NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF TIMMINS
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Canada’s future depends on the actions taken over the next few weeks, months, and years as our troubled-past comes more clearly into light. As mass and unmarked graves of the Indigenous lost continue to be discovered, the City of Timmins will glow orange to acknowledge the past and present treatment of Indigenous peoples.
The McIntyre Headframe and all city-owned electronic billboards are now lit up with the City’s “Every Child Matters” logo. In the following days, a Timmins Transit bus will also be entirely wrapped in orange with key messaging featured on several buses throughout the city and City Hall will glow orange each night in respect of our Indigenous community.
The timing coincides with the arrival of Patricia Ballantyne and her Walk of Sorrow on Sunday. Ballantyne is an Indian Residential School survivor who left her home in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan on June 5 and began her healing journey to Ottawa for herself and to honour the survivors and families who have been impacted by Canada’s former Indian Residential School system.
The City’s initiative also follows Council’s recent approval to officially recognize events during the year that are of cultural significance to our Indigenous population.
“Our country is at a crossroads,” says Mayor George Pirie. “We can no longer deny that Canada’s past has created a legacy of trauma for our Indigenous community that continues to this day. I have often spoken of a need for education, acknowledgement and understanding as cornerstones for a future that is truly inclusive. The colour orange can be a reminder to us all of our commitment in supporting that vision of Canada.”
To date, the remains of more than 1600 children have been discovered at former Indian Residential School sites. Additional sites continue to be investigated.
For more information, visit the City of Timmins’ Indigenous Relations and Inclusion page at timmins.ca.
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