09/30/2026
Today, September 30th, is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.
Today, we honour the children who never came home, Survivors of residential schools, their families, and the generations still carrying the impacts of that harm.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action remind us that reconciliation is not symbolic. It is not a single day, a shirt, or a statement. It is ongoing work.
For Start Me Up Niagara, that work connects deeply to the spaces where the Calls to Action speak about closing gaps in health and well-being, supporting mental health and addictions care, recognizing the need for healing, and improving access to appropriate, respectful services.
We know that food, clothing, employment support, connection, referrals, and a safe place to be are not separate from dignity. They are part of it. They are part of how communities respond when people have been pushed to the margins.
Reconciliation asks us to listen first, to learn continuously, and to act with humility.
Start Me Up Niagara is proud to stand behind the Niagara Regional Native Centre today at City Hall, and to continue lending our voice to the work of furthering Truth and Reconciliation in Niagara.
We encourage our community to make space for Indigenous voices, Survivor stories, and continued learning — not only on September 30th, but every day after.
Every Child Matters.
