Thompson city council has made June 30 a day to remember Indigenous children and families hurt by residential schools and other colonial policies. The proclamation, passed by council and posted as a notice by the City of Thompson, lines up with National Blanket Ceremony Day and gives residents a chance to reflect before Canada Day festivities begin.
The move is a big step for a community where, as Mayor Colleen Smook has pointed out, more than half the population is Indigenous. The day is meant to recognize survivors of residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, the Millennium Scoop, and ongoing impacts of the child welfare system. It was created by Sixties Scoop survivor Troy Abromaitis, who wanted Canadians to pause and think about children who were taken from their families before celebrating on July 1.
Thompson’s decision continues a long history of working toward reconciliation, said the city. Since signing the Thompson Indigenous Accord in 2009—originally the Aboriginal Accord and renamed in 2017—the city has partnered with groups like Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and the Thompson Urban Aboriginal Strategy on events and planning. The accord was signed on June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day, tying the city’s commitments directly to Indigenous celebrations.
Mayor Colleen Smook and the seven councillors—Chiew Chong, Duncan Wong, Deputy Mayor Louis Fitzpatrick, Kathy Valentino, Joyce McIvor, Sandra Oberdorfer, and Oswald Sawh—backed the proclamation. It puts Thompson among a growing list of Canadian cities, including Thunder Bay, Selkirk, and Ottawa, that have set aside June 30 as Indigenous Survivors Day. National Blanket Ceremony Day is tied to the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, an educational program that walks people through the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
The proclamation arrives just ahead of National Indigenous Peoples Day weekend and gives Thompson a formal way to recognize the pain carried by many families while also looking toward healing. “By placing Indigenous Survivors Day on June 30, we invite Canadians to reflect before they celebrate Canada Day, and to remember the children who are taken and why this matters,” Abromaitis has said.
