Mayor's Statement on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2025

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we reflect on the legacy of residential schools and reaffirm our responsibility to listen, learn, and take meaningful steps toward reconciliation with Indigenous communities. 

In Saugeen Shores, we are dedicated to building meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities, particularly the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, on whose traditional territory we live. Earlier this year, Saugeen Shores and Saugeen First Nation signed a Friendship Accord: Wiijkiwenydiwaad Miinwa Zgaabiignigan, meaning “Friends with one another, and we are connected.” This accord is a shared promise to build stronger ties through collaboration, to foster a future of mutual respect, and to walk forward together in the spirit of reconciliation. 

As a mark of our solidarity, the Town has flown the Every Child Matters flag throughout September, and today, it flies at half-mast alongside the Canadian flag.  

Today, we encourage all residents to wear orange, to engage in thoughtful discussion about the legacy of residential schools, and to reflect on what reconciliation can look like in our daily lives. 

Let us move forward together, building a future of respect, understanding, and reconciliation with the First Nations that enrich our communities. On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, may reflection lead us to action, healing, and hope. 

I encourage everyone in our community and beyond to visit the Bruce County Museum exhibit, A National Crime: The Residential School System, Local Saugeen Ojibway Nation Impacts, on now until November 30.