Truth and Reconciliation Day Marked Across B.C. With Walks, Ceremonies, and Cultural Events

Across British Columbia, communities are gathering this weekend to honour survivors of residential schools and remember the children who never made it home.

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, observed nationally since 2021 and recognized as a statutory holiday in B.C. since 2023. The date coincides with Orange Shirt Day, inspired by Phyllis Webstad’s story of having her new orange shirt taken away on her first day at St. Joseph Mission Residential School near Williams Lake.

The day is both solemn and hopeful—acknowledging the dark legacy of residential schools, while celebrating Indigenous resilience, teachings, and cultures. More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children were forced into residential schools between the 1870s and 1997. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has confirmed at least 4,100 deaths, though the true number is believed to be far higher.

Events are taking place across the province:

• Vancouver will see a walk led by the Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society from the Aboriginal Community Policing Centre to Grandview Park, while UBC hosts a large intergenerational march.

• Surrey’s Holland Park will feature drumming, bannock, and reflection beginning at 4 p.m.

• Abbotsford’s Thunderbird Square is hosting a community event with cultural performances, including a puppet show about Sumas Lake.

• Kelowna will hold a march, candlelight vigil, and speeches at City Park.

• Kamloops, home to Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, is hosting an Orange Shirt Day walk and ceremonies at the Tk̓emlúps Arbour.

• Victoria will see thousands gather for the South Island Powwow at Royal Athletic Park, organized by the Songhees Nation.

• Prince George is marking the day at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park with a reading of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.

• Fort St. John will host a walk, barbecue, and orange shirt-making event at the Friendship Society.

Each event offers space to remember, learn, and reflect. For many, the day is also a call to action—to listen, to acknowledge truth, and to continue the work of reconciliation in every community.