‘The truth hurts but it also heals’: Halifax recognizes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Drums and singing could be heard at the Grand Parade in Halifax as many gathered in orange to honour residential school survivors and those who never returned home.
Cheryl Gehue, Indigenous Advisor for the Halifax Regional Municipality, said she was surprised by the turnout.
“It shows that the work that we’re doing to create more awareness through our treaty educations programs [and] through our school systems is actually starting to make a difference,” said Gehue.
Following a proclamation reading from Mayor Mike Savage, a moment of silence was held to reflect on the legacy of colonization.
For Elder and Shubenacadie residential school survivor Alan Knockwood, seeing youth gathered on Friday marks a step forward.
“We have to get the truth out there. The truth hurts but it also heals,” he said.
In Shubenacadie, 14,000 orange flags fluttered in the wind on the grounds of what used to be a residential school site.
Singing and laughter could be heard in the crows as many laid flags and participated in Mi’kmaq traditions.
“We have always been here. Our stories are still here, except they’ve never asked Indigenous people to share those stories,” said attendee Gary Joseph.
While Fiona cancelled many events on Friday, more are expected to be held in the coming days to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.