National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is recognized annually on September 30th. The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Our public commemoration of the history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
Residential schools were a forced assimilation program that separated Indigenous children from their families, language, communities, and culture. Children were often taken far from their homes, making it difficult to hold on to their native languages and customs. From 1831 to 1996, the Canadian federal government and Christian denominations funded residential schools. Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada’s first prime minister and architect of the system once said, “take the Indian out of the child.”
Many children faced abuse at the hands of residential school educators and religious institutions, leading to inter-generational trauma and a disconnection between future generations and their cultures.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation came from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which made 94 Calls to Action for Canadian citizens, businesses, and governments at all levels. We have built our Indigenous Relations strategy based on the foundation of Call to Action 92, which urges Canadian businesses to commit to consulting and obtaining informed consent from Indigenous peoples, providing equal job opportunities, training, education, and fostering an anti-racist workplace.
As we reflect on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and the importance of the Calls to Action, Chandos Construction has embraced the responsibility to contribute meaningfully to reconciliation. Recognizing the pivotal role businesses play in advancing these efforts, our commitment goes beyond acknowledgment—it is woven into the fabric of how we operate.
Tim Laronde, National Director, Indigenous Strategies at Chandos Construction, joined our team in 2021 to help guide the development of our answer to Call to Action 92. He focuses on connecting our teams with Indigenous communities and Nations, creating cultural awareness plans, growing our Indigenous talent pool, and increasing Indigenous procurement.
Image of Tim Laronde at the OKIB Cultural Immersion School soil turn ceremoney.
“At Chandos, we exist to build a better world,” Laronde said, “While we build projects, we also build relationships with Nations and build better futures for the community.” Laronde prioritizes working with Indigenous Nations to deliver projects that build wealth and prosperity within their local economies.
In British Columbia, our team is completing a multi-phase project to deliver the National Indigenous Centre for Law with the University of Victoria. This building will be the first in the world to house a law program that blends Canadian common law with Indigenous legal orders. Throughout construction, we have worked with an Indigenous-owned development corporation, spending 19 per cent of addressable project dollars with the organization, and circulating money back into the surrounding Indigenous economies.
In Alberta, we recently delivered a new high school to the Bigstone Cree Nation, which aims to raise graduation rates and incorporates Indigenous culture into the building's design. During pre-construction, we held a job fair within Bigstone Cree Nation and created a Local Resource Log of Indigenous-owned sub-trades in partnership with Band Elders. This effort resulted in over 8,000 local worker hours on site, with 40 per cent of our craftworkers being Nation members.
In Ontario, our Toronto construction team has partnered with the Chippewas of Georgina Island to deliver two projects: a gas station with commercial amenities like a convenience store and cafe, and an Early Learning Centre for children from kindergarten to grade six. Both projects create wealth and prosperity by working directly with Indigenous sub-trades and hiring local Nation members. Indigenous workers completed 100 per cent of the washroom scope in the Early Learning Centre.
People often wonder how they can work toward reconciliation as an individual. The answer lies in educating yourself.
To learn more about Indigenous history and heritage, see the resources below:
University of Alberta Coursera
National Day for truth and reconciliation website
Sources:
Charleyboy, L. (2022, September 28). Survivor: The story of Phyllis Webstad and Orange Shirt Day. Canadian Geographic. https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/survivor-the-story-of-phyllis-webstad-and-orange-shirt-day/
Understanding the national day for truth and reconciliation. Government of Canada; Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. (2023, May 11). https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1631130192216/1631130220404