10/01/2026
Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
We remember the children who never came home from residential schools, and we honour the Survivors, their families and communities, who continue to carry the impacts.
Orange Shirt Day began here in BC. In 1973, six-year-old Phyllis Webstad arrived at St. Joseph Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, and the new orange shirt her grandmother bought her was taken away. Her story became a reminder that every child matters.
Reconciliation begins with truth. It means listening to Survivors, learning our history and acting on what we learn.
Surrey is home to one of the largest urban Indigenous communities in BC, and this is work we share as neighbours, today and every day.