Print
Acknowledgement of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
News
Holland Bloorview recognizes National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Federal government announces September 30 as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 

In July 2021, the federal government designated September 30 as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Note: This day is not currently recognized as a statutory holiday in Ontario). National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an opportunity to recognize the widespread abuse of children at residential schools, honour survivors and their families and work toward reconciliation. Holland Bloorview encourages everyone to take the opportunity over the course of this important day for reflection, learning and action. September 30 has also been known as Orange Shirt Day since 2013. This date falls during the time of year when Indigenous children across Canada were taken from their families and communities and brought to residential schools.

Background

In 2008, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was created with the purpose of documenting the history and lasting impacts of the Canadian Indian residential school system on Indigenous families. It provided residential school survivors an opportunity to share their experiences during public and private meetings held across the country. In 2015, the TRC released 94 calls to action in its Call to Action report to advance the cause of reconciliation. Included in the 94 calls to action are seven focused primarily on health and the healthcare sector.

Indigenous communities and Nations continue to advocate for access to water, justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, healing for Sixties Scoop survivors, access to resources to address health inequities and an overhaul of the foster care system among other priorities.

Holland Bloorview is committed to improving health outcomes for Indigenous children and families. We also acknowledge the unique position we hold as an academic hospital to close the unacceptable gap in healthcare inequity, empower the next generation of healthcare professionals, expand relevant research and invest in Indigenous healthcare workers.

With a focus on reconciliation and healing, it is important to understand that advancing the cause of reconciliation through action is all of our responsibility.

What does it mean to acknowledge National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to members of the Holland Bloorview community?

“It means honoring the memory of my late ex-husband, Miles Stanley Henderson (Montreal Lake Cree Nation), who survived the Sixties Scoop for a while and created beautiful wildlife paintings.”

– Vera Nenadovic, nurse practitioner

“Truth and Reconciliation Day is an opportunity for us to take pause and reflect about the learnings acquired and actions taken over the last year about our colonial history and the ongoing impacts on our Indigenous brothers and sisters. In the Bloorview Research Institute, we have continued to learn about the lingering scars and caliginous penumbra of colonialism in science, which ironically serves as a dark counterpoise to the enlightenment promised by science. We hosted our first two Indigenous summer students as part of our Ward summer student program and scientists and staff continued to complete Indigenous Cultural Safety training. On this day, we acknowledge that there is still much to learn but commit to practically contributing to reconciliation through the training and engagement of Indigenous students and researchers.”

– Tom Chau, vice president, research and director, Bloorview Research Institute

“Commemorating Truth and Reconciliation Day is an opportunity for all of us at Bloorview School to continue to educate ourselves so that we can share this learning and understanding with our school community.  This is just one day of our journey, as we learn new ways to incorporate the history as well as the incredible contributions of Indigenous peoples into all aspects of our curriculum.”

– Sarah Nauman, principal, Bloorview School Authority

“It is important to me to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It acknowledges the unacceptable history that Indigenous children experienced in the residential ”schools”, the horrors they endured and the impact these experiences still have today on them, their descendants and their communities. September 30 is another opportunity for me to keep learning about this from Indigenous people and helps me reflect on how I can do my part to address these issues.”

– Lise Olds, administrative assistant, Bloorview Research Institute

What is Holland Bloorview doing to implement calls to action?

While we continue to reflect on our process to create an Indigenous strategy as part of our IDEA work plan, we would like to use this opportunity to highlight some activities that our staff have been spearheading:

Ward Summer Student Program:

  • In 2021, the Ward Summer Student Program focused its recruitment efforts supported by our partners with connections to Indigenous communities. It allowed the Bloorview Research Institute (BRI) to hire two Indigenous students in this 12-week program. This 12-week program empowers students to gain valuable life, career and academic experiences to achieve success in the life sciences sector.


Training and education:

  • Holland Bloorview’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) office has been coordinating staff participation in San'yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training. Since September 2019, 105 staff completed the one-week training course successfully.
  • Irene Andress, chief nursing executive, and her team invited Elder Little Brown Bear, director of Aboriginal education, programs, culture and The Aboriginal Healing Program at Michael Garron Hospital to raise awareness about Indigenous teachings and culture for Holland Bloorview employees.
  • The people and culture team has introduced a new mandatory course for all staff on diversity & inclusion fundamentals created by the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), which also includes introductory concepts for staff on Indigenous inclusion.
  • 50 staff members from Bloorview School Authority (BSA) and 10 staff from the Holland Bloorview’s IDEA and foundation teams completed the Indigenous Cultural Competency Training (ICCT) designed for the development of necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes and values to build meaningful and informed relationships with urban Indigenous communities. In addition, 23 staff members from BSA completed trauma-informed education training, which supports a broader paradigm shift envisioned by Ontario’s Comprehensive Action Plan for Accepting Schools for creating safe learning environments in ways that are relevant and meaningful to the school community. The course works to expand understanding of Indigenous student perspectives, through shifting the education system to become more culturally competent through a trauma-informed approach.


Partnerships:

  • Along with several other Children’s Treatment Centres, Holland Bloorview has been working to support the complex care needs strategy for Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN). Holland Bloorview has been part of a “clinical mentorship action team” since January 2019 to support coordinated approaches between Indigenous and mainstream health services to address the complexity of health issues for children with complex care needs in Indigenous communities. The development of synergistic partnerships offers creative approaches to broaden service capacity to support enhanced continuity of care, service integration and easy access for clients and families. We have also been an active part of curriculum development for a new role of paediatric Indigenous rehabilitation assistant (PIRA) at the Oshki-Wenjack Education Institute. 

Learning Resources:

Attend community events:

  • The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is hosting a 5-day national event from September 27 to October 1 that will continue the conversations from Every Child Matters. Important conversations including the truths of the Indigenous treaties, First Nation, Métis and Inuit land claims, and the residential school system. This online event will provide historical workshops, exclusive video content, and activities for students — all supported by artistic and cultural performances by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists. FREE event – register through Eventbrite.
  • Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) is commemorating National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with a sacred fire offered by Elder Little Brown Bear and community members at the Bear’s Den All Nations Traditional Medicine Sweat Lodge on the grounds of MGH from sunrise to sunset on September 30, 2021. There will also be four pipe ceremonies throughout the day, one for each of the four directions represented by the Medicine Wheel. More information about the event and how to participate is available on MGH’s website.
  • Virtual Webinar Series: In early 2021, the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) presented a four-part virtual series looking at the experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and communities with COVID-19. These webinars are available for viewing online.
  • Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto has several events planned for the week. On September 28, Dalla Lana is hosting an event for the film Indian Horse. On September 29, a virtual tour of Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre is planned. On September 30, the school is hosting Honouring Truth and Reconciliation Day. You must be a past or present UofT student to attend.

Mental health resources:

If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll-free line at 1-800-721-0066. More mental health resources available include: