Senior students from the elementary panel of Erie Migration District School, Town of Kingsville staff, members of the Caldwell First Nation and other members of the public made their way to the Kingsville Arena Complex on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to reflect on past actions and decide what they personally can do moving forward.
The program began with an offering of tobacco from Caldwell Chief Nikki van Oirschot to the Mayor of Kingsville Dennis Rogers.
From there, van Oirschot was first to take the podium to speak to those in attendance. “Today is an important day for us, but we also want to acknowledge that today can’t be the only time we recognize what happened. Today should be the start of a journey for some or the continuance for others, and we need to consider how we can build on that journey moving forward.
She then laid out some next steps, saying, “I ask everybody to ask themselves three questions today. Number one, what did I learn today that I didn’t know before? Number two, what action am I going to take moving forward? Number three, what relationships can I build with First Nations?”
Referring to the walk that would be taken that day, van Oirschot said, “As you’re walking, think about those three questions. Think about how you can broaden your knowledge, but also how you can educate others and do better tomorrow.”
Mayor Rogers was next to speak and said, “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it. We understand and recognize what happened, but how are we going to be better in the future? Being here is a great first step, but we have so much more to accomplish while creating bridges to build relationships.”
Following the speeches, an Every Child Matters orange flag was raised by the two speakers, with the event concluding with a somber walk along Jasperson Lane, Road 2 East, and Jasperson Road.
