The Souris-Glenwood Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a special ceremony for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, this through the provincial grant designated for this commemoration.
Chamber member, Loretta Turner, says the school had their own Orange Shirt Day, with a BBQ and a student / staff walk today, Friday.
“So, we're going to build off that on Monday and do an Orange Shirt Day walk,” explains Turner. “And so, we will walk from the school down to Victoria Park. It's been dubbed kind of the junction, where the Souris River and the Plum Creek meet. And we will do the opening prayer and blessing there with our elders and then we're going to spend the rest of the morning sharing and learning through some storytelling.”
In the afternoon residents and visitors are invited to the showing of the National Film Board of Canada's film, ‘We Were Children’ at the Avalon Theatre.
Turner says Monday's day of remembering is an inaugural event for the community and they are hoping to continue this type of reflective ceremony for following years.
“It's a day for healing for our indigenous community,” she adds, “and also for learning for the non-indigenous community as well.”
“I think that's kind of key,” she continues. “We do need to learn more about that and give honor. I know being in Souris, there are people who are affected, but I would say the general population doesn't really understand why this is now a designated [day of remembering] as a stat holiday. So, we're hoping that people who don't know will come to the film on Monday afternoon. While it feels like some of us are a removed from what happened. It's actually not that far in our past that it was going on and it was happening very close to us.”
“So, we're hoping people will come and learn more.”