Below are a series of resources available to health care staff to promote education and awareness of issues facing Indigenous patients and practitioners. These resources will be updated on an ongoing basis, so be sure to check back often.
Jump down to our Indigenous Health resources »
As part of Alberta Health’s primary health care transformation, an Indigenous Advisory Panel report was released in October 2023. Find the report here.
A list of Edmonton and area events for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation can be found below.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2024
National Day For Truth and Reconciliation is on Monday, September 30. The day, also known as Orange Shirt Day, commemorates survivors of residential schools, as well as the children who never returned home.
The EZPCNC joined AHS in marking the day by co-sponsoring a keynote talk by Elder Dr. Francis Whiskeyjack.
Elder Dr. Francis Whiskeyjack – Keynote Speaker
September 25, 2024
12:00 – 1:30 pm
Bernard Snell Hall Theatre, UofA Hospital and online
AHS welcomes Elder Dr. Francis Whiskeyjack as our keynote speaker. Francis is from the Saddle Lake First Nation and will be sharing his story as a residential school survivor. As a community leader and educator, Francis will also share his thoughts on reconciliation, and the accomplishments that led to him receiving an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Alberta and having an Edmonton public school named after him. His story of loss, strength, resilience and hope will be inspirational and leave a lasting memory for all. This event is sponsored by the Edmonton Zone Primary Care Networks Committee.
To see all the AHS event recordings for the day, click here.
See more Edmonton events
Truth and Reconciliation Week – Taking Truth to Action – Lunch and Learn webinars
These 50-minute sessions will begin at 12 pm CDT each day. All sessions will have simultaneous English-French and ASL interpretation.
Spotlight on healthcare – September 23, 2024 – Health-related impacts of the residential school system
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
September 23 – 27, 2024
Schedule and more info »
Reclaiming Ceremony
Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society
September 30, 2024
10 – 3:30 pm
11648-85 St, Edmonton
More info and full schedule »
Nékem: Honouring National Day For Truth and Reconciliation
The intention of this gathering is to create a space for sharing stories of healing through reconnection to culture and strengthen awareness of the unique experiences of Indigenous Peoples today. Sharing will focus on the next generation of Indigenous Peoples who need to heal from the trauma and provide a safe space for all Indigenous peoples to be heard, to grow and to heal. George Burnstick and the Abraham Lake Singers will be opening following prayer. Soup and bannock will also be provided.
John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights Honouring
September 30, 2024
12 – 5 pm
CO*LAB – Community {Arts} Laboratory, 9641 102A Avenue, Edmonton
Registration and more info »
Royal Alberta Museum Activities
September 30, 2024
10 am – 3 pm
9810 103A Avenue, Edmonton
In-person Storytime – Nokum is my Teacher by David Bouchard, and Phyllis’s Orange Shirt by Phyllis Webstad
11:30 am – 12 pm
The Roundhouse | RAM Main Floor
Virtual Storytime – Shi-Shi-Etko and Shin-chi’s Canoe, read by author Nicola Campbell
Watch the read-aloud on YouTube, or find it on the museum Facebook page
mâmawi nîpawiwin – Standing Together: Orange Shirt Day Community Walk
Walk alongside us in honour of the survivors who are gone, and those still walking with us
Meet at Mary Burlie Park
September 30, 2024
12 – 3pm
12pm – meet at Mary Burlie Park | 10465 97 St NW
12:30 pm – walk begins
1 – 3 pm – gather at Giovanni Caboto Park | 9425 109A Ave NW
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Leadership Symposium
Hear from Indigenous speakers, engage in discussions and participate in activities that promote understanding and unity. Speakers include:
Kimberly Murray (keynote speaker), Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools
Carol Anne Hilton, author of Indigenomics
Lewis Cardinal, owner of Cardinal Strategic Communications
Billy Morin, Director of AxxcelusCapital Advisory
MacEwan University
September 30, 2024
9 – 10:30 am
Paul Byrne Hall, MacEwan University | Robbins Health Learning Centre, 10910 104 Ave NW
Registration and more info »
Film: WaaPaKe (Tomorrow)
Moving beyond burying intergenerational trauma, WaaPaKe (Tomorrow) is an invitation to unravel the tangled threads of silence and unite in collective freedom and power. Directed by Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin.
September 30, 2024
12 pm (Doors and Pipe Ceremony – 11 am)
Metro Cinema | 8712 109 St NW
Free admission
More info »
Every Child Matters Traditional Feast and Round Dance – Indigenous Artist Market Collective
September 30, 2024
3 – 11pm
Alberta Aviation Museum | 11410 Kingsway NW
Schedule and more info »
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Indigenous Health
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Indigenous History
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Truth and Reconciliation
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Orange Shirt Day
Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Indigenous Life
By James Daschuk
University of Regina Press, updated edition 2019
Originally published in 2013, this important and compelling book describes in stark detail the origins of the “Indian Health” policies, stemming from the early-to-late 1800s with a focus on First Nations in the western prairie provinces. Winner of the 2014 Governor General’s History Award and the Aboriginal History Prize.
The North-West is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel’s People, the Métis Nation
By Jean Tillet
HarperCollins Canada, 2019
This book gives a detailed and specific look at the rise of Métis identity and nationhood, written by Louis Riel’s great-grandniece.
Origins of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — Government of Canada
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation – website with assorted resources
A National Journey for Reconciliation – video from TRC Alberta National Event, 2014
Origins of Orange Shirt Day – video featuring Phyllis Webstad’s story; August 2021