Vaughan marks Canada Day
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Today’s virtual event will bring the community together starting at 1:50 p.m.
Today the City of Vaughan marks Canada Day with a virtual event that will bring the community together starting at 1:50 p.m. at vaughan.ca/CanadaDay. It will provide an opportunity to reflect upon the country’s past while also offering activities and entertainment for the entire family to participate in from home.
The event begins with a visual commemoration to acknowledge the suffering endured by thousands of First Nation, Métis and Inuit children sent to residential schools as well as their families and communities. Residential schools were imposed upon the Indigenous people in Canada and date back to the 1870s. More than 130 residential schools were established across the country. The last school closed in 1996. These government-funded, church-run schools were set up to eliminate parental involvement in Indigenous children's intellectual, cultural and spiritual development.
Following this visual commemoration, the City’s recently updated Indigenous Land Acknowledgement will be read: “We respectfully acknowledge that the City of Vaughan is situated in the Territory and Treaty 13 lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We also recognize the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and the Haudenosaunee. The City of Vaughan is currently home to many First Nations, Métis and Inuit people today. As representatives of the people of the City of Vaughan, we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and live in this territory.”
Today, the flags at all City facilities remain at half-mast in memory of the 751 First Nation, Métis and Inuit children who were uncovered recently in unmarked graves on the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan. In addition, this evening, Vaughan City Hall will be illuminated in orange to signify the experience of residential school children like six-year-old Phyllis Webstad of Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). The orange shirt she wore on her first day of residential school was stripped from her along with her culture and community. The colour commemorates the residential school experience, and the healing journey of the survivors and their families.
Today, the flags at all City facilities remain at half-mast in memory of the 751 First Nation, Métis and Inuit children who were uncovered recently in unmarked graves on the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan. In addition, this evening, Vaughan City Hall will be illuminated in orange to signify the experience of residential school children like six-year-old Phyllis Webstad of Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). The orange shirt she wore on her first day of residential school was stripped from her along with her culture and community. The colour commemorates the residential school experience, and the healing journey of the survivors and their families.
The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of a residential school experience. Support is available at 1-866-925-4419.
The annual award-winning Vaughan Celebrates Canada Day presented by TD and event sponsor Tim Hortons will be headlined by Canadian musicians and JUNO Award winners Sam Roberts Band, with special guest Jully Black, dubbed Canada’s queen of R&B and a JUNO Award winner.
Family-friendly performances include Practically Hip, Tribute to The Tragically Hip; Girl Pow-R Group; Bounce Entertainment and more. This year’s emcee will be JUNO-nominated singer, actress and co-host of Rogers Hometown Hockey and host of Top of Her Game, Tara Slone. Throughout the broadcast, audience members will be encouraged to participate in trivia questions about Canada, Vaughan and the show. Responses can be submitted to vaughancelebrates@vaughan.ca. Those who answer the questions correctly will be placed in a draw to win a $50 gift card for Tim Hortons. For the complete event lineup and additional information, visit vaughan.ca/CanadaDay.
For the second year in a row, the City will hold this event virtually in response to COVID-19. Despite the unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic, the City has been ready, resilient and resourceful and transitioned many programs, services and events online to continue to serve the community.
QUOTE
“As we observe Canada Day this year, we must remember that we have a responsibility to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action to continue meaningful reconciliation - acknowledgment is the first of many steps in our journey together. Today, we pause, reflect and acknowledge this moment of national mourning and remember the First Nation, Métis and Inuit victims and survivors of residential schools in Canada. The legacies of the residential schools continue to be felt by First Nation, Métis and Inuit and communities across the country. It is part of our history but is not just in the past; the responsibility of reconciliation is our reality today. We have an ethical and moral obligation to do better, and we must do better. The City of Vaughan is committed to ongoing discussions, learning and work towards the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Calls to Action. Vaughan’s Council-approved Indigenous Land Acknowledgement was updated in collaboration with the Mississaugas of Credit Frist Nation on June 22 to reflect the traditional territory of the lands we reside on and honour the many First Nation, Métis and Inuit people that live here today. To anyone experiencing pain or distress resulting from a residential school experience, the Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day at 1-866-925-4419.”
- Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua
LEARN MORE
- City of Vaughan website
- vaughan.ca/CanadaDay
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