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What’s open and closed in Windsor on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Orange Shirt Day, which honours the victims of residential schools, takes place every Sept. 30. Orange Shirt Day, which honours the victims of residential schools, takes place every Sept. 30.
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The second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada is on Friday, Sept. 30.

The day, which coincides with Orange Shirt Day, is meant to bring awareness and reflection on the legacy of Canada’s residential school system, which aimed to erase the languages and cultures of the Indigenous peoples of this land.

“We turn to nature to heal. Come to the forest and heal from the past, so that we can walk together in peace. Remember our children and learn from the past,” said Theresa Sims, Indigenous Storyteller for the City of Windsor.

The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is a statutory holiday for federal government workers and federally regulated industries, but it is not a statutory holiday in Ontario.

CTVNewsWindsor.ca looks at what's open and closed in Windsor for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30:

OPEN

MALLS & GROCERY STORES

Most malls and grocery will be operating on regular hours on Friday.

LCBO

LCBOs will be opening at 12 p.m. on Friday and closing at their usual hours.

SCHOOLS

Schools will be open.

CLOSED

CANADA POST

There will be no Canada Post service on Friday.

BANKS

Banks will be closed on Friday.

CITY OF WINDSOR EVENTS AND SERVICES

City of Windsor Free Community Gathering

The City of Windsor, in partnership with Theresa Sims, traditional Indigenous Knowledge Keeper and Elder, and inaugural Indigenous Storyteller for the City, will present a special community gathering at the Ojibway Prairie Complex on Friday, Sept 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., to include:

  • Theresa Sims sharing culture and tradition through songs, drumming and stories
  • Display of the “Every Child Matters” banner/flag on the Ojibway Nature Centre
  • Ojibway Nature Centre Colouring Books, illustrated by Mariah Alexander
  • Hands-on ‘Snake Talk’ with Naturalist and Outreach Coordinator Karen Cedar
  • Guided Nature Walks at the Ojibway at 11 a.m. and noon
  • Indian tacos, scone dogs, wild rice, corn on the cob, salad, 3 sisters soup, fruit bowls, and smoothies (while supplies last)
  • Marty Gervais, Windsor’s Poet Laureate Emeritus, sharing poems from the
  • Walk in the Woods: Portrait of the Ojibway Prairie Complex anthology
  • Booth from St. Clair College Indigenous Student Services

Museum Windsor – Chimczuk Museum

Museum Windsor will be open and offering free admission on Sept. 30. The Chimczuk Museum, located at 401 Riverside Drive West, includes the Original Peoples Culture and Legacy Gallery. At the north end of the main floor concourse, this space reflects the culture, heritage and contemporary issues of the local First Nations and Métis communities. It also provides an open and flexible gathering space for programming. This exhibit was developed in consultation with Walpole Island Heritage Centre, Caldwell First Nation, Turtle Island-Aboriginal Education Centre at the University of Windsor, Can-Am Indian Friendship Centre and other local community organizations. Features of the exhibition include Creation Stories, Treaties, Residential Schools and 60s Scoop, Language Revitalization, Missing and Murdered Women, Medicine Wheel Teachings, and Cultural Expressions.

Windsor Public Library

All branches of the Windsor Public Library will be closed on Sept. 30, however displays of Indigenous content and resources will be featured at all branches and online at the Digital Branch throughout the week. Staff have prepared a video on Truth and Reconciliation and offer the following opportunities for community engagement:

As of Sept. 12, customers are now able to pick up a heart kit at Riverside Branch to take home and bring back, or create a heart in branch to plant outside in the Heart Garden.

Starting Sept. 26, stop by Fontainebleau for a Dreamcatcher Take and Make Kit.

On Sept. 27 at 4 p.m., visit Budimir Branch for the first monthly Snack and a Story where they pair a book and a special recipe; in honour of Truth and Reconciliation this month, they will be reading Fry Bread by Kevin Noble and making the recipe from the book. Registration is required and opens on September 21. Later that evening, starting at 6:00 p.m., join Ms. Kate at Riverside Branch for a special Indigenous voices story time session.

On Sept. 29, pick up a Spirit Bear Activity Pack from the Chisholm Branch, then head over to Bridgeview Branch at 4:30 p.m. for Art Club to make musical instruments, or anytime for a Drum Take and Make Kit.

For more information about these Windsor Public Library programs, and to find any last-minute additions or alterations, please view their calendar of events.

Downloadable Ojibway Nature Centre Colouring Book

The Healthy Headwaters Lab (HNL) at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor presents the Ojibway Nature Centre Colouring Book illustrated by Maria Alexander (Baashkooniingad Kwe, which means “buds on the tree beginning to open woman”) an Indigenous artist from Bkejwanong. This project was a partnership between the Ojibway Nature Centre and HHL’s Ode’imin circle; to re-introduce Indigenous knowledge and art to the Ojibway Nature Centre. Through this colouring book, Mariah’s art, and the inclusion of Anishinaabe words, HHL hopes this colouring book will help fill the gap in Indigenous knowledge, and introduce a new generation to the rich Indigenous culture found in Windsor.

At the Corporation of the City of Windsor

The City has encouraged all municipal staff to use the week of Sept. 26 to focus on the importance of reconciliation and take steps to learn about and acknowledge the past through various opportunities for participation, including:

Raising the “Every Child Matters” flag at Charles Clark Square on Sept. 27 at noon, with the mayor, members of City Council, and staff of the City Hall campus invited to attend.

Windsor City Hall is being illuminated orange from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2.

Flags at City facilities will be lowered to half-mast Sept. 29 to Oct. 2.

City staff will be encouraged to wear orange on Sept. 29 to acknowledge the tragic legacy of residential schools, and to honour the victims, families, friends, and intergenerational Survivors.

City departments will take time on Sept. 29 to discuss how City services, programs and infrastructure could help address Truth and Reconciliation.

Five-day film festival and other learning opportunities online through the week;

Transit Windsor will tie orange ribbons to bus mirrors and program head signs on buses with #everychildmatters Friday. Additionally, staff will wear orange ribbons, with on-board announcements recognizing the day and the significance of the ribbons.

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