National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30

In recent years, Sept. 30 has been known as Orange Shirt Day. Founded by Phyllis Webstad in 2013, Orange Shirt Day is a grassroots campaign that grew out of her own experiences and the experiences of other residential school survivors who attended St. Joseph’s Mission near Williams Lake. It is a day to honour and hold up the healing journeys of residential school survivors and their families, to engage in meaningful discussions about the history and legacy of the residential school system.

Last year, the federal government passed legislation to mark Sept. 30, 2021 as a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The Province of BC subsequently chose to observe this as a day of recognition in the public sector while it engaged Indigenous Peoples on how best to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation moving forward. That process is ongoing.

For this upcoming year, the Province has advised public sector employers that the same process should be followed as last year – Sept. 30 should again be observed as a statutory day for remembrance. As such, UBC will be observing this day as a statutory day on both campuses. As with other statutory days, essential services will continue to operate in places where they are required. All members of the UBC community are encouraged to honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, whether through personal reflection, education and awareness activities, or by participating in Orange Shirt Day or other events within your communities.

Further details regarding UBC resources and activities related to Orange Shirt Day will be shared in the fall.

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