North Bay raises ‘Every Child Matters’ flag ahead of Truth and Reconciliation Day
The City of North Bay raised the ‘Every Child Matters’ flag Thursday afternoon in a ceremony honouring Canada’s survivors and victims of the residential school system.
“We wanted to make sure we showed our respect,” Mayor Al McDonald said.
The flag was raised to a crowd of more than 50 Indigenous people, dignitaries and members of the public who were sporting orange shirts, hats and sweaters. It comes a day before Friday's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Helping McDonald raise the flag was former Nipissing First Nation Chief Marianna Couchie.
Couchie's aunts and uncles all attended residential schools and her father is a survivor of the Spanish Indian Residential School.
She will be reflecting and thinking of him Friday.
“He witnessed a lot of atrocities there," Couchie said.
"He was taught not to be proud of who he was … They ruined his self-esteem there. He was told many times there if he spoke his language that it was the devil's language."
Couchie said that about 30 years ago, she visited the school site with her father to pay respects to those who were forcibly taken from their families and taken to the schools.
She remembered her father telling her of where he believed there were unmarked graves.
“He showed us an area where he thought children were buried," Couchie said.
"It was just outside of the cemetery where that school was. It’s just mind-boggling that in this day and age people still deny what happened.”
She said there’s still along way to go for people to accept the realities of residential school horrors and move forward.
The City of North Bay raised the ‘Every Child Matters’ flag Thursday afternoon in a ceremony honouring Canada’s survivors and victims of the residential school system. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)
“We’ve been so colonized -- even non-Indigenous people have been colonized, too,” she said.
“It’s a day for non-Indigenous Canadians to learn with us and participate with us.”
In 2017, McDonald was asked by the former president of Nipissing University if the city would proclaim the year as Truth and Reconciliation Year. He agreed.
McDonald is calling on all North Bay citizens and Canadians to take a few minutes Friday and either research the history of residential schools or reflect in their own way.
“If you were to understand the history and just even a fraction what I've learned over the last five years, you'd be embarrassed as a Canadian,” McDonald said.
“Treaties weren’t recognized. Stigma and racism happened in our country.”
McDonald remembers the city partnered with First Nation leader George Couchie through a learning-and-accepting process in 2018.
“It hasn’t just been a one-day thing,” he said. “The vast majority of us recognize we have a lot to learn.”
The flag will remain until Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Jury selection in Trump hush money trial faces pivotal stretch as former U.S. president returns to court
Jury selection in the hush money trial of Donald Trump enters a pivotal and potentially final stretch Thursday as lawyers look to round out the panel of New Yorkers that will decide the first-ever criminal case against a former president.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.