New Westminster residents are invited to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Friday, Sept. 30.
Spirit of the Children Society is hosting a pipe ceremony at Westminster Pier Park to honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities.
It's a free family event, and people of all ages are welcome. Everyone who attends is invited to wear their orange shirt in recognition of the day.
The event will include a welcome, a pipe ceremony and guest residential school survivors, as well as a giveaway for children and free snacks (while quantities last).
The ceremony is set to run from 3 to 4 p.m., while children and family time is set for 4 to 6 p.m.
The event is sponsored by Spirit of the Children Society, the Government of Canada, the City of New Westminster and the City of Burnaby.
New Westminster Museum: Reconciling
Everyone is also invited to visit the New Westminster Museum's feature exhibition, Reconciling.
The city's website notes that it includes three installations addressing truths attached to acts of reconciliation: Haida/Nisga’a artist Luke Parnell explores a feeling of disenchantment through his piece Neon Reconciliation Explosion; the downed statue of Judge Begbie addresses the imposition of foreign laws on a land; and the 215 shoes placed at New Westminster’s cenotaph reflects the community’s response to the residential school legacy in Canada.
Entry to the exhibition is free. The museum opens daily at 10 a.m. It will remain open Friday (although city hall and other facilities will close), in order to allow community members to visit the exhibition. But it will close early, at 3 p.m., so staff can support the pipe ceremony.
The museum is at the Anvil Centre, 777 Columbia St. (third floor).
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