Town staff gathered outside Aurora Town Hall today to raise the Every Child Matters flag, marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The flag was raised to its full height and then lowered to half-mast, alongside the Canadian national flag and provincial flags.
Mayor Tom Mrakas said raising the flag is a symbol of the town’s “solidarity with Indigenous communities,” as well “as a symbol to our commitment to working toward meaningful and lasting reconciliation.”
"Above all else, today is about honouring the survivors, the children who never returned home, as well as their families and communities," he said, ahead of the flag raising Tuesday morning.
Sept. 30 was first recognized as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federal statutory holiday, in 2021. Orange Shirt Day was first honoured in 2013, by the founding non-profit organization, the Orange Shirt Society.
“We come to together to speak about and acknowledge the truth of what took place at residential schools,” said Mrakas. “And the truth is, that residential school system is the darkest chapter in this country’s history.”
“And it’s incumbent on all of us, today and every day, to commit ourselves to fully understanding the extent of this history, to building cultural understanding and respect, and to working together as partners with Indigenous communities to carve a path forward.”
Fire ceremony, concert in the evening
As well as the flag raising, the Town of Aurora is holding a sacred fire ceremony, concert, and film screening to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Monday, Sept. 30 at Town Square at 50 Victoria St.
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., a ceremony, presentation and sacred fire will be led by Anishinaabe Grandmother Kim Wheatley, Elder Pat Floody, and Ancestral Knowledge Keeper Raiden Levesque.
The concert, beginning at 7:30 p.m., is being hosted by the Aurora Cultural Centre in the Town Square performance hall.
For more information, visit aurora.ca/TruthandReconciliation
