WHEREAS the Town recognizes the First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples of Canada as traditional stewards of the land. The municipality is located within the boundary of Treaty 18 region of 1818, which is the traditional land of the Anishnaabek, Haudenosaunee and Wendat-Wyandot-Wyandotte people; and
WHEREAS the Federal Government has recognized September 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which was proposed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as one of its 94 Calls to Action; and
WHEREAS there were 140 federally run residential schools in Canada, operating between 1831 and 1998, through which indigenous children were separated from their families, culture, and language, and were subjected to widespread neglect and abuse; and
WHEREAS this day honours the children who never returned home and the survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities; and
WHEREAS public commemoration of this tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process; and
WHEREAS this day coincides with Orange Shirt Day, which is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of Every Child Matters,
THEREFORE I, Andrea Matrosovs, Mayor of the Town of The Blue Mountains, hereby proclaim Tuesday, September 30, 2025, as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in the Town of The Blue Mountains.