Communities mark Orange Shirt Day and reconciliation day

Communities across Canada marked Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, with school assemblies, calls for public participation and a municipal proclamation. The observance honors residential school survivors, their families and communities, and those who did not return home, while drawing attention to the legacy of the residential school system. In Alberta, Chinooks Edge School Division schools held Orange Shirt Day assemblies in the days before September 30. A local report said performers, including Quentin Pipestem of the Tsuutina Nation, visited schools in Didsbury and Carstairs on Tuesday, September 29, with words and traditional dance. Students in Olds and Sundre were also invited to wear orange shirts on September 29. The report did not provide further details about the assemblies or the performers’ presentations. In Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan School Boards Association and the province’s 27 school boards encouraged people to participate in Orange Shirt Day, according to the association. The day was also proclaimed federally as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.