09/30/2026
Today, Three Oaks recognizes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.
As an organization located in Belleville, we are neighbours to Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, home to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. Today, we honour residential school Survivors, their families and communities, and the children who never returned home.
Truth must come before reconciliation, and part of that truth is understanding the history and ongoing impacts of the residential school system in Canada.
For more than 150 years, First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were taken from their families and communities to attend residential schools, often far from their homes. More than 150,000 children attended these institutions, which the federal government funded and churches largely administered. The explicit intent of the system was to separate Indigenous children from their families, cultures and languages and assimilate them.
Children were punished for speaking their languages, and thousands experienced physical and sexual abuse. Many children never returned home.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada concluded that the residential school system was part of a policy of cultural genocide.
The harm caused by residential schools did not end when the schools closed.
Survivors, families and communities continue to live with the impacts of forced separation, abuse, the loss of language and culture, and generations of colonial policies designed to disrupt Indigenous families and communities.
As an organization working to address gender-based violence, we recognize that this history cannot be separated from the disproportionate violence Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people continue to experience today.
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls documented how historic and ongoing colonialism, racism, sexism and violations of Indigenous rights have contributed to the violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
Supports Available:
Residential School Survivor Support Line
1-866-925-4419
24/7 crisis support for former residential school students and their families.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis Line
1-844-413-6649
24/7 crisis support for anyone affected by the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people.
Hope for Wellness Helpline
1-855-242-3310
24/7 support for Indigenous people across Canada from experienced, culturally competent counsellors. Support is available in English and French, with Cree, Ojibway (Anishinaabemowin) and Inuktitut available by phone upon request.
Online chat: hopeforwellness.ca
Talk4Healing
1-855-554-HEAL (4325)
Free, culturally grounded and confidential support for Indigenous women across Ontario, available 24/7 by phone, text and online chat.
Online Chat: www.beendigen.com/programs/talk4healing/
