How some New Brunswickers are marking the province’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has been marked with various events across New Brunswick this week, but at the Rothesay High School, it's the next chapter of the Minda Project.

The project was created by artist Bonny Hill in honour of her friend Minda Burley.

"It started when Minda told me her story about finding out that she was part of the Sixties Scoop and then we had the pandemic, and I started noticing all this extra cardboard, and then they cut it all up, they painted it all, they labeled it all," said Hill. "They organized it all and I created a pattern from Minda's childhood, one and only baby picture she had."

Hill said she then broke it into smaller pieces and recreated it on a large scale.

This time, the photo for the project will be of Burley's sister Johanne.

Burley's story has also been shared with Quispamsis Middle School in hopes it may have made an impact on the students.

"Actually meeting somebody who was born and taken away from their family brings them closer to the subject because I am a real person, this happened to me, and they're actually talking to a person that it happened to so you can tell them what your life was like," said Burley.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was recognized as a holiday in New Brunswick last week.

"I'm pretty pleased that they did, so I wish it was done sooner, but it is what it is so I'm pretty content with that," said Grand Chief Ron Tremblay of Wolastoqey Grand Council.

In Saint John, Indigenous films have been playing all week. The University of New Brunswick's Lorenzo Society hopes the film festival brings reconciliation into sharper focus.

"To raise the conversation level around these very important conversations on how to move forward with reconciliation," said Todd Ross, UNB Indigenous advisor.

The Wolastoquey Grand Council will be gathering at the old burial grounds near Government House in Fredericton.

"We are there to respect the dead and also the survivors of residential school and the day schools, plus to remind people of the truth and the act of genocide that occupied in the past, and reparation that needs to take place from here on in," said Tremblay.

The ceremony on the old burial ground in Fredericton will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday.