Today is a tough day for many, including myself.

Being a granddaughter to a residential school survivor, I have grown up with the troubling history surrounding my people. Now recognized nationally as a day to reflect on the past between the settlers and indigenous peoples, it is important for natives to tell their stories about residential schools so that we never forget what happened and we always remember that Every Child Matters.

Today we wear orange shirts because of Phyllis Webstad. When she was a little girl, she was given a new orange shirt from her grandma which was then taken away by the nuns on her first day of residential school.

The orange shirt is now a symbol of our culture, freedom, and history being taken from us, but it is also a symbol for our resilience and our strength. To show the people that tried to get rid of us, that we’re still here.

Today in London: the Administrative Office is closed. There will be no garbage, recycling, or green bin pickups. There will be new orange crosswalks. The raising of the Five Signatory First Nations Flags. The raising of the Survivors’ Flag at City Hall.

Road Restrictions

In order to speed up preparatory work for the surface paving for the Downtown Loop Phase 3 project, Wellington Street will have fewer lanes between Dufferin Avenue and York Street starting on Monday, September 30 and lasting until around Friday, October 11.

In order to permit work to begin at the Wellington Street and Dundas Street intersection, access to Dundas Place off Wellington Street will be temporarily restricted during this time. Ridout Street North, Talbot Street, Richmond Street, and Clarence Street will continue to offer access to Dundas Place.

For the duration of the overnight closures, a temporary two-way traffic configuration will be in place on King Street and Queens Avenue in the vicinity of Clarence Street and Wellington Street, as well as between Wellington Street and Waterloo Street, to facilitate access to nearby properties and businesses.

Wellington Street traffic will be rerouted to avoid the closure in both directions.

Seniors For Climate

Taking over Seniors Day, is now Seniors for Climate.

Seniors nationwide are demanding that the government take climate change seriously and start acting now.

On October 1st, Seniors and supporters will protest in Victoria Park at 4pm – 6pm.