By Cecilia Nasmith

The Municipality of Port Hope has confirmed that it will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Thursday, Sept. 30, as a paid holiday for permanent full-time staff to honour and reflect on Canada’s residential-school survivors, their families, and communities, and to respect current collective agreements.

This follows up on the Government of Canada's legislation, earlier this summer, to recognize and commemorate the history, legacy, and impact of residential schools as part of one of the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Municipality of Port Hope joins many other organizations in marking the day as a holiday, including Via Rail, Canada Post, major Canadian banks, and many other municipalities across Canada.

Many non-essential municipal services will be closed on Sept. 30, although such essential services as the transit system will not be affected. As well, programming at some of the municipality's recreation facilities will continue, as previously scheduled.

To encourage respectful commemoration of the holiday, Municipality of Port Hope staff will be provided educational resources so that they may use the day to listen, learn and reflect on Indigenous culture and the residential-school system in Canada.

"Our council, reflecting our community, is committed to concrete actions supporting the process of Truth and Reconciliation,” Mayor Bob Sanderson stated in the announcement.

“The journey to reconciliation is a long one, and observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an important step in the process.

“We are committed to building an overall Indigenous cultural awareness strategy for council approval, and have started with an extensive education program for council and designated staff. Our shared history is complicated, and action supporting Truth and Reconciliation can change our future.”