Residential Schools National Monument

Call to Action #82 from the TRC – Truth and Reconcilliation Commission, challenges every province and territory to commission and install a “publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential School National Monument” in every capital city. The
monuments are “to honour Residential School Survivors and all the children who were lost to
their families and communities.”
A space in Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square will be the site of the Indian Residential School
System (IRSS) Legacy Sculpture. It will feature a snapping turtle climbing a boulder, symbolizing
triumph over the smothering of Indigenous identity and in honour of Residential School survivors.
It is crafted by Anishinaabe artist Solomon King under direction of the Toronto Council Fire
Native Cultural Centre.
“This project represents a significant step forward in Toronto’s commitment to restitution,” said
Andrea Chrisjohn, Board Designate for Council Fire. “Every person who comes to City Hall will
have a space to reflect on the legacy of Residential Schools and honour survivors. It will put the
history of Indigenous people front and centre in our city, and remind us how far we still have to
go.”
The project is supported by the City of Toronto. “Council Fire’s IRSS legacy project is a powerful
and thoughtful response to The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s call to action
for each capital city to establish a highly-visible, accessible structure to commemorate the victims
and survivors of the residential school system,” said Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam. “Toronto City
Council should demonstrate its active support for this extraordinary initiative of reconciliation by
funding and assisting in the full implementation of the vision on Nathan Phillips Square.”

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