Town staff, council and residents gathered at the Collingwood Public Library this afternoon for a moment of reflection in the name of truth and reconciliation.
Deputy Mayor Tim Fryer led the crowd with a declaration honouring the importance of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30 as a day to reflect on the painful impacts of the residential school system.
With his fellow council members, he raised an orange flag bearing the words Every Child Matters, which will fly on the community flagpole at the library this weekend.
Truth and Reconciliation Day was declared as a time to reflect on the lasting impacts of the residential school system, and a day to honour the survivors, their families and their communities.
On Sept. 30, residents are encouraged to visit Harbourview Park and the Awen Gathering Circle where a new poetry installation featuring a poem by Collingwood's poet laureate Jillian Morris will be displayed along the trail through the forest west of the gathering circle.
Morris' poem is entitled Spare a Moment.
By wearing orange on Sept. 30, Collingwood residents can acknowledge the story of Orange Shirt Day, created in memory of a residential school survivor who was stripped of her orange shirt that her grandmother made her for her first day of school.
Orange shirts have become a symbol to honour and remember the victims of the residential school system.
There will be orange feathers mounted on the light standards downtown, each of which will include a QR code linking to Truth and Reconciliation resources, which are also available on the Awen' Gathering Place webpage.
The Town Hall and Municipal Offices, the Collingwood Museum and Collingwood Public Library will be closed on Sept. 30 in recognition of this important day. Transit will operate as scheduled. The flag at town hall will fly at half mast this weekend.
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