Two-day Indigenous Legacy Gathering to be held in Nathan Phillips Square to honour residential school survivors

The City of Toronto will join the Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre (TCFNCC) for the Indigenous Legacy Gathering event today and tomorrow, to acknowledge and honour residential school survivors and those affected intergenerationally.

Undertaken by TCFNCC, in collaboration with the City, the Indigenous Legacy Gathering will showcase and celebrate the diversity of Indigenous Peoples’ cultures, traditions and languages through workshops, presentations, stories, teachings, dance, film and music.

Tipis designed by Indigenous artists and youth will again transform Nathan Phillips Square. Both days will begin with a sunrise ceremony, followed by featured speakers and presentations. Evening programming will feature special entertainment each night. All programming and workshops are family-friendly, safe, and free to the public.

The gathering will also promote the Spirit Garden as a permanent structure responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Call to Action 82. The Spirit Garden will honour residential school survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities. The spirit garden is set to be completed in 2023. More information is available online .

The Indigenous Legacy Gathering is designed with guidance from Toronto Public Health to provide a safer environment for participants. As per Provincial regulations, proof of vaccination is required to participate.

Those wishing to attend the Indigenous Legacy Gathering may register here .

TCFNCC is an autonomous, vibrant cultural agency that involves and serves the Indigenous community with confidence for, and commitment to, their well-being. The agency’s mandate is to provide counselling, material assistance and other direct services to First Nations people, as well as to encourage and enhance their spiritual and personal growth.

More information about the Toronto Fire Council and the Indigenous Legacy Gathering is available online .

Quotes:

“The Indigenous Legacy Gathering celebrates and honours the resilience of residential school survivors and their families and is an important form of reconciliation. The City is proud to collaborate with Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre on this vital event at Nathan Phillips Square. I invite Torontonians to visit Nathan Phillips Square to honour survivors and their families, while exploring, learning about and participating in Indigenous activities.”

– Mayor John Tory

“Council Fire is proud to host this year’s Indigenous Legacy Gathering once again, following a 20-month lockdown and recent discoveries of those unmarked gravesites. This gathering will serve as an opportunity to bring our families, friends, and supporters together in a setting that celebrates the resilience of residential school survivors who continue to embrace their national identities through their voice, language and practices, denied to them in these institutions.”

– Andrea Chrisjohn, Board Designate, Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre

Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter , Instagram or Facebook .

media@toronto.ca

NT5