Statement From Mayor Berry Vrbanovic: National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

Today, as we observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, we remember the children who were taken from their families and never returned home, and we honour the Survivors, their families and communities who continue to live with the impacts of the Residential School System.

The orange shirt we wear today comes from the story of Phyllis Webstad. She was six years old when the new orange shirt her grandmother bought her was taken away on her first day at residential school. Her story reminds us of the thousands of children who were taken from their families, and of those who never came home.

This is a day for remembrance, but it cannot end there.

Reconciliation is slow work. It asks us to sit with truths about this country that many of us were never taught, to challenge what we thought we knew, and to keep listening even when what we hear is difficult.

The impacts of residential schools and colonialism are not confined to history. They continue to be felt by Survivors, families and Indigenous communities today. That is why truth must remain at the heart of reconciliation, and why our responsibility to listen and learn continues long after September 30.

Here in Kitchener, the City has a responsibility to keep learning, to build meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and to make space for Indigenous voices to help guide this work. That responsibility reaches into the decisions we make about our programs, services and public spaces, and into how we build relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

Each of us has a role as well. Take time to learn about the history and ongoing impacts of residential schools. Listen to the experiences and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples. Seek out Indigenous-led opportunities for learning and remembrance, and consider what reconciliation asks of you beyond today. The 2026 regional learning kit similarly calls on non-Indigenous people to take responsibility for our own learning and describes reconciliation as a year-round process.

Reconciliation requires more than a single day of reflection. What matters is what we carry forward from it, in what we learn, in the relationships we build, and in the choices we make.

Today, on behalf of Kitchener City Council, I encourage our community to remember the children who never came home, honour Survivors, their families and communities, and reflect on the responsibility each of us carries on the path toward reconciliation.

Berry Vrbanovic, on behalf of Kitchener City Council