Newmarket honours National Day for Truth and Reconciliation today

Newmarket is marking the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation today, Thursday, Sept. 30. 

The day honours the children lost to residential schools, the survivors, and their families and communities. 

The Town of Newmarket is hosting an event at 4:30 p.m. that will feature storytelling and songs delivered by members of the Indigenous community. 

It will be held at the amphitheatre at Fairy Lake Park, which is located at 520 Water St. 

Following the event, people are encouraged to walk along the Nokiidaa Trail while reflecting on reconciliation.

The walk along the trail leads to the bridge by the Newmarket Municipal Offices, at 395 Mulock Dr., where an Indigenous art installation has been created. 

The commemorative piece features orange feathers, which have been painted on the bridge to remember the lives lost at residential schools. 

Attendees to the event are also encouraged to wear orange shirts as Sept. 30 is also Orange Shirt Day, which acknowledges how Indigenous children’s culture was stripped from them. It is related to the experience of Phyllis Webstad, who as a child arrived at school in a brand new orange shirt only to have it taken away from her. 

In honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Newmarket Public Library has released a number of resources to help people learn about the legacy of residential schools. 

They included links to curated lists of books about the subject for all ages as well as a video featuring Indigenous authors reflecting on the day.