The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations is hosting National Day for Truth and Reconciliation events in Haines Junction, Yukon, on September 30, 2026, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Da Ku Cultural Centre. The gathering honours residential school survivors and the children who never returned home.
The event coincides with Orange Shirt Day, which began in 2013 after Phyllis Webstad shared her story of having a new orange shirt taken away on her first day at a residential school. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation became a federal statutory holiday in 2021, and the Yukon made it a statutory holiday in 2022.
The Da Ku Cultural Centre is located at 280 Alaska Highway. Culture Days activities are also running at the centre from September 18 to October 4, 2026.
Residential schools operated in Yukon from 1903 to 1985 at six locations. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission identified 20 students missing from Chooutla Residential School in Carcross, and further research has identified 33 deaths there.
Anyone seeking more information can contact Da Ku staff at the cultural centre.
