Article reprinted with permission from Tla'amin Nation. View the original article.
The public is invited to a free community event of learning and reflection.
The Tla’amin Nation, City of Powell River, qathet Regional District, Vancouver Island University and qathet School District will host Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Marie Wilson for a public talk at the Evergreen Theatre on Saturday, September 20.
Dr. Wilson is a journalist and educator and the only non-Indigenous commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Dr. Wilson spent six years gathering testimony from more than 6,500 survivors and documenting the history and lasting impacts of the residential school system. She is the author of the 2024 bestseller North of Nowhere: Song of a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner.
The evening runs from 4 to 7 pm and will feature welcoming remarks, a keynote address by Dr. Wilson, a question-and-answer session, and a book signing.
This community event offers a chance to reflect on what has been learned in the decade since the TRC’s Final Report and Calls to Action, and to consider the practical steps that individuals, institutions and governments can now take. Light refreshments will be served.
All community members are invited to attend and take part in a respectful conversation about truth, healing and the shared work of reconciliation in the qathet region. Please wear orange if you can in solidarity with residential school survivors and their family members.
To register please visit: https://10-years-after-the-TRC.eventbrite.com
Event Partner quotes
“Every Tla’amin family has been affected by residential schools and intergeneration impacts of colonization. Separating children from parents was a strategy used to break down our families and institutions, and the ripples of this policy live on today. We are honoured to welcome Commissioner Marie Wilson to our territory to share her insights and experiences gathered from survivors across Canada. Her book contains messages of hope and healing we all need today.” hegus John Hackett, Tla’amin Nation
“Remembering the past is not simply an act of recounting history; it is an act of reconciliation. By working together, we can ensure that the very real atrocities of residential schools are not forgotten, and that we continue to honour survivors’ testimonies and the stories of those who did not survive. Please join us as we hear from Dr. Wilson to learn about our shared history, and how each of us can contribute to true and lasting reconciliation in our community.” Clay Brander, Chair qathet Regional District
“As a school district, we believe education has the power to confront truth and create change. Partnering to support an evening of dialogue where our community can come together to learn the histories and realities that shape us is an important step toward reconciliation and a special opportunity for students and their families that we are honoured to be a part of.” Paul McKenzie, Superintendent of Schools, qathet School District
“Vancouver Island University is honoured to be part of an event that invites us to reflect on the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the lasting impacts of the residential school system. As the late Honourable Murray Sinclair stated, ‘Education got us into this mess, education is also the tool that will get us out.’ Conversations like these are key to learning about the past and how we can work together to advance reconciliation today.” Dr. Dennis Johnson, Interim President and Vice-Chancellor, Vancouver Island University
“This event is an opportunity for our community to come together to listen and reflect. In doing so it will help us achieve our goal of mutual respectful relationships.” Ron Woznow, Mayor – City of Powell River
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