KAWARTHA LAKES-Today is Orange Shirt Day: A Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
The City of Kawartha Lakes hosted flag raising ceremony at City Hall on Friday September 27, 2024.
Mayor Doug Elmslie, along with members of Council, were joined by Chief Knott from Curve Lake First Nation, members of local police services, community members and City staff for the ceremony.
“Today is a day of remembrance to honour the indigenous people affected by the residential schools system. This is a day to reflect on the trauma endured and the lives lost and the lasting impact of the abuse they experienced,” said Mayor Elmslie.
Following the raising the flag, Chief Knott honoured the crowd with a powerful message about the trauma caused by the Residential School system and the importance of every child.
“Thank you for being here with me this morning. It’s a pleasure and honour to be here with you again this morning. I am enjoying every moment of it as we realize and understand the purpose of the orange shirts we wear and to remember the little children who went to residential schools and the hardships that they bore at that point in time,” said Chief Knott.
Chef Knott’s powerful speech came with a reminder to those have children to “make sure you go home and hug those children as tightly as you can, they are the joy, the heartfelt ones of today, and they are the ones that are going to flourish, much like the plants that surround us in nature.”
Today, the Every Child Matters flag at City Hall has been lowered to half-mast and the lights surrounding the building will be lit in orange, to honour the children that never made it home.
Visit the TRC Bobcaygeon website www.trcbobcaygeon.org to learn more about what colonialism and Reconciliation mean in Canada and locally in Kawartha Lakes.
Attend the Truth and Reconciliation Community Bobcaygeon and the Mishkodeh Centre for Indigenous Knowledge, Bobcaygeon Remembrance Ceremony at the Boyd Museum in Bobcaygeon, followed by a walk to the Bobcaygeon Beach Park Friendship Garden.
