09/30/2026
We are closed today, September 30, for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
We’re taking the day to remember the children who were taken from their families, the Survivors who carry what happened with them, and the families, communities, and neighbours who continue to live with the effects of residential schools.
The federal act that created this day was made in response to Call to Action 80 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Its purpose is pretty plain: honour Survivors and their families and communities, and keep the history and legacy of residential schools part of our public memory and our work toward reconciliation.
Here in Kaslo, we’re living on land with a much longer history than the town itself. Ktunaxa and Sinixt people used Kaslo Bay for camping, dry fishing, and making tools long before this became a mining and logging town, and the broader area has also been used by Syilx and Secwépemc peoples. Those histories, languages, cultures and relationships with this land are still here.
So what can we actually do?
Learn whose territory you’re living on. Learn the history of residential schools and the Indian Act. Listen to Indigenous people when they tell their own stories. Support Indigenous artists, businesses, educators and cultural organizations. Show up when you’re invited. Teach your kids. Pay attention to what’s happening here at home.
And don’t let today be the only day you do it.
If you’re in Kaslo, take a walk over to the library and borrow a book by an Indigenous author, educator or storyteller. They’ve also put together a whole page of Indigenous resources, from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and First Voices to courses, films, books and resources for learning about residential schools, Indigenous history, language and culture.
So yes. We’ll be closed today. We’ll see you tomorrow.
In the meantime, us and our little brood will listen, learn, remember, and make some room for the truth.
