City employees will be given the day off on September 30th for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The City says they would like to recognize the tireless work of Phyllis Webstad and the Orange Shirt Day Society for advocating for a national statutory holiday to support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Action number 80, which calls upon the federal government to establish a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour residential school survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential school remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.
Williams Lake Mayor Walt Cobb says a ceremony was planned for the Stampede Grounds to observe National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
He says it’s been changed to a virtual ceremony because of COVID-19 rules.
“The impact, to me, is gone when you can’t meet and talk and be together,” Cobb says, “It just doesn’t work out though virtual, I know we’ve had different virtual meetings for our conventions and whatnot, and it’s not the same. You don’t get the same feeling of joining together when you’re just looking at someone on TV.”