On Wednesday, September 29, the Indigenous Initiatives Team lit and tended a Sacred Fire between 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM in recognition of Orange Shirt Day.

On Thursday, September 30, 2021, the MYS office will close. Staff, residents, youth and families will join the rest of Canada in honouring Indigenous Children and Families impacted by the residential school system.

This isn’t a passive holiday. Many of us will reflect, pray, meditate, and learn, keeping the memory of the many Indigenous children who never came home in our minds, honouring those in our lives today, nurturing the child within ourselves and acknowledging those who survived and were impacted.

There are a number of things we encourage staff, volunteers and the general public to do on this day. Wear an orange shirt. Watch Every Child Matters (free on You Tube or CBC Gem), or We Were Children. Or read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

There are also a number of in-person and virtual events being held throughout the city.

In-person Events

• Reconciliation through education, a walk with Bear Clan Patrol Bear Clan Patrol. September 29 at 5:30 pm. Gordon Bell High School. More info.
• Reconciliation Week Sacred Fire, Anish Corporation, Wa-Say Healing Centre Inc. September 27-29, 10 am. Memorial Provincial Park. More info.
• Healing Walk for Orange Shirt Day 60s Scoop. Legacy of Canada- MB Region. September 30 at 11:00 am. Canadian Museum for Human Rights. More info.
• Every Child Matters Corn Maze. Deer Meadow Farms. All season. See Deer Meadow Farms website.
• Orange Shirt Days. Manitoba Museum. September 30 – Oct. 3 at 11:00 am. Manitoba Museum. More info.
• Orange Shirt Day Pow Wow. Wa-Say Healing Centre Inc.September 30 at 1:00 pm. St. John’s Park. More info.
• Southern Chiefs’ Organization Orange Heart Awareness Campaign. More info.

Virtual & Broadcasted Events

• Orange Shirt Day Event: On the path to reconciliation. Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund. On Demand
• Orange Shirt Day 2021 Virtual Programming and Events. Woodlands Cultural Centre. September 20 – September 30.
• Marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Government of Canada. September 29 at 2:00 pm
• Truth and Reconciliation Week 2021. Red River College. September 27 – October 1. See website
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation  September 30 at 7:00 pm. Broadcast on CBC/APTN.
• Truth and Reconciliation Week. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. September 27 – October 1. More info.