A Quick Guide to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

What is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?

September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR), a day to honour Residential School Survivors, remember the children who never returned home, and recognize the lasting impacts of the residential school system on Indigenous families and communities.

NDTR was established in response to Call to Action 80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), which called for a statutory holiday to honour Survivors, their families and communities, and to ensure that the history and legacy of residential schools remains an important part of public commemoration. The federal government established September 30 as a statutory holiday in 2021.

September 30 is also Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led initiative that began in 2013 in Williams Lake, British Columbia. Orange Shirt Day was inspired by the experience of Residential School Survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad. When Phyllis was six years old, her grandmother bought her a new orange shirt to wear to school. When she arrived at St. Joseph Mission Residential School, the shirt was taken from her and never returned.

Phyllis’s experience has become a powerful symbol of the way Indigenous children were stripped of their identities, cultures, families and belongings through the residential school system. Wearing orange on September 30 is now one way to honour Survivors and remember the children who experienced residential schools, with the message that Every Child Matters.

Why does Truth and Reconciliation matter in the workplace?

Truth and reconciliation is not limited to governments, schools or Indigenous organizations. Workplaces (and those within them) are also part of Canadian society and have a role to play in learning about Canada’s history and the ongoing impacts of colonialism.

For employers, NDTR provides an opportunity to move beyond just recognizing the day on a calendar. It can be a starting point for learning, reflection and considering what reconciliation means within the workplace and the communities in which we live and work.

What can employers do to recognize NDTR?

For some employees, September 30 will be a day off. NDTR is a statutory holiday for employees in federally regulated workplaces. Some provincial employers may also choose to close their workplaces or provide employees with the day off.

Employers who close on September 30 may wish to encourage employees to use the time to learn more about Indigenous history, their individual responsibilities as treaty persons, and the ongoing work of reconciliation.

For workplaces that remain open, employers can consider setting aside a few hours during the workday for employees to learn together. There is no single way to observe the day. But some options include:

• Learn about the land where you work – A land acknowledgement can be a useful starting point, but it’s more meaningful when employees understand the Indigenous nations connected to the land and the treaties or agreements that apply to it.
• Attend an Indigenous-led event – Consider attending a public event like a pow wow, cultural gathering, talk or ceremony. Taking part in an event led by Indigenous communities can provide an opportunity to learn directly from Indigenous peoples and support Indigenous-led programming.
• Wear orange – Wearing an orange shirt on September 30 is one way to recognize Orange Shirt Day and honour Survivors and the children who never returned home. Employers can also use the opportunity to explain the significance behind the orange shirt.
• Support Indigenous organizations – consider making a donation to an Indigenous-led organization or purchasing goods or services from Indigenous artists, businesses or organizations.

A suggestion for those in the GTA: visit Biidaasige Park

If you are located in the GTA, consider spending some time at Biidaasige Park, Toronto’s newest waterfront park in the Port Lands. The first phase of the park opened to the public in July 2025, and additional phases are continuing to open as the Port Lands develops. The park is located on Ookwemin Minising, meaning “place of the black cherry trees” in Anishinaabemowin.

Biidaasige is pronounced bee-daw-sih-geh and means “sunlight shining toward us.” The names Biidaasige Park and Ookwemin Minising island were selected through an Indigenous-led naming process. The City worked with an Indigenous Advisory Circle made up of Elders, Knowledge Keepers, language speakers, youth and community members. Together, the group explored the area’s history, cultural values and stories before selecting the names.

The name “Biidaasige” reflects the relationship between the earth, water, sun and moon. It also connects the park to waterway restoration and reconciliation. This connection is particularly meaningful because the park is part of Toronto’s Port Lands Flood Protection project.

As part of the project, the mouth of the Don River has been re-naturalized, with a new river valley and wetlands created on Ookwemin Minising Island. These natural features help absorb and divert excess water, reducing the risk of severe flooding along Toronto’s eastern waterfront. The park is therefore both a place for gathering and connection and an important part of the city’s flood-protection and environmental restoration efforts.

The park also incorporates Indigenous placekeeping into its design, including Indigenous plantings and opportunities to make Indigenous history and presence more visible on Toronto’s waterfront.

The history of this land extends far beyond the park’s recent redevelopment. If you visit, consider taking some time to learn about the history of the area and the Indigenous perspectives and knowledge incorporated into the park!

Moving beyond September 30

Truth and reconciliation is an ongoing process, not something that can be accomplished through a single day of recognition. September 30 provides an opportunity to pause, remember the history and continuing impacts of the residential school system, and learn more about the Indigenous peoples and communities who remain on these lands where we live and work today. Whatever method of reflection, recognition and learning you choose, meaningful reconciliation requires that the conversation continue beyond September 30.