Wednesday, Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day of memorial observed across the country meant to recognize the multi-generational effects of the Canadian residential school system.
Orange Shirt Day is also observed on Sept. 30 and is dedicated to honouring residential school survivors, their families and those who never returned home.
Here’s a look at the events happening across Ottawa to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
‘Remembering the Children’ on Parliament Hill
A commemorative gathering for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will be held on Parliament Hill, starting at 12 p.m.
Titled “Remembering the Children,” the 90-minute event will highlight residential school survivors, their families and children lost to the system, as well as Indigenous artists.
The event will be broadcast live from Parliament Hill on the APTN channel and on several major television and radio networks.
The Peace Tower and the Senate Building will also be illuminated in orange throughout the evening of Sept. 30.
Beechwood Cemetery
Beechwood Cemetery will host screenings of the 1970s CBC-radio documentary “The Story of a National Crime,” with visuals to accompany the audio to create a short film.
After the screening, Beechwood Cemetery will be hosting a 45-minute reconciliation tour, where visitors can learn from key historical figures involved in the residential schools and learn about the 94 calls to action.
A ceremony will be held at 2 p.m., to acknowledge the children who never returned home from residential schools and to honour the survivors.
Reconciling History Walking Tours
Free guided walking tours led by Indigenous tour guides will be held in downtown Ottawa throughout the day.
The 90-minute offer an opportunity to learn about the role of non-Indigenous people and the federal government in residential schools.
Tours start hourly from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration is required and, with most time-slots already sold out, those interested can join the waitlist.
A free self-guided version of the walking tour is also available online .
Canadian Museum of History
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admissions all day.
A morning ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. in the Four Seasons Salon in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The ceremony is free, but visitors wishing to attend must pick up a first come, first served ticket at the information table in the Grand Hall. It will also be streamed on the museum’s website.
A selection of 10 Indigenous-made short documentaries will be on display throughout the day at the Canadian Museum of History, shown in both English and French.
Visitors are also invited to visit the sacred fire at the Indigenous Medicine Garden from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., honouring the children who attended residential schools.
The museum will also host a live broadcast of the “Remembering the Children” commemorative gathering on Parliament Hill, which starts at 12 p.m.
Rideau Hall
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation tours will be offered at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. in English, and at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in French. Places will be allocated on a first come, first-served basis at the black gazebo by the front of the residence.
Rideau Hall will also host a sacred fire for the community from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
An opening ceremony will last roughly 45 minutes, then the fire will be tended to throughout the morning to encourage reflection.
Ottawa Public Library
Seven branches will be open on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to provide a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation learning and action space.
Those branches include Beaverbrook, Cumberland, Greenboro, Main, Nepean Centrepointe, Ruth E. Dickinson and St-Laurent.
All other Ottawa Public Library branches will be closed Wednesday.
Digital Arts Resource Centre
Four Indigenous-created films will be screened at the Digital Artist Resources Centre for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
They will play in the DARC Microcinema at 67 Nicholas St., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
University of Ottawa
A ceremony will take place to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at the University Square at 9:30 a.m.
Following the ceremony, a community feast will take place in the Faculty of Social Sciences building.
The university’s Faculty of Medicine, in partnership with the Ottawa Hospital and CHEO, will also host a gathering in Roger Guindon Hall at 12 p.m., where participants can meet Indigenous vendors and purchase orange shirts.
The Diefenbunker
The museum curator will take visitors on a tour through the Diefenbunker, including stops at two exhibitions that highlight Indigenous perspectives from the Cold War.
The hour-long tours run at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The tour is free with general admission, but tickets must be reserved in advance.
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica
A bilingual mass will be hosted at 7 p.m. to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Indigenous people from across the archdiocese will be sharing their culture and spirituality with music from Kateri Native Ministry of Ottawa and Akwesasne Mohawk Choir. A reception and fellowship will follow.
What’s open and closed on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?
Some schedule changes are in effect for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30.
The City of Ottawa’s 3-1-1 contact centre will be open for urgent matters only. Other city services, including municipal childcare centres and employment and social services, will also be closed on Wednesday.
Curbside green bin, recycling and garbage collection will continue as normal. The Trail Waste Facility Landfill will also be open.
Several museums and galleries, including the National Gallery of Canada, as well as the agriculture, aviation, history and science museums, will stay open and will offer free admission on Wednesday.
All City of Ottawa community and recreation centres will be open.
OC Transpo bus and train service, as well as Para Transpo, will run on a normal weekday schedule.
