Comox - National Day Of Truth & Reconciliation

Government offices within the Comox Valley Regional District will be closed Monday, September 30th, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

In a joint release,  the Town of Comox, City of Courtenay, Village of Cumberland and the Comox Valley Regional District say it’s a time for all residents of the Comox Valley to reflect on the history and traumatic legacy of residential schools in Canada, including seven schools that were located on Vancouver Island.

The release says public commemoration of the painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

To support the community in acknowledging this day together, most municipal facilities in the district will be closed on Monday:

• City of Courtenay City Hall
• Courtenay Fire Hall
• Courtenay Public Works
• Courtenay Recreation Lewis Centre
• Comox Town Hall
• Comox Community Centre
• Comox Municipal Works Yard
• Comox Valley Regional District Office
• Comox Valley Sports Centre
• Comox Valley Aquatic Centre
• LINC Youth Centre
• Florence Filberg Centre
• Village of Cumberland Office
• Village of Cumberland Recreation Centre
• Comox Valley Waste Management Centre 
• Campbell River Waste Management Centre

Throughout the year, local government employees are provided with educational tools to learn, acknowledge and raise awareness about the impacts of colonialism.

On Truth and Reconciliation Day, employees are also encouraged to participate in local events and activities that acknowledge residential school survivors and the lives of those children who did not come home.

Work continues through the Reconciliation Advisory Table, a group including representatives from the K’ómoks First Nation and community Indigenous groups, to identify ways that local government and the Indigenous community can move forward together on reconciliation initiatives that are appropriate and meaningful to the Indigenous community.

More information on the Advisory Table can be found at Comox Valley RD.

Residents are encouraged to wear an orange shirt and attend the Comox Valley Spirit Walk at Simms Park anytime between 11am-5pm.

*Permission to use this story's image was given by K'ómoks First Nation artist Andy Everson for the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) to use to the Every Child Matters design when promoting awareness about National Truth & Reconciliation Day/Orange Shirt Day.