Orange Shirt Day - Rally for Reconciliation

As a proud member of the First Voice Urban Indigenous Coalition, the City of St. John’s is calling on residents to recognize Orange Shirt Day by standing in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples at a planned Rally for Reconciliation. The family-friendly event will take place at the Colonial Building in St. John's on Saturday, September 30, 2023, beginning at 2:45pm.

Orange Shirt Day began in 2013 as a grassroots campaign in Williams Lake, British Columbia, to promote public awareness about the ongoing legacy of harm from residential schools in Canada. Since then, it has become a national movement to honour survivors of residential schools and those who never made it home to their families. Fulfilling Call to Action 80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the federal government officially recognized September 30, 2021, as the first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The City will observe National Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30 to honour survivors, their families and Indigenous communities, and to raise awareness about the legacy of residential schools in Canada. All recreation facilities and community centres will be closed on Saturday, September 30, while most City offices and facilities will be closed on Monday, October 2. More details will be shared this week.

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