On Sept. 30, a bright orange and white flag will be raised at Edmonton’s city hall. City facilities, including the High Level and Walterdale bridges, the Muttart Conservatory, Edmonton Tower and Commonwealth Stadium will be lit with orange light. The colour will be shared by those wearing shirts in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the annual day to remember those who survived Canada’s residential school system and those who were lost because of it.
“If Edmontonians do one thing, we encourage them to make time to listen and learn from survivors and trusted Indigenous sources,” says Krystin Flierl, the director of the city’s Indigenous Relations Office. As part of the way the city works to grow through the process of Truth and Reconciliation, Sept. 30 also marks a day city employees can take Indigenous Awareness Training to learn more about cultural protocols and the treaty system.
“It can be a difficult and emotional day for survivors, their families and Indigenous communities. People may choose to mark the day publicly, privately, with family or through ceremony,” Flierl says. “There is no single way to participate.”
If you want to find ways to observe the day while surrounded by nature and other people, the Sixth Annual Orange Shirt Day Run/Walk could be exactly what you’re looking for. Three groups of runners set out from Kinsmen Park at staggered start times for the 2.15-k, five-k and 10-k races.
“This is more than a run or walk. It is a gathering to honour and remember our little ancestors who never made it home, hold space for survivors, and support truth, healing and justice,” says Anita R. Cardinal, chair and founder of the Indigenous Runners Alliance Society. “Everyone is welcome. Whether you run, walk or join in ceremony, we ask you to come with respect and understand the meaning behind every step.”
In addition to the run itself, there will also be a Root for Trees giveaway, singing and drum performances and on-site food trucks.
Orange Shirt Day Run/Walk | Kinsmen Sports Centre, 9100 Walterdale Hill, Edmonton | September 27, 2026 at noon | indigenousrunner.com
Edmonton Public Library has a week of programming to honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, starting Sept. 22 and running until Sept. 29, while all branches will be closed on Sept. 30 to observe the day itself.
Among other activities, the library has a program where you can write messages on paper cut-outs of orange shirts that will be displayed around the city’s libraries to show what truth and reconciliation means to the community at large. There are also online resources explaining why we observe the day and what the orange shirts mean, as well as recommended reading for those who want to learn more from Indigenous authors with books like The Inconvenient Indian and documentaries like Muffins for Granny and We Were Children.
One library event is a screening of the film s-yéwyáw / AWAKEN, followed by a conversation with Elder Terry “Coyote” Aleck about his experiences with this project. It’s billed as “stories of hope and homecoming.”
s-yéwyáw / AWAKEN | Downtown | Stanley Milner Library | 7 Sir Winston Churchill Square NW, Edmonton | September 24, 2026 at 6 p.m. | epl.ca
On Sept. 30, the Edmonton Short Film Festival and Audreys Books are coming together to co-host a screening of local Indigenous short films and talks from local Indigenous authors. Two filmmakers and two authors will be in attendance, and the event begins with a smudging ceremony performed by Elder Terry Lusty. The event is free/pay-what-you-can, but it requires registration.
No matter where you are or what your plans include on Sept. 30, take a moment to stop and think about Canada’s residential schools and history of colonialism. As Krystin Flierl says, there is no single way to participate, and the day should be an opportunity to consider what reconciliation means year-round.
Truth and Reconciliation: A Short Film Screening Event
Downtown | Audreys Books | 10702 Jasper Ave NW, Edmonton | September 30, 2026 at 3:45 pm | esff.ca
