The Town of Oakville offers numerous ways for residents to recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Over the next few weeks, Oakville residents are invited to reflect on the residential school experience and engage in the following activities to learn more about Indigenous communities:
Wear an orange shirt to raise awareness about the intergenerational impact and trauma residential schools have had on Indigenous communities and donate to the Orange Shirt Society to support their work in commemorating the residential school experience and fostering reconciliation.
Singer Shawnee Kish performs at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts on September 30 at 8 p.m. Visit the Oakville Centre website for free tickets to the in-person or live stream events.
Enjoy a walk along the Moccasin Trails and explore the history of the lands from an Indigenous perspective. Follow the Moccasin Trails signs along Bronte Creek Heritage Trail and Sixteen Mile Creek Inner Valley to Dundas Street West at Lions Valley.
Visit Tannery Park and explore the First Nations history wall and Moccasin Identifier, which was built to promote public awareness of the significant cultural historic sites and the ancestral presence of First Nations, Métis and Indigenous communities.
Indigenous Books
Read Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL's First Treaty Indigenous Player by Fred Sasakamoose and participate in an OPL virtual book club event in partnership with the Halton Equity and Diversity Roundtable and Burlington and Halton Hills Public Libraries.
Read a book from the following OPL reading lists to learn more about the Indigenous community:
- Residential Schools In Canada
- Celebrate Indigenous History Month – Picture Books
- Celebrate Indigenous History Month – Kids
- Celebrate Indigenous Stories – Middle School
- Celebrate Indigenous History Month – Teens
- Celebrate Indigenous History Month - Adult Titles
Indigenous Films
Watch Indigenous films, presented in association with Indigenous community leaders, OPL and other community partners, and join in discussions about everyone’s shared responsibility to care for the Earth. The films honour Indigenous culture and the contributions of Indigenous people. Entry and activities begin at 6:30 p.m. with the film presentations starting at 7 p.m. at the following locations:
Proof of Vaccination will be required to enter the facility. Please visit our Proof of Vaccination page for requirements.
- Friday, October 1 at River Oaks Community Centre (Diamond), 2400 Sixth Line
- Saturday, October 2 at Iroquois Ridge Community Centre (Diamond), 1051 Glenashton Drive
- Sunday, October 3 at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, 3070 Neyagawa Boulevard
For free tickets to the screenings, visit the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts website. Tickets are required for all attendees. In the event of rain, the screenings will occur at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre at 2301 Bridge Road.
As we know it today, Oakville is rich in the history and modern traditions of many First Nations and the Métis. From the lands of the Anishinabe to the Attawandaron, the Haudenosaunee, and the Métis, these lands surrounding the Great Lakes are steeped in Indigenous history. We acknowledge and thank the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation for being stewards of this traditional territory.
Residents are reminded to follow provincial regulations and public health guidelines when participating in activities in the community. Please keep a two-metre distance from others and wear a mask when physical distancing is a challenge.
Per provincial regulations, if you are 12 years of age and older and attending an indoor in-person event at a town-owned facility such as the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts and Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, you must provide proof of full vaccination with an identification card (that has your full name and date of birth) beginning September 22, 2021. More information about the Town of Oakville’s procedures related to proof of vaccination will be shared on the town’s COVID-19 Information page soon.
In addition to activities being offered by the town, throughout September, the “Every Child Matters” orange flag is being flown at half-mast at Town Hall from September 1-30. During the week of September 27, Town Hall and the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts will be lit orange.
For more information about how the town is honouring the Truth and Reconciliation process, visit the Indigenous Culture and Community page.