PRESS RELEASE FROM SASKATCHEWAN SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION
RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS THE FOCUS OF ORANGE SHIRT DAY
September 30, 2019
REGINA – The Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) is encouraging residents of the
province to participate in “Orange Shirt Day” by wearing orange and reflecting on residential schools.
“This annually proclaimed day is an opportunity for all of us to take time to think about residential
schools and grow in our understanding of this history,” said Dr. Shawn Davidson, SSBA president.
Orange Shirt Day is officially proclaimed on Sept. 30 each year and is part of a larger movement in
the country to provide opportunity for First Nations, governments, schools and communities to unite in
a spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.
“Learning about our shared history by recognizing the truths about the past and advocating for
understanding is vital,” Deputy Premier and Education Minister Gordon Wyant said. “Everyone has a
role to play in reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day provides an opportunity for our province to
recognize the history and impact of residential schools as we continue on the path to healing.”
The Orange Shirt Day movement is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission residential school
commemoration event held in Williams Lake, B.C., in 2013. It grew out of the account of a young girl
having her new orange shirt taken away on her first day of school at the mission.
Orange Shirt Day was first proclaimed in Saskatchewan in 2016, in response to a resolution passed
by the province’s trustees at the SSBA Spring General Assembly.
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For more information, please contact:
Joe Couture
Communications
Saskatchewan School Boards Association
Cell: 306-502-3546
Email: jcouture@saskschoolboards.ca
