schools, one of my great-great-grandmothers attended a mission school in Oregon. She married at 15 and moved north—a story that carries both resilience and the weight of a system that sought to erase culture and identity.

I take this day to honour all Indigenous peoples affected by residential schools, missions, and assimilation policies. I remember the children who were taken from their families, the languages and traditions lost, and the enduring strength of communities working to heal.

Even in quiet reflection or while alone, we can listen, learn, and remember. We can support Indigenous voices, acknowledge the past, and commit to a future grounded in respect, understanding, and justice.

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📍 Local Events in Our Communities

Here are some events happening in our local communities to commemorate Truth and Reconciliation Day:

Surrey

• Skookum Surrey National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
  🗓️ Monday, September 29, 2025
  🕓 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
  📍 Holland Park, 13428 Old Yale Rd
  🥁 Drum March from City Hall at 3:45 PM
  🎨 Orange T-shirt painting and community art project
  🧘‍♀️ Healing tent and safe space for sharing stories
  More info

White Rock

• 5th Annual Walk for Truth and Reconciliation
  🗓️ Tuesday, September 30, 2025
  🕚 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  📍 Grand Chief Bernard Robert Charles Memorial Plaza, East Beach
  🧡 A collective commitment to reconciliation
  Details

Chilliwack

• Bridging Hearts: A Step Towards Unity and Healing
  🗓️ Tuesday, September 30, 2025
  🕙 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  📍 Coqualeetza Grounds (near the Longhouse), 7201 Vedder Rd
  🎤 Indigenous guest speakers, cultural performances, local vendors, and food trucks
  Event info

• Truth & Reconciliation Day Community Event
  🗓️ Tuesday, September 30, 2025
  🕚 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
  📍 Sardis Park, 45897 Lake Dr
  🎶 Opening ceremony, drumming, dancing, food trucks, and local vendors
  Details

Hope

• Truth & Reconciliation Day at Greendale Acres
  🗓️ Tuesday, September 30, 2025
  📍 Greendale Acres, 41905 Yale Rd W
  🕘 All-day event
  🧡 Acknowledging the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Sto:Lo people
  Event info

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💡 Ways to Honour the Day

If you're spending the day alone or prefer a quieter observance, here are some meaningful ways to participate:

• 🧡 Wear an orange shirt to honour the children who never returned home.
• 🕯️ Light a candle in remembrance.
• 📚 Read books by Indigenous authors or watch documentaries about residential schools.
• 🎨 Create art or write in a journal to express your reflections.
• 🤝 Support Indigenous businesses and artists.