Things to Do to Honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Around Edmonton

September 30th marks the third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the newest federal Statutory holiday.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day to reflect on the impacts of residential schools, honour survivors of residential schools, their families, their communities and all of those who never made it home, and learn more about the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples.

 

Though Alberta is not recognizing it as a provincial holiday, it is a holiday in Edmonton with Edmonton Public Library and Edmonton Schools closed.

It is also a holiday in St. Albert and Strathcona County.

Here are some things to do in Edmonton to honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation:

image

Fort Edmonton Park Indigenous Peoples Experience

For all other events taking place this weekend, see Things to Do This Weekend in Edmonton

Free Admission – AGA

To mark the importance of this day, the AGA is offering free admission to visitors with the support of Capital Power, inviting the public to reflect on our truth and history as part of our commitment toward reconciliation. Details

Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Art Gallery of Alberta, 2 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton

Free admission

Orange Shirt Day

In recognition of Orange Shirt Day, and in the name of Truth and Reconciliation and the creation of an inclusive, safe space, TELUS World of Science – Edmonton will host tipi raising, lighting of the Qulliq, performance by the Abraham Lake Singers and Inuit drumming by Malachi Angulalik, and Indigenous Vendors Market. Details

Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

TELUS World of Science – Edmonton, 11211 142 Street NW, Edmonton

Included with Science Centre Admission

FREE general admission for Indigenous guests

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Display

Kingsway Mall honours the survivors of the residential school system and honours the memory of those children who have been lost.

Guests of the mall can visit a display on the main level near the Starbucks. The display recognizes the resilience of Indigenous people in our community and across the continent and will culminate in a lighting of the candles on September 30th.

Details

September 28 to 30, 2023

Kingsway Mall, 109 Street & Kingsway, Edmonton

Free

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – Strathcona County

Strathcona County will commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, with events at Broadmoor Lake Park Plaza and Gallery@501. The day will include blessings, a smudging ceremony, Indigenous speakers, and an Honour Walk to pay homage to residential school victims. Attendees can enjoy Métis displays, community services, refreshments, and explore the “Ni’kmaq – My Family” and “Resilience” art exhibits by Nelson White, Margaret Witschl, and Delio Delgado, creating a multifaceted educational and reflective experience. Details

Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 12 – 5 PM

Broadmoor Lake Park, County Hall, Gallery@501, Sherwood Park

Free

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – St Albert

Join us for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at Mission Park this September 30 to honour the survivors of and the children who never returned home from residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Enjoy guest speakers, knowledge keepers, performers, local artisans, exhibits, and food vendors. Join others from the community for an Honour Walk from Mission Park to Kâkesimokamik/The Healing Garden. Details

Saturday, September 30 | 9 AM to 3 PM

Mission Park, 15 Mission Avenue, St Albert

Free

Free Park and Ride: 8:40 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. from St. Albert Centre Transit to downtown St. Albert. The bus will stop at Mission Park before it stops at the St. Albert Farmers’ Market.

Annual Orange Shirt Day Run/Walk – Every Child Matters

Run/Walk in support and awareness of those who did not survive the Residential school era and for those who did. This event aims to raise funds for the OrangeShirtDay.org and local grassroots movements including promoting and supporting Indigenous athletes. This will be a combination of pavement and trail run through the beautiful YEG river valley trails starting at Kinsmen Park and includes three distances of 5 & 10 km and a kids 2.15 km. Details

September 30, 2023 | 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

River Valley Walterdale, Edmonton

$17 & up

Royal Alberta Museum

Royal Alberta Museum has more than 18,000 objects of Indigenous origin. These objects date from the mid-1800s to the present. Visit RAM to learn more about indigenous history of Alberta.

Visitors can join in on story time in the Book Nook, watch film screenings by an Indigenous filmmaker, and learn about the history, impacts, and acts of reconciliation they can implement in their own life.

Visitors are welcome and encouraged to wear an orange shirt when they visit on September 30.

Details

Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 10 AM to 4 PM

Royal Alberta Museum, 9810 103a Avenue NW, Edmonton

Regular Admission, Admission is always free for Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous Peoples Experience

Gather and explore life through the diversity of First Nations and Métis peoples’ histories, cultures, experiences, and perspectives, local to Indigenous life in the Beaver Hills, or Edmonton region. In partnership with the City of Edmonton, the Indigenous Peoples Experience at Fort Edmonton Park will be open as a ticketed opportunity on Saturday, September 30 for your group to seek out the truths as lived by Indigenous peoples before and after Canada became a country. Details

September 30, 2023 | 10 AM to 4 PM

Indigenous Peoples Experience – Fort Edmonton Park7000 143 St NW
Edmonton

Only the Indigenous Peoples Experience will be open. All other Fort Edmonton Park attractions will be closed.

Ages 12+ up are $5.00 per guest/Ages 11+ under are FREE

West Edmonton Mall – NDTR

An informative day of Indigenous history, ceremony and tradition. Learn the meaning behind The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and the impact it had on indigenous peoples in this region. Live teachings from local elders and stories from younger generations impacted by residential schools.
The day will include teachings, stories, dancing, drumming, and a traditional circle dance. Also, at the event – local Indigenous artisans and a tipi. Come show your support and learn about local history.

Details

September 30, 2023 | 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

WEM Centre Stage, Level One, Phase I , Edmonton

Free

Root for Trees

Root for Trees will be gifting native species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers as a way to honour the victims, families, friends, and intergenerational survivors of Residential Schools. This event is in partnership with the city’s Indigenous Relations Office, and the community-led Orange Shirt Day Walk/Run. In addition to the tree and shrub giveaway, there will be various Indigenous organizations, vendors, activities, and the walk/run. We encourage Edmontonians to show their support by wearing an orange shirt to this special event.

Details

Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Kinsmen Park, Edmonton

Free

Bent Arrow Presents Orange Shirt Day

Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society will hold its event for The National Day For Truth and Reconciliation. Events include a smudge, prayer, meal, dances, and opening remarks, followed by a panel discussion involving Knowledge Keepers, a presentation by Bearhead Sisters, and a Q&A session.

Details

Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, 11648 85 Street Northwest, Edmonton

Free

Nékem: Honouring National Day For Truth and Reconciliation

The intention of this gathering is to create a space for sharing stories of healing through reconnection to culture and strengthen awareness of the unique experiences of Indigenous Peoples today. Sharing will focus on the next generation of Indigenous Peoples who need to heal from the trauma and provide a safe space for all Indigenous peoples to be heard, to grow and to heal.
George Burnstick and the Abraham Lake Singers will be opening following prayer. Soup and Bannock will also be provided.

Details

Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

CO*LAB – Community {Arts} Laboratory, 9641 102A Avenue Northwest, Edmonton

Free

KAIROS Blanket Exercise

The KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) is an experiential teaching tool based on participatory popular education methodology that explores the historic and contemporary relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the land we now know as Canada.

Details

Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Queen Mary Park Community League Hall, 10844 117 Street Northwest Edmonton

Orange Shirt Day

Come together to honour those who survived the residential school system and those who did not. Join us for the grand opening of the new Pimiy Ôcenas Nâtawîhowin Askiy (Devon Healing Medicine Grounds). The event features a pipe ceremony, park dedication, guest speakers, lunch, activities including story-telling, rock painting, and button-making, a community walk, sunflower planting take-home gifts, closing acknowledgements, and an Orange Shirt Fundraiser, fostering remembrance and education on the residential school system. Details

Saturday, September 30 | 9 AM to 4 PM

Pimiy Ôcenas Nâtawîhowin Askiy (Devon Healing Medicine Grounds), 10 River Drive, Devon

Free

Walk together for Truth & Reconciliation

Wear your Orange Shirt, walk together for 1.5km, and then join as we listen, share, and connect with others ending with a free feast. Details

Saturday, September 30 | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Heritage Pavillion,
5100 41 Ave, Stony Plain

Free

APTN National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

In honour of the third annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR), APTN, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) and the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation will join forces to produce a 90-minute multilingual commemoration. The gathering will be broadcast live across the country from Parliament Hill, on the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.

Details

Saturday, September 30 | Various Hours

APTN Lumi or by watching APTN on your local TV network.

Free

Public Library

Read or get resources from Edmonton Public Library online (closed on Sept 30th).

Learn More:

Wear Orange

September 30th is also Orange Shirt Day, which is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day that honours the children who survived Indian Residential Schools and remembers those who did not. This day relates to the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, on her first day of school, where she arrived dressed in a new orange shirt, which was taken from her. It is now a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations. Details

Exhibitions & Art

Visit Art Galleries online to learn more about indigenous peoples’ way of life, their art and culture.

Being Prepared, Carol Kunnuk, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

You may like:

Indigenous-Owned Businesses in Edmonton

You can show your support for Canada’s Indigenous with visits to these businesses on September 30th and any time of the year.

What is Open-Closed

September 30th is a federal statutory holiday. All federally regulated companies and Crown-owned corporations like Service Canada, banks, Canada Post etc.: Closed

Malls, grocery stores: Open

Schools:

City of Edmonton Tourist Attractions:

 

All tourist attractions are open unless they are closed due to seasonal closure.

Libraries:

  • Closed

Leisure/Recreational Facilities:

Edmonton Transit:

  • Normal Service

Garbage collection:

  • Normal Service

 

 

Posts Information

  • : 3
  • 3 Comments

    Page 1 of 1
    1. Rae

      Although EPSB is honoring TRC – this day is a Saturday and EPSB is not giving a weekday off in lieu like ECSD and Blackgold School Division.

      September 29, 2023 at 2:01 PM
    2. Kristin Dmytriw

      Your site is providing misinformation. EPSB is not honoring TRC with a day of closure. ECDS is and Blackgold school division is, but not EPSB. Why is this?? You should print a retraction or correction.

      September 27, 2023 at 4:11 PM
      1. To Do Canada (Listing owner)

        Please see here: https://www.epsb.ca/calendars/printablecalendars/. This year, Sept 30 is on a Saturday. It was a holiday in 2022 and 2021 and will be in 2024 (https://www.epsb.ca/media/epsb/calendars/EPSB_School_Year_Calendar_2024-25.pdf).

        September 27, 2023 at 4:43 PM

    Leave a Reply

     
    %d bloggers like this: