‘We should be educating our kids’: Businesses look for creative ways to mark Truth and Reconciliation

EDMONTON (CityNews) – As Canada prepares to recognize the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Thursday, Canadians are navigating the best way to educate themselves.

Some schools, businesses and levels of government across the country are choosing to formally observe the day.

“This is an everyday thing for my family, and just because we are Indigenous, doesn’t mean we don’t have learning to do,” said Dr. Crystal Gail Fraser, an assistant professor in History and Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

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“I don’t think it should be taken lightly, like ‘oh let’s have a day off, let’s have a free day’. We should be educating our kids, and I’m trying to educate my kids as well,” the owner of Bake My Day, Jenn Foster, told CityNews.

The Edmonton-area bakery, ‘Bake My Day’ is choosing not to close down on Thursday. Instead, they’re inviting Indigenous creators into their space to showcase their talent and culture.

“I just thought it was a better option for me to stay open and educate people on Indigenous people. We do have a woman, her business is called Cree-ative Eats and she is a caterer so she will be coming in and making bannock and I believe a hamburger soup,” Foster added.

While many students won’t be in the classroom, one educator hopes parents will use the day off as an opportunity to educate their kids on Indigenous history and culture.

“There are a number of really great children’s books. I have one here on reconciliation ‘You Hold Me Up’ and another that’s a little bit on harder history and narratives,” Fraser added. “There’s a ton of reading out there for families that are interested.”

There will also be young Indigenous artists at Bake my Day to show and sell their art and a perform a smudging ceremony.

“Everything that I am doing for our baked goods will be orange because of Orange Shirt Day and 100 per cent of those proceeds will be going towards the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack fund,” Foster said.

Although grateful the government is recognizing Sept. 30 as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Fraser believes there is always an opportunity to learn.