Lakehead University unveils Survivors' Flag honouring residential school survivors

On Tuesday, staff at Lakehead University unveiled the Survivors' Flag on the steps of the Orillia campus, a symbol that honours the past and pays tribute to those impacted by residential schools.

"It is really, really important that every year we recommit to the actions associated with reconciliation," said Dr. Linda Rodenberg, Lakehead University Orillia principal.

The flag donated to the university from the National Truth and Reconciliation Centre honours residential school survivors and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada.

"The most important thing about truth and reconciliation as a movement is that we must each individually commit to learning the truth and participating in reconciliation in ways that are meaningful to us," said Rodenburg.

The university is leading the way towards that commitment. Students who attend Lakehead must complete an Indigenous content requirement, something Rodenburg said is vital to keeping students informed and aware of Canada's past.

"We have taken a more integrated approach, so what we do instead is make sure that there is Indigenous content throughout the courses at Lakehead University rather than them taking just a single course to fulfil that requirement," the university principal noted.

"We have a responsibility to ensure that Indigenous people have access to education, to opportunity, to learning language and building and being a part of community. We have a responsibility to ensure that we are both decolonizing education spaces that have historically participated in the process of colonization and a responsibility to indigenize our spaces," added Brandon Rheal Amyot, vice president of Orillia Lakehead, head of the university student union.

A move that Indigenous leaders say can help  to strengthen a sense of  belonging in university spaces, where at Lakehead University, 13 per cent of students are Indigenous

"It helps make the First Nation community stronger, and with that strength comes opportunity, not just for themselves but for the community to keep going to keep the strength," said Rama First Nation Chief Ted Williams.

Tuesday's flag-raising ceremony is one of several events planned over the next couple of weeks at Lakehead University ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30.