Anvil Centre will be awash with orange lights for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Sept. 30, 2021 marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, a day honouring the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities.
In response to the discovery of children’s bodies at former residential school sites in Canada, the city’s restorative justice committee requested that orange become the default colour for exterior lighting at Anvil Centre, unless the city receives a request for the building to be lit up in another colour in honour of another occasion.
On Monday, council referred the committee’s motion to the city’s reconciliation, social inclusion and engagement task force for engagement with First Nations. Council also directed staff to develop a lighting policy for all civic buildings.
“In the spirit of truth and reconciliation, staff recommend this committee request be sent to the reconciliation, social inclusion and engagement task force for consideration and possible inclusion in a lighting policy,” said a report to council. “The task force, if they believe it to be appropriate, would be able to lead engagement with local First Nations groups to uphold ‘the nothing for us, without us principle.’”
In a report to council, staff stated that lighting up Anvil Centre in orange as the default colour may prove to be problematic because the colour is associated with a number of organizations including the New Democratic Party, the Orangemen (an international Protestant fraternal order) and the New Westminster Secondary School Hyacks. Staff noted this could lead to public misunderstanding of what the colour represents.
“As well, seeing the orange lights at Anvil Centre, and knowing what they represent, may be triggering for some First Nations people bringing forth traumatic memories,” said the report.
Staff said the request highlights the need for clear policy to guide staff with this and other lighting requests.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr, a member of the restorative justice committee, supported referring the matter to the reconciliation, social inclusion and engagement task force. He noted Anvil Centre has displayed lights in different colours, such as rainbow colours (after the 2016 massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida) and blue (following the shooting of a police officer).
“When the 215-plus bodies’ remains were found in Kamloops at the residential school, it was asked by a couple of people if the Anvil Centre could light up orange,” he said. “It actually didn’t have the capacity to light up orange, but they went out and gained that capacity, and it now has that.”
That prompted the restorative justice committee, which includes an Indigenous elder and a representative from Qayqayt First Nation, to discuss whether Anvil Centre should have orange lights on the exterior, unless another colour is requested, Puchmayr said.
Jacque Killawee, city clerk, said Anvil Centre has the ability to display lights in different colours.
“As part of the renovation of city hall, city hall also had exterior lighting installed. We are working on getting that functional and operating the way we want it to,” she said. “With the advent of two buildings, staff considered a policy was needed because we didn’t want to have questions asked: Why is the Anvil Centre always orange and city hall is always white? So we wanted some alignment there.”
City of New Westminster facilities will be closed on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
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