Monday, Sept. 30, 2024
To Near North District School Board families, staff, and community partners,
Today is National Truth and Reconciliation Day – recognized across the country as a day on which Canadians pause, acknowledge and reflect upon the truths of the history of settlement. European-based history, while praising the efforts of the settlers that came to this land, overlooked the incalculable toll that settlement took on the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island.
Among the injustices done to Indigenous Peoples was the implementation of the residential school system, which took children from their homes to attend schools far from home. Thousands of those children never returned, and tens of thousands more were never the same. The generational trauma caused by residential schools continues to this day.
We wear orange today in honour of the survivors and lost children, and to bring further awareness to the history and legacies of the residential school system.
The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, stated that “Education got us into this mess and education will get us out of it.”
Near North District School Board is committed to ensuring that the board, its schools, and staff are actively engaged in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, specifically 62 and 63.
We are grateful for the partnerships of First Nations and community organizations that support Indigenous Peoples. Mino Bimaadiziwin – the concept of living a good life, and/or having a good mind – is central to the work that settler Canadians must continue. Together, we will continue to move forward in a good way.
The board supports all students, staff, and community members in learning about the truth and devastating legacy caused by residential schools. We wear our orange shirts to show our commitment to reconciliation and trust that our schools will provide education that is relevant and meaningful to their communities.
Sincerely,
Ashley St. Pierre
Chair of the Board
Craig Myles
Director of Education
