Saturday is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation throughout Canada, a federal statutory holiday created to encourage reflection about the country’s history of residential schools and to honour survivors of the system that harmed generations of Indigenous youth.
Many events will be held throughout the Halifax area during the weekend — starting on Friday morning with a ceremonial flag raising and proclamation reading at Grand Parade. The city hall building will be lit with orange light on Saturday.
Heading into Friday evening, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 will be offering a special film screening. The event starts at 7 p.m. showcasing three films at no charge to the public.
The Mi’kmaq Native Friendship Centre will be hosting events throughout the weekend. Cultural displays are set for Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Halifax City Hall will continue being illuminated in orange light on Sunday to mark Treaty Day and the beginning of Mi’kmaq History Month.
Treaty Day is annually celebrated in Nova Scotia to recognize the Treaties signed between the British Empire and the Mi’kmaq people, the first signed in 1725.
To commemorate these events, a Treaty Day mass will be held at St. Mary’s Basilica at 10:30 a.m. before a vendor’s market, drum and dance presentation, and traditional salmon feast between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the Mi’kmaq Native Friendship Centre.
Saturday will also see the first of 17 light projection displays outside the former Halifax Memorial Library until March 31, 2024. A “special light projection show” for Mi’kmaq History Month will begin on Saturday and run until the end of October.
“Each night, the show pays tribute to this year’s Mi’kmaw History Month theme: Mi’kmaw Sports, Traditional Games, and Pastimes,” read a social media post from the Downtown Halifax Business Commission.
And the ceremonies don’t end once the weekend wraps, as city hall will host one more event on Monday morning.
“On Oct. 2, residents are invited to attend a flag raising ceremony at 10 a.m. on the Grand Parade, with a reading of the Treaty Day Proclamation by Mayor Mike Savage,” a release from the municipality read.
In addition to scheduled events, several services will be closed or operating on reduced hours.
All Halifax Public Library branches will be closed on both Saturday and Monday.
Halifax Transit buses and ferries will be operating on holiday hours on Saturday. The Alderney Ferry service will make its first departure from the Alderney terminal at 7:30 a.m. and operate on a half-hour frequency, making its final trip from the Halifax terminal at 11:45 p.m.
The Woodside ferry will not be operating on Saturday.
In addition to ferry service changes, all Halifax Transit buses will pull over at 2:15 p.m. for a moment of silence “in memory of the children who never returned home from residential schools, survivors, and their families and communities,” states a transit press release.
Most municipally operated recreation facilities will be closed on both Saturday and Monday, although the Emera Oval and Sackville Sports Stadium will remain open on Monday.
On-street parking will be free on Monday.
The municipality’s 311 contact centre will be closed on Saturday and resume operations on Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
In addition to scheduled events throughout the area, the municipality included some suggestions and resources for citizens looking to learn more about the importance of reconciliation and the Mi’kmaw land in which the Halifax Regional Municipality is located upon.
“Support Indigenous artists, drummers, singers, dancers, language learners and small business owners,” a statement read.
“Learn about the Mi’kmaw communities whose land you live on and visit the three First Nations in Halifax Regional Municipality.”
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