Ontario marks National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Toronto opens Spirit Garden
Ontario honored the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with the unveiling of a powerful monument dedicated to residential school survivors in Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto. The monument, a Spirit Garden, is one of many initiatives across the province aimed at reflecting on the tragic legacy of residential schools and the resilience of Indigenous peoples.
The Spirit Garden, located in front of Toronto City Hall, responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call for governments to establish publicly accessible monuments that honor the survivors and the thousands of Indigenous children who died in residential schools. The garden’s centerpiece is a striking turtle sculpture surrounded by a reflecting pool, engraved with the names of Ontario’s 18 former residential schools on its north wall.
Jordan Carrier, an attendee at the event, brought her children and grandchildren to the ceremony. “For me, today is not so much a celebration, but an honouring of the past,” Carrier said. Her grandmother, a residential school survivor and the last fluent Cree speaker in her family, feared her descendants would face abuse for speaking their language. Now, Carrier is reclaiming her Cree heritage, symbolized by a tattoo of Cree syllabics for ‘family’ on her wrist.
“I think of the generations before us and the residential school survivors… and how hard that was for them. We need to do the healing,” she added.
The residential school system, which forcibly separated more than 150,000 Indigenous children from their families between the 19th and 20th centuries, left deep scars on the Indigenous community. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 report concluded the system was part of a state-backed policy that amounted to cultural genocide.
Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict stressed the importance of remembering the ongoing impacts of the schools. “Our unique Nations and cultures exist today because survivors of the residential school system fought to keep them alive—often at great personal cost,” he said. “They passed on traditions, languages, and teachings that these institutions sought to erase.”
Monday also marks Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots movement started in 2013, inspired by Phyllis Webstad’s story. At just six years old, Webstad had the orange shirt her grandmother gave her taken away upon entering a residential school in 1973. Orange Shirt Day symbolizes the ongoing effects of the residential school system and the importance of reconciliation.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed his solidarity, announcing that several provincial government buildings would be illuminated in orange as a tribute. He encouraged Ontarians to reflect on this dark chapter in Canadian history and the intergenerational harm it has caused.
While the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a federal statutory holiday, it is not yet a provincial one in Ontario. Sol Mamakwa, New Democrat deputy leader and the only First Nation representative in the provincial legislature, vowed to continue his efforts to make it a paid provincial holiday, with plans to table the legislation in his Indigenous language.
The unveiling of the Spirit Garden in Toronto is a step towards healing and recognition, as the province and country continue to honor the legacy of survivors and the journey toward reconciliation.