Events are being held in advance of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation this Friday. A Survivors’ Flag was raised yesterday (Monday) in Civic Square near City Hall and will remain until October 3rd. It is meant to honour Residential School Survivors and all the lives and communities impacted. Each element on the flag was selected by survivors across the country, including Eugene Arcand. Arcand attended St. Michael’s Residential School in Duck Lake.

Another visible reminder is the Orange Banner Project. Close to 250 orange banners with Reconciliation messages have been installed on light poles around the city. There are ten different messages on these banners including “We are telling our stories”, “Over 160 years of pain” and “But together we can heal”. Mayor Chief Charlie Clark says the Orange Banner Project is an opportunity to continue building awareness and to create a sense of community. The Orange Banner Project is an initiative of the Saskatoon Tribal Council and the City of Saskatoon.

The banners appear along the following route:
• Starting at 20th Street W where it intersects with Avenue P S
• Continuing east along 20 Street as far as Spadina Crescent E
• Continuing northeast along Spadina Crescent as far as University Bridge
• Restarting on the other side of University Bridge, heading east on College Drive
• Continuing along College Drive until Preston Avenue N

There are 10 different banners, reading as follows:
• Banner #1: More than 150,000 attended residential schools
• Banner #2: Many never returned home
• Banner #3: It isn’t just Indigenous history
• Banner #4: It is our shared history
• Banner #5: We are telling our stories
• Banner #6: Every Child Matters
• Banner #7: Over 160 years of pain
• Banner #8: But together we can heal
• Banner #9: Saskatoon Survivors Circle – ayacimoyok “We are telling our stories”
• Banner # 10: Commitment to Reconciliation [Metis Survivors]