Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Events FAQ
Why are classes suspended on September 18th?
The Indian Residential School system operated in Canada from 1875-1996, taking children away from their families and communities. Many suffered significant abuse and many died. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission gathers and shares their stories at National Events.
UBC has taken the extraordinary step of suspending classes on September 18th, the first day of the Vancouver Event, so that students, faculty, and members of the UBC community have the opportunity to participate.
How do I get to the event on September 18th?
Directions to the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) http://www.pne.ca/contacts/maps-and-directions.html. There will be signs and assistance at the PNE to the specific buildings. Several bus routes go to the PNE from UBC: the #14 goes all the way without transfers.
What time should I attend the TRC event?
The full program is now available on http://irsi.aboriginal.ubc.ca and at http://www.trc.ca and http://www.myrobust.com/websites/vancouver/index.php?p=719.
We advise that you arrive at the PNE by 9:00 and be sure to attend the 11:00 “Be The Change” and the 1:00 “Commissioners Sharing Panel” session. UBC President Toope speaks at 3:00 in the “Expressions of Reconciliation” session. Academic panels will be held 9:00-11:00 on Friday and 9:00-10:30 on Saturday.
There are a variety of programming options throughout the week. Please see the http://irsi.aboriginal.ubc.ca site for related events at UBC and throughout the city.
Do I need to register to attend the event on September 18th?
No. The main TRC event is an open invitation and there is room for 5,000 people.
Will there be food at the event?
There will be vendors within the venue for purchasing food and drink.
How do I volunteer or find out about similar events?
There are many ways to get involved:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission – http://www.trc.ca
UBC Indian Residential School Initiative – http://irsi.aboriginal.ubc.ca
Reconciliation Canada – http://reconciliationcanada.ca/events/
City of Vancouver Year of Reconciliation Events: http://vancouver.ca/people-programs/year-of-reconciliation.aspx
Can I participate on other days?
The TRC Reconciliation Week events will run from the 16th to the 22nd of September. For more info, visit the http://irsi.aboriginal.ubc.ca site.
There will be streaming video of events via the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s website – http://www.trc.ca. This can be viewed throughout the week.
For more programming information visit: www.trc.ca or http://www.myrobust.com/websites/vancouver/index.php?p=719
How can I learn more about the Indian Residential School system?
There is a wealth of educational material about the Indian Residential Schools available online.
To start, visit the Indigenous Foundations site at http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca.
For more, see: http://irsi.aboriginal.ubc.ca/category/resources and the Xwi7xwa Library’s study guide on Residential Schools: http://guides.library.ubc.ca/abresidential_schools.
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