Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR). The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.
September 30 is also Orange Shirt Day which was an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters.” On this day, all Canadians are encouraged to wear orange to honour the thousands of survivors of residential schools.
In 2022, the first official commemoration of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was hosted in Airdrie through a collaboration between the City of Airdrie, Circle Connections for Reconciliation Society (CCFRS), Elders and Knowledge-Keepers from across Treaty 7 territory as well as Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3.